Disclaimer: I only own my original OC, not Harry Potter.
Thanks to everyone that reviewed. I know it took a while to update, but I had exams the past two weeks.
Bam! The door to the classroom slammed open. It was always easy to tell when Severus was angry, you could hear him coming from one hallway away, with the doors being yanked open forcefully only to collide with the wall.
"What's happened now?" I asked, not looking up from the papers I was correcting. Four years of working as his assistant have made me immune to his temper.
"It's that bloody idiot Lockhart! Who else would be dumb enough to release Cornish Pixies into a room full of students?" he fumed.
"Was anyone harmed?" I queried, looking up. His eyes looked even darker than they usually did.
"No, but that's not the point."
"Well, at least everyone was okay." In spite of myself, I always tried to get him to see the positive side. It almost never worked.
"Of course you would try to defend him! He is your boyfriend after all!"
"He is not! That's not who I'm attracted to at all!" I shouted back. Honestly, he could be so impossible during his brooding spells.
"Right, and that's why ever since he took the teaching job, he's constantly around you."
"It's not my doing. Besides, he keeps giving me a lecture on being a 'proper' celebrity. 'Fame is a fickle friend' and all that nonsense. He's a bloody idiot!"
"Thank you! Was that so difficult to say?" He didn't wait for a reply before storming back out, slamming the door behind him. I rolled my eyes and went back to grading. He always knew how to trick me into agreeing with him. Not that I didn't anyway. Gilderoy Lockhart had been trying to 'woo' me for months now, ever since I had the misfortune of meeting him during summer. Dumbledore had been so convinced it would be helpful for everyone if we met him ahead of time, before the school year started.
I always declined. He had made it very clear, unintentionally, that he only wanted me for the publicity it would bring. 'Just consider it, we'd be the couple of the year. Witch Weekly would follow us everywhere.'
'Witch Weekly follows me everywhere already, thank you very much Gilderoy, but alas, the answer is no.'
I was pulled out of my reverie by a knock on the door. "May I come in?" asked a certain professor named Lockhart. I never could get him to leave me alone. It's not like I tell him anything. Most of the time I ignore him really. He talks and I see if I can count how many bones are in my body.
"Sure, I can't think of an excuse why not." It was the truth. Try as I might I couldn't think of a single thing to keep him out, other than, "You bloody idiot, leave me alone!" No, far too cruel. He'd give me that look that makes me feel like I've just kicked a puppy.
"I don't suppose you've heard about my near-death experience yet," he began without preamble.
"Oh no, you? How terrible!" I said sarcastically. Some of Severus' wonderful qualities must be rubbing off on me.
"Yes, but not to fear, I'm here, safe, and don't plan to leave you any time soon," he said, not noting the carelessness I felt for the situation.
"Really? Because I heard you're little 'experience' put some students in the hospital," I lied.
"I never heard about that."
"They're your students. I suppose that's why the headmaster and some Ministry officials are looking for you."
"F-f-for me?" he stuttered.
"Oh, yes. If I were you, I'd lie low for a few days."
"Right then, I was never here." He quickly got up and left, checking each direction in the corridor, truly believing people were looking for him.
"Quite the way to get rid of him, if I do say so myself." Severus said, leaning against the hidden entry to his private quarters.
"Yes, I do have many talents."
"I'm not paying you for your Lockhart removal skills. Did you finish your correcting?" he asked plopping down in the chair behind his desk. "Or were you too occupied with daydreaming?"
"This is your job, you know. I think you're getting lazy."
"That's where you're wrong. I'm not getting lazy, you're simply getting paid," he smirked. I threw several papers at him anyway. "Hey!"
"You know you love me." All was quiet. "What? No retort?" Silence. Hmm, he must be sick. "I'll finish these up. You can have the night off."
"Why?" he asked, arching his signature brow. He never did believe anyone, particularly Slytherins, ever did anything purely out of the goodness of their hearts. There always had to be a hidden agenda.
"I don't want you to get sick because I don't want to teach your classes."
"Who told you I'm sick?"
"No one, it's just that you didn't have a sarcastic remark to my last statement, so I think you must be sick."
"I'm not-" he was cut off when a textbook collided with the side of his head.
"I think some of Lockhart's Cornish Pixies escaped."
"Really, I hadn't noticed?" he said, rubbing the side of his head emphatically.
"Oh, shush, now, how do we catch it and do they make good pets?"
"Why would you want to keep the disgusting thing?"
"It's not disgusting, it's cute. Oh, I should probably figure out if it's a boy or a girl."
"They aren't meant to be pets. And as for catching it, immobulus." With that, the tiny pixie was frozen in the air.
"Well, don't hurt it, can I at least let it go in the wild?"
"How did you ever get into Slytherin?"
"I'm sneaky when I want to be."
"Indeed," was all that was said on the matter. I took a small crate off a shelf, placed the Cornish Pixie in it, and walked out of the Potions room, intent on returning him or her to their cage full of friends.
"Ah, Miss Sparks, good afternoon," said Dumbledore, who was standing right around the corner.
"Oh, good afternoon, Headmaster," I said in reply.
"May I inquire about what's in the box?"
"Oh, well, um, Cornish Pixie. I think it escaped from the Defense room. Gilderoy didn't do the best job of keeping them contained."
"No, I must admit, he did not. I, myself had one in my office. Nearly gave poor Fawkes heart failure."
"I can understand that. It attacked Severus with a book."
"Oh, that reminds me, I was coming to see him."
"He's in the classroom, I better get this little guy back to his friends before he wakes up. Good bye, Headmaster."
"Gilderoy, open up," I said, pounding on his office door several floors above the dungeons.
"Who is it?" he hissed through the door.
"It's the Easter Bunny, now open the door, I've got a present for you."
"Ariana, have you finally decided to take me up on my offer?" he asked with a smug smile on his face.
"Not exactly, here you go," I shoved the box into his arms and backed away. Oddly enough, the Cornish Pixie had chosen that moment to wake up and when he opened the box, it flew into his office and began throwing things off shelves, many of which hit Lockhart. "Merry early Christmas!" I shouted cheerily and skipped away. I could still hear crashes from two floors down.
"Lockhart's going to have quite a time cleaning up his office," I said, entering the Potions classroom and shutting the door. "Hello, again, Headmaster."
"Hello, I was just telling Severus that I saw you in the hall on the way to return your little pest."
"Oh, yes, well, it woke up just before he opened the box so now the little pest is his problem." I smiled and sat down at the desk. "Oh, Sevykins! I have no more work, isn't that wonderful?" I knew he hated that name, which is what makes it so much fun to call him that. He gets really mad and a vein in his forehead starts pulsing. Although, if he has an aneurysm, I am out of a job, so I should probably stop. Eh, I'll consider putting on my list of things to do as a new year's resolution. I'll put it right after lose ten pounds and organize my library.
"I told you to stop calling me that, and if you need work, organize the potions stores."
"Oh, I'm sorry Severus, you know I just kid." I gave him a hug and that little vein in his head started pulsing just a little bit more. I think he actually growled. Oh well, he's still my favorite potions master to work for. "Right, well, I'll just go organize those potions stores now. Goodbye again, Headmaster," I said with a smile.
"Don't be too hard on the girl. She means well." I heard Dumbledore say to Severus before I shut the door.
I'll try to update sooner, but I can't make any promises, sorry. Please review, I may even reply.
