Chapter 2 - Meeting Third Years

True to his word, Damarcus had spoken with Lucius about a Potions tutor for Narcissa. She found this out a few days later when she was in the library working on a History of Magic essay and she felt someone sit down beside her. She blinked once and steeled herself, for she had seen in her peripheral vision who her table mate was.

"Narcissa," the Lucius whispered, "my brother tells me you wish to have some help with Potions?"

Narcissa closed her book and put down her quill. "Yes, he said a friend of yours might be able to assist me?"

Lucius inched closer to her and continued to whisper, "He is quite gifted in Potions, my friend. He says he will help you, but only if you are willing to work very hard."

"Yes," Narcissa whispered back, pulling away from him slightly, as he was crouching in on her personal space, "yes I am."

"Very well, then," Lucius leaned back abruptly, and stood up. "I will tell Severus to meet you in classroom 104 before dinner tomorrow. It is not in use at that time."

"I," Narcissa started, but stopped short when she realized Bella had come into the library and spotted her talking with Lucius. "Thank you," she said, and immediately opened her book up and buried her nose in it, willing Lucius to leave so she would not have to endure Bella's wrath again.

Lucius turned to see Bella glaring at them as well, and he leant down to Narcissa's ear, brushing it lightly with his lips as he breathed, "As for your sister, I would not worry about her." He paused, his breath hot on her cheek before continuing, "She is somewhat disillusioned when it comes to people returning her...fancy." And with that he raised his head and headed over to where Bella stood, starting a conversation about something which Narcissa neither heard nor cared.

The next day, after her last lesson, Narcissa made her way to classroom 104 before dinner. She pushed open the door and realized the room was empty. She put her things down on a desk near the front of the room and sat on the top of the next one, waiting for her tutor. Several minutes later, she heard the door bang open and saw a tall, thin boy with long hair walking toward her, his eyes dark. Narcissa was nearly afraid of him, when she suddenly remembered she had seen him before, with her sister's group. She recognized him now, and he set his books down noisily and began to speak.

"You are Narcissa?" He asked pointedly. His voice was smooth, like silk, and it caught Narcissa off guard, as it was not what she had expected.

"I - yes," she answered obediently.

"I am Severus Snape, and it has been brought to my...attention," he said with some disdain in his voice, "that you are in need of help with your Potions work?"

"I - yes, a bit," she replied weakly. Clearly this boy did not want to help her.

"I do not make it a point to help first years," he stated plainly, "but seeing as you helped Lucius' brother, I am...obliged...to help you." He stopped, waiting for a response.

Narcissa failed to see how her helping Lucius' brother obligated this boy to help her, but she said, "Thank you?" This came out more as a question than a statement.

"Well," he prodded impatiently, "I will need to see your essays and note book."

She obliged him and sat fidgeting while he glanced through her work, occasionally harrumphing and sighing, shaking his head and rolling his eyes. She thought to herself how much she hoped she hadn't acted like this while helping Damarcus. Suddenly, her head jerked up to the sound of the door being slammed opened, and four boys ran in, laughing hysterically, unaware of the current occupants.

Severus looked up as well and his eyes narrowed dangerously as he saw the boys and spat, "How typical of the fantastic four to barge into a room without a second thought to anyone else who might be in use of it."

The boys turned on a dime to face Severus and Narcissa.

"Oh, Sevvy, you've found yourself a girlfriend! You must've used a pretty powerful love potion, to get her to see past all that grease and grime you've got yourself covered in," one of the boys taunted, he had dark messy hair and hazel eyes. Narcissa thought he looked familiar.

Severus drew his wand and pointed it at the boy. His friend stepped in front of him and pulled out his own wand.

"Oi! Narcissa, there's loads better out there for you than this rotten mess," he goaded.

"Sirius Black, put down your wand this instant, or I shall tell your father you were about to use it on a Slytherin." She said coldly. "And for your information," she continued to her cousin and his friends, "Severus is tutoring me in Potions. By the way, Sirius, how are your marks this year? Regulus tells me you're near restriction again? Is this true? I'd like to think you'd spend your time doing something a bit more useful than running around rampant with these...boys." She finished limply, hoping they would leave and not begin a fight.

"Let's go, James," Sirius said to one of the boys, the one with hazel eyes, "she's right we shouldn't waste our time on Snivellus. Narcissa, watch you don't get Confunded!" And before she could utter another retort, the four were gone and she turned to face Severus, his expression beyond black with rage.

"My cousin," she said in an explanatory voice, "I'm sorry he is such a git. That's what you get with Gryffindors, though, I expect." She tried to smile at Severus, who had bent his head back to looking at her work. "They seem to know you, though, but they're only third years. How is that possible?"

Severus' head snapped up at her and he said, in a voice that clearly stated he thought the question far more than stupid, "I am a third year."

Narcissa's eyes widened. She was sure Bella would never have allowed a third year to be part of her group of friends. She was kept from her musings, however, by Severus' cruel voice.

"Your work," he began, "is shoddy. Your problem is that you pay no attention to detail. If you are to improve...at all...this must change. Is that clear?"

She nodded.

"Get off the top of that desk and sit down here," he motioned to the seat next to him, "I suppose we will have to start with the simplest of potions to retrain you." And he opened his text book, which was scribbled on in the margins, and began to explain that page's potion to her.

Lucius had been right. Severus did expect Narcissa to work very hard at improving her potions skills, but it was paying off. Each week she would bring him her finished assignments for him to proofread, and each week there were less and less scratches and crosses on them. Finally, the day before the last day of class before winter exams, she brought him her final assignment and he took if from her, reading carefully. He read it through once, then twice, and then looked up at her, a strange look in his eyes.

"This is...excellent." He said gently, and he looked at her again, as if he was seeing her for the first time. The expression on his face changed into something softer, but only for a fleeting moment, then it was gone, and the scowl replaced it. "We will continue our lessons after the holiday." He stopped short, and the softer look returned, "If you wish."

"I do," Narcissa said in earnest, then, taking back her paper from him, she said quite sincerely, "Thank you, Severus."

"Thank Lucius," he replied, and then he scooped up his bag and belongings and was gone.