Shawna's POV
So far, on this first day of studies, Hogwarts had been a refugee for her. She had enjoyed life before this, but now it was as though her life had improved drastically. She couldn't help but smile every time she entered a classroom, or saw a professor enchant her with a bit of magic. Though she knew this was simple to them, it still captivated her.
She was struggling a bit with different subjects, but she had enjoyed learning immensely from the profitable examples the professors presented. Magic was not effortless, but it could be done. She found keeping this in mind every time something difficult found her way to her helped ease her troubled mind. After potions, she had transfiguration.
The teacher, Professor McGonagall was an aged woman. She had her grayed brown hair in a fierce bun, and wore emerald robes, dusted with glittering specks. She had rather beady eyes set perfectly in place on a wrinkled face. She had heard this was the Gryffindor Head of House, and that she should automatically hate her. This was beyond Shawna's nature, and she wanted to befriend the professors, seeing as they were the ones who would be teaching her, and grading her assignments.
She found herself in an all Slytherins class, and she knew the Professor was probably not to pleased. After introducing herself, Professor McGonagall dispersed to each of them a small matchstick. Her mind set off, wondering what she could possibly do with something of this size. She found she was not the same student thinking this, as some boy with ruffled brown hair blurted from the back,
"What the bloody hell are we supposed to do with some microscopic piece of wood?"
McGonagall had sent him an icy glare, though the boy had a pleased smile on his face. Shawna could tell he was a spot of trouble, though she found his remark quite funny, as did many of the other snickering students.
"Dear boy, basics are essential to all forms of magic. Mister Blumsberg, I advise you don't speak out of term again, or the result will be a consequence. That goes for all of you, I do not tolerate any sort of foolery. Rules are set in stone, ready for you to obey them. Now, moving on from Mister Blumsberg's out of place comment…" She shot him a look once more, causing him, and a few of his rowdy friends to snigger.
"You will be transforming this matchstick in a needle." She ended, waving her long, elegant wand once, transforming the matchstick into a small, silver needle.
Though students had been waving their wands furiously, including Shawna, not many could transform their matchstick. She had attempted, and on her umpteenth try, half of her matchstick had colored silver, and it looked slick to the touch. She felt a sense of relief, as she wasn't completely hopeless. Jenny, who was sitting next to her, had no success, and looked greedily at the half needle sitting in front of Shawna.
"You want to do mine to?" Jenny joked merrily.
Shawna half-smiled, amused, and took slight hint pride with this comment
McGonagall hadn't hesitated on piling on homework, which included an essay. Everyone seemed to moan, unpleased with this. Shawna had wanted to partake in this, but she knew better than to. She was extremely unhappy with the fact her evening would be spent in the library looking up information for the two inches of parchment due next week. She was rather pleased to be leaving transfiguration, though it was interesting to watch, it was not at all simple.
She made her way to Charms, where a stumpy man was waiting at the door. She thought he was a student, when in fact it was Professor Flitwick. He had a balding head, and a pair of simple glasses that rested on an overly large nose, which took up a large portion of his squished face. She found once inside, she was combined with the Hufflepuffs. Taking a seat in the room, she found a feather laying in front of her. Once settled, Professor gave an example of how to make the feather levitate. He chanted "Wingardium Leviosa." And the feather drifted into the air, following the path set by his wand.
Eager to try, Shawna pulled her wand out in a flash.
"Wingardium Leviosa." She said quietly, and to her pleasure, the feather drifted up just a bit, she was getting somewhere.
Chanting once more, her and many other feathers on the Slytherin side of the room had floated gracefully into the air, to the teacher's delight. A smile erupted on Shawna's face, and she hoped all charms would be as easy as that had been. The classes drifted rather quickly, and she made her way to the last class of the day, History of Magic.
This seemed exciting, as she would learn a bit more about magic, but she was quickly mistake. The teacher, Professor Binns, was a ghost. He babbled straight out of the book, in a dreary, monotone voice. Shawna was lulled to sleep, as every other student in that class. She and Jenny had made a pact that each would have turns sleeping, and the other would take notes for the both of them. Happy to be rid of that class, the two skipped merrily back to the Great Hall for lunch.
Snape's POV
This bloody school and its idiotic students were just as it had been last year. All who saw him quickly changed their routes, or avoided eye contact and sped up in hopes of passing him quicker. It didn't bother him, though he wondered if it could have ever been different. Teaching had droned on, as he never seemed to have anyone who had a clue what they were doing in his classes, besides second years and up. He had a few explosions today, though he couldn't figure out why due to the fact he hadn't allowed any first years to use potions today, and anyone older should have been smart enough to not have something explode. The splotches from leaking potions decorated his black robes, angering him.
He staggered back to the Great Hall from the dungeons, and on his way up, he saw the two girls from his first potions class, Miss Zemphoria, and that Jenny girl. That bounced merrily as they turned into a different corridor, both having grins protruding on their faces. They chatted merrily, laughing at whatever comment the other made. He flashed back to when it was that way with Lily and him. His cold heart felt a tad warmer when he thought of Lily, but he flushed her out of his head quickly. He knew he couldn't bear the overwhelming choke of guilt that would result from thinking of her for to long.
