Part II

Chapter 4

It seemed like a completely normal day at Hogwarts. Severus Snape went to get ready for the first of his morning classes, Slytherin and Gryffindor first years. He had just started preparing for the lesson when a tiny black haired girl walked into the classroom. Severus recognized Hortensia Merkeley, one of his first year Slytherins, a quiet, but clever girl. What was she doing here this early? It was twenty minutes before the lesson started. Severus looked at her suspiciously. "Can I help you Miss Merkeley?" he asked.

The little girl looked at him with her big brown eyes and shook her head. "No, Professor. I just wanted to get ready for class." She answered and found her seat. She started taking her things out of her bag.

Severus looked at her for a minute, quite confused, but soon continued preparing the instructions and the ingredients. He looked up from his desk and saw that Miss Merkeley was sitting at her regular seat, potions book out. Quill, ink and parchment ready on her desk, just looking at him.

The other students started arriving after a while and Severus forgot all about the strange girl staring at him. The lesson started and he gave the class the instructions for today's lesson and put them to work.

After a while he noticed that Miss Merkeley hadn't touched her cauldron or prepared any of the ingredients.

"Is there a problem, Miss Merkeley," he asked.

"No, Professor," the little girl answered.

"Then why aren't you working, Miss Merkeley?" Severus continued.

The girl blushed but didn't take her eyes off him, something Severus found very strange. Usually when he talked to students they immediately looked at the floor.

"I was hoping that you would show me how, Professor." Hortensia Merkeley answered with a tiny smile.

"Show you how?" Severus was shocked. "If you're not planning on taking this class seriously Miss Merkeley, I suggest you leave my classroom straight away."

"No please, Sir. I want to stay," the Slytherin girl begged with big brown eyes. "I want to stay in your class."

"Very well," Severus nodded. "But get to work this instant, or I'll give you a detention with Filch."

The girl nodded and started preparing her cauldron.

Severus turned her back on her and started walking around the classroom looking at the other students working.

"What was all that about?" Severus thought to himself. He had never experienced a student acting like that before. And especially not one from his own house.

Ooo---ooo---ooo---ooo---ooO

"Yes, what is it, Miss Ronton?" Severus Snape had just dismissed his N.E.W.T. students but the Ravenclaw girl still hadn't left his classroom. She just stood there, smiling at him in a completely bizarre way.

"Class is over, Miss Ronton, and since you apparently don't have any questions, it's about time for you to get to your next lesson." Snape tried to stay calm while the girl stepped even closer.

"Oh, but you're wrong, Professor." She was standing so close to him now that Severus Snape was afraid to breathe to give her the wrong impression. "I do have a question."

Severus took a step back, only to being followed again.

"Miss Ronton, will you stop this inappropriate behaviour immediately!" Severus Snape hissed at his student and stepped away from her.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Professor." Rhonda Ronton smiled at him seductively. "I just can't help myself."

"Now, what do you want to ask me?" Severus tried to ignore her last comment and stay as indifferent as he possibly could.

"I was wondering," Rhonda Ronton whispered in his ear. "Are you married?"

"First of all, Miss Ronton, that is not a school related question, and second, that is my personal life, and none of your concern. Now will you please leave my classroom?"

"That means no, then? Do you have a girlfriend?"

"Get out, Miss Ronton!"

"I can't believe a sexy wizard like you don't have a girlfriend. Would you go out with a student?"

"Miss Ronton, you have now earned yourself a detention, and 20 points taken from Ravenclaw."

"Will that be detention with you? What time? What shall I wear?"

"You will get at note with the details during the next week. Goodbye Miss Ronton!"

Snape managed to lock the door after her.

What in Merlin's name was going on? Rhonda Ronton was one of his best potions students, and she had hardly said more than ten words during her more than six years at Hogwarts. What had gotten into her? Love potion? Or a dare? The only thing Severus knew for sure was that he certainly was not going to tell anyone about this incident. He started preparing for his next class, but his mind was so confused that he hadn't managed to do much before the next group entered his classroom.

Ooo---ooo---ooo---ooo---ooO

It was dinner and Severus scowled at the Great Hall. His eyes fell quickly at the Ravenclaw table where a certain Miss Ronton sat together with her fellow Ravenclaws. She looked out of place and quite ill. Not at all like she had been just two hours earlier today. Severus was relieved that she wasn't behaving like she had done earlier. His glance slid across the room and everything else seemed perfectly normal.

At the Slytherin table, Draco Malfoy was the centre of attention his usual cronies laughing at every joke and getting a lot of admiring looks from the Slytherin girls. The Ravenclaw table was more quiet. Most of the students were eating and talking quietly with each other and some were reading while eating. The Hufflepuff table was full of life. And at the Gryffindor table the Weasley twins were laughing so hard the other Gryffindors were starting to get embarrassed. Yes, everything seemed perfectly normal.

Severus finished his meal, went back to his office, wrote a note to Miss Ronton about her detention with Filch the following Saturday and went to his chambers.

Severus was getting frustrated. What the heck was going on? First an eleven year old girl was staring at him with dreamy eyes and now a seventeen year old was coming on to him. He hadn't worked on his attitude towards his students to become the great object of affection. Something was going on, and Severus was determined to find out what.

He sat down in a chair next to his fireplace with an old Muggle book and a cup of tea. He lived for these moments; all alone with a book, no one to bother him, and especially no love struck Ravenclaws.