The first class had gone smoothly (wonderful, in fact) and so had every other class Rosemary had taught that morning and afternoon. Her previous jitters had dissipated as the day progressed. She was soothed by the fact that teaching at Ilvermorny was not much different than Hogwarts and that the curriculum and subject material aligned nicely between the two schools.
She had met some of the students from her house and they all seemed to be gentle spirited and very friendly towards her. She was also greeted from students from the other houses and she noted how each student possessed different abilities, setbacks, and attributes. In this, she had felt a familiarity among the students and in teaching.
The morning had passed quickly and -during lunch- she had talked more with Hagrid but also became friendlier with some of the other staff like Professor McGonagall and Flitwick.
She had learned that Professor McGonagall was head of the Gryffindor house and taught figurations. While, Flitwick was head of the Ravenclaw house and taught charms. She found their personalities to align perfectly with the houses they lead. Professor McGonagall was a very polite and nice woman with a stern and strong undertone that reminded Rosemary of a fierce lion and -to Rosemary- Flitwick was truly a brilliant wizard who could rationalize any situation.
The only peculiar event at lunch was Professor Snape's absence. Rosemary felt a rock in the pit of her stomach as she blamed herself for his absence.
After finishing her final lectures, dinner time had come around and so had her appetite. She made her way to the teacher's high table at the front of the dining hall. She glided happily into her wooden seat as she swiped some stray dirt off her dress. She watched as students filtered into the dining hall with textbooks overfilling their arms, wands sticking out of their cloaks, and loose papers trailing behind them.
She tucked one of her blonde curls behind her tiny ear as she saw Hagrid's large stature walk towards the table. She waved towards him and he waved back as he joined her at the table. He plopped into his seat and the chair whined out a creak from his weight. The flow of students slowly started to die down as they found their seats.
The last students entered the room and Rosemary looked at the chairs around her at the high table. They were all filled except the one that sat cold and empty beside her. Severus Snape's seat. Dinner commenced anyhow and plates began to fill with wonderous amounts of food that had steam raising from them and smelled, heavenly. But, even though the food looked divine Professor Snape's empty plate beside her ruined her appetite. She looked up as owls swarmed and dived across the room, delivering student's mail.
Rosemary's eyes wandered over to Dumbledore who sat properly as he ate some potatoes and drank from his goblet of wine. He glanced over at her prying eyes and raised a gray, furry eyebrow. She blushed and looked down at her lap.
"How was your first day, Rosemary?" He asked as he set down his goblet.
"It was wonderful. The students are really nice and the herbology room is beautiful," Rosemary said with a smile.
"Then why do you look so solemn?" He asked and she stared into his soft blue, gray eyes that reminded her alot of her grandfather. Her shoulders relaxed as she began to confide to him.
"I am just concerned for Severus. He hasn't been to breakfast nor lunch and now he's not at dinner," Rosemary confessed as she saw Dumbledore stroke his beard, thoughtfully.
"Don't worry too much about him. He often gets so wrapped up in his potion-making during breaks in between classes that he sometimes misses meals. He has done so before and will be alright," Dumbledore assured her but she didn't feel assured. She felt sick to her stomach, knowing that it was her fault that he had to remake the potions all over again.
"But, he hasn't eaten all day…," Rosemary said, quietly. Dumbledore smiled warmly and kindly at her and placed a warm, rough hand over top of hers.
"You are very kind and considerate, Rosemary. But, he is very stubborn and won't stop making potions to come eat," Dumbledore said and Rosemary deflated with disappointment.
"But, you could try bringing him a plate of food," Dumbledore suggested and Rosemary smiled up at him, thinking about how brilliant an idea that was. Her face lightened as she nodded.
"Okay. I will," Rosemary said determined to make things right with Snape. She grabbed her own plate full of food that she hadn't touched and her fork and walked hastily away. Dumbledore smiled as he watched her rush out of the dining hall.
Rosemary walked down the hallways, hoping the meal would still be warm when she reached the basement. She noticed some of the ghosts eyeing her as she walked towards the basement steps but she merely smiled at them as she continued down her descent into the cold basement.
After taking her last step down the stairs, she walked straight then took a left towards the potion classroom. She halted before the large wooden door with a brass doorknob. She heard a light clink of vials and flasks and she gulped slightly as she reached her pale hand towards the door.
She tapped lightly on the door and waited with the plate of food in her hands. She clicked her heels on the cold stone floor out of a nervous habit. After a few moments with no answer, she knocked again slightly louder. The clinking of glassware paused and then continued.
"Enter," came a deep voice from inside the room. She turned the ice-cold door knob and entered the even chiller room. She gave a slight shiver as she took in her surroundings which were unbelievably dark and gloomy. The student benches were spotlessly clean with cauldrons and measuring tools on them. The shelves continued marked vials of potions, materials, and unknown specimens that floated in jars.
At the front of the classroom was Severus Snape with his back turned and his wand swirling in circular motions in order to carefully pour exact amounts of ingredients into the large, black cauldron on the front table that bubbled over with smoke.
"Hello…," Rosemary said, cautiously, as she walked slowly up the aisle. Severus didn't say a word as he concentrated on pouring five equal drops of salamander's blood into the mix.
"...I noticed you weren't at lunch or breakfast and brought you some food," she said as she stood only a couple footsteps behind him. As he added the blood the cauldron bubbled violently and he swiftly added fire seeds. The liquid turned a brilliant, bright red hue.
Rosemary placed the plate of food on a nearby student benches and walked up to Severus to watch him work.
"Pepper up potion?" She asked as she watched him begin to bottle up the final product.
"Obviously," Snape sneered as he moved his wand to tighten the caps on the vials.
"Are they for your class?" She asked as he placed the vials into a trail that resembled the one she had broken earlier that day. His face scrunched in annoyance as he looked at her.
"I have to go," he said, bitterly, as he held the tray in front of him and walked towards the door. She watched him walk away with his black cloak fluttering behind him. He walked with purpose, grace, and power. He froze at the classroom door with his hand on the handle.
"And Ms. Iinora?" He said.
"Yes?" She said, slightly hopeful that he might forgive her or at least give her a friendly goodbye.
"Get out of my classroom," he said and exited the classroom, swiftly.