He focused on the silk black hair that bounced in front of him, she somewhat intrigued him. She seemed very educated, and polite. A rare combination in first years, or anyone for that matter. She had a desire to learn, which he knew many saw in him his first year here. Perhaps he had finally found a student he would somewhat tolerate. He let himself drift into their conversation, while following close behind.
"Jenny, what's your favorite class so far?" Her voice was soft, and gentle, but oddly familiar.
"I liked History of Magic." She said sarcastically, both of them let out a chime of laughter. "Charms was alright, I suppose. What about you? I'm sure it was Potions."
Shawna chuckled nervously, "Yeah, good guess."
Snape took pleasure in this, knowing she enjoyed his class had given him a bit of pride. Not many liked his class, or even tolerated it for that matter.
"It's pretty obvious." Jenny muttered, and they were lost in the drowning of chatter coming from the Great Hall. He lost sight of them, and the annoyance of students fluttered around his head. Several pairs of eyes followed to him as he made his way to the teacher's table, and lips moved nervously. Obviously they were making some insult about his appearance, or ranting about something he did, but he honestly couldn't have cared less. Students, in his eyes, were nuisances, and their opinions wouldn't have mattered in any case. He took his spot at the table, next to Professor McGonagall today, ready to boast about the student he had seen just moments ago.
"I've got a Potions Prodigy in my class, what've you got?" He smiled smugly, taking a swig of Pumpkin Juice.
Shawna's POV
The night had set in, and she was finishing up a portion of her assignments for a few of her classes. She reached for her potions book to start her Potion's homework, when she had grasped thin air where her book should have been laying. She must have left it in her Potions class, which bothered her. She knew it was late, but she needed to get this started. She had asked a few of her friends to come with her to get it, but all of them declined, stating the teacher was rather frightening.
She grabbed a cloak to keep the nights air away from her, and set out through the darkened corridors. Her class wasn't to far, and the flames brightly burning on the sides lit the way. She focused on the end on the corridors, as the knight suit's scared her a bit. Her footsteps echoed through the corridors, a rhythmic beat entered her ears with every step.
She could see her classroom ahead, the fire burning brightly inside alerted her Professor Snape still was in there. She tentatively waited there at the doorway, debating in her head whether or not she wanted to go in. She felt shy, and awkward without others around her. In a rush of adrenaline, she entered.
She could see him hovering over a thick, black cauldron. A green mist wafted over the top, his eyes drifted to hers.
"What are you doing here? It's past curfew." He stated in a rather hard tone.
"I-I left my potion's book." She stuttered, his presence which normally brought her pleasure made her nervous. He looked rather annoyed, or angry. She had interrupted something he was doing, she would have been annoyed if she was in his place.
He picked up the battered potions book in one of his hands, signaling her to approach him. She slowly drifted closer to him, keeping her eyes on the ground. His presence was right in front of her, and he handed the book to her. It's torn edges felt familiar in her soft hands, sending relief throughout her.
She peeked up at the cauldron, it's green mist she had recognized, and she caught a small sight of the thick liquid. Shrinking Solution, a rather simple potion. Snape studied her carefully.
"Do you know what this is?" He asked, her voice a bit softer, curiosity hinted his tone.
"Shrinking Solution, I believe."
"Yes. it's made of?" He asked, testing her.
She thought for a moment, "Minced daisy roots, peeled Shrivelfig, sliced caterpillar, one rat spleen, and um, a bit of leech juice."
The look of pleasure was hidden well, though Shawna could see it, it made her smile.
"Not many people can actually state the ingredients. Well done. Now, off to bed." He muttered, motioning his hand to the doorway.
"Yes sir." She said quietly, starting her way to the doorway.
"Actually, Miss Zemphoria. Let me escort you back to the common room. The rather obnoxious poltergeist is probably roaming down here. If he sees you, he'll cause noise. The last thing I need is a whole Slytherin House roaming about."
Shawna hid her smile, as she heard his two feet clicking across the stone floor as they had this morning. His presence beside her calmed her, as the dark corridors weren't so frightening when an adult was beside you.
Snape's POV
She was rather tiny, and Serverus knew she would have been an effortless target for Peeves. She had walked beside him, trying to match his rather fast pace. The common room was close by, and it was his responsibility to make sure all Slytherin students were in bed. He should have given her detention, though he couldn't find the words to. She looked innocent, she just wanted her book, no doubt to finish the assignment he had given the class.
The common room door swung open when he chanted the password. She stepped in, and turned. Her blue eyes had intensified in the firelight, they seemed so familiar to him.
"Goodnight sir." She said quietly, a small curve of her lips.
He stared into her tired eyes, and nodded in reply.
Something about that pair of eyes, it struck within him. He had felt as though they were already emblazed into his memories before he had ever known of this Shawna Zemphoria. He brushed it aside, his tired mind must have been mistaken.
