The Mental Mentorship

When we last left the dungeons, Professor Vector was not having a very good Monday and Professor Snape did not seem pleased with the prospect of mentoring a new staff member.

Time to lay down a few ground rules…

Chapter 4: Potions for Dunderheads

"As I am quite sure you have observed, we are in the Hogwarts dungeons," said Snape in a most unwelcome tone.

"Office. Storeroom. Classroom. Study." Snape pointed at each doorway by waving a careless hand and not bothering to look in any direction, only at me.

"I might add that behind me is the inner dungeon sanctuary for students as well as mentoring subjects displaying cheek," said Snape in a matter of fact fashion."They have not been utilized for quite some time…but there is hope yet."

Professor Snape did not move and continued his introduction to the dungeons and my responsibilities there.

"You are not to come near me or my desk unless you are given explicit permission to do so."

"Do not make any physical contact with the items residing in these rooms unless I ask it of you."

"Generally speaking, in a functional capacity you exist, barely, and only if you are acknowledged."

"There will be no eye contact….for your benefit, of course."

Ugly git! Of course! I fumed silently.

"If you are given instructions to touch anything, wipe it down when you are finished….or the "scourgify" spell should work sufficiently, and keep things as they were. There is no telling where others hands have been."

"Do not ask anything of a personal nature you do not wish to know." He nodded to make a point of reassuring me of this. "Do not offer. I do not want to know, nor do I care."

He went down a list of potions ingredients in stock at any given time and showed me the storeroom. It was a tall, narrow room lined with shelves and a rather large ladder on wheels.

There was a knock at the door and Professor Flitwick entered once again.

"Professor Sna…." But Snape pressed on as if he hadn't been addressed.

"Ah, over here are urns containing assistants who ask too many questions next to insolent students. I was quite sure I had misplaced them."

Was he joking? I looked at Professor Flitwick. Flitwick shrugged and mouthed that no one was exactly sure of this.

"Yes, Professor," Snape acknowledge Professor Flitwick.

"Miss Vector is to go to Professor Sprout after she is done with her work here," said Flitwick.

"We are, in fact, almost finished," Snape replied.

"…one last thing. If you are ill, poisoned, attacked, and or dying….Madame Pomfrey is one the third floor, if you can manage to crawl."

"Any questions? Not that I desire to answer any ridiculous queries at the present time." He raised an eyebrow, seemingly anticipating some kind of response.

Afraid to speak, move, er, breathe, or whatever he had asked me not to do, I, however, opted to merely shake my head, no.

"Vector." Professor Snape nodded, turned, and swept back to his desk. I was dismissed. He took his place at his desk and went to work. He never looked up.

Flitwick and I exited as quickly as we could and we both walked to Professor Sprout's greenhouses not knowing what to say.

Professor Flitwick broke the silence first. "He is a serious man. No nonsense. But he must be having a really bad day…. by the way, I haven't even formally introduced myself…"