That evening at dinner, I strode into the Great Hall to see that Severus was not there yet. I sat down at looked at some potions notes I took. I was starting to feel better but there must have been something going around the school. A few students were sick too.
About ten or fifteen minutes later, Severus stalked down the aisle, his long robes swishing behind him. When he reached my table, he glanced stoically in my direction. I wondered why he was late. The Potions Master sat next to Dumbledore and McGonagall. He looked at me again and sighed before speaking to Dumbledore and eating at the High Table.
I shook my head. Harry Potter suddenly stopped next to me and sat down in the vacant seat. "Do you mind if I sit?"
"No..." I stammered.
"Thanks. I'm just getting tired of hearing Seamus go on and on about how You Know Who isn't really back."
This wasn't good. I looked back at Severus who was giving me a death glare.
"Why not sit with your friends?"
"Maybe because I want to sit with you."
I gave him a side glance. "I thought you were dating Cho now?"
"I'm not sure yet." Harry replied. "I don't really want to talk about her right now."
"So are you here to impress me? You think I'm impressed?" I asked casually. "Because I'm not interested, Harry. I'm really not. You seem like a nice guy but you're not my type."
Harry drank some pumpkin juice. "Maybe you're just not sure yet what your type is. I'll try again later."
He got up and walked back over to sit with Hermione and Ron, who looked as if they wanted all the gory details.
I couldn't eat after that. I felt sharp daggers eyeing me from the High Table, those belonging to a certain furious Severus Snape.
I got up and left, making my way to the Potions classroom.
I sat down and waited on Severus, who was fuming when he came in.
He scowled at me. "On to Potter now, Miss Jones?"
I stood from the seat. "Don't jump to conclusions. He came over to me on his own. Then he started flirting with me."
Severus glared. He brought his fist to his lips and coughed deeply, clearing his lungs. "I know just how to find out."
"You're awfully jealous all of a sudden. This afternoon you didn't seem to care."
Severus coughed again. He gave me an intense look. "Winter, do not be stubborn. If you honestly have nothing to hide, take the potion. I brewed it this afternoon after you left."
I changed tactics. "Are you feeling better, sir?"
He sighed, closing the space between us. "I shall after you brew the potion you promised."
"And I will if you went to the infirmary, as you promised."
"I did." Severus scoffed.
"And?"
"And..." Severus took in a deep breath and sighed. "I have atypical pneumonia."
"So don't you need something stronger?"
"No, the potion I directed you to make is suitable." He replied coolly, striding over to his desk.
I rolled my eyes and went to the storeroom. I got out the ingredients and the cauldron. For about an hour we worked in silence. Him on the students parchment and me on the potion.
After I brewed the pepper up potion, I collected it into a vial for Severus. "Christmas is coming soon, in about two weeks."
"And?" He didn't look up from the parchment he was marking.
"And I thought you might like some company." I placed the vial on his desk. "You're welcome."
Severus drew in a breath and sighed slowly from his lungs. "Thank you...for the potion, Winter. However, I am not a man who indulges in the mindless frivolities of Christmas. Now please..."
The Potions Master finally met my gaze, standing up from his desk. He handed me a vial. "Drink this for me."
I took the vial from his hand as he looked me over carefully. "Drink." Severus repeated.
I drank the vial and held the empty container back out to him.
Severus exhaled loudly. "Sit."
I sat in a chair next to one of the tables in the middle of the room.
Black eyes observed me thoroughly as Severus circled me in the chair. "What is your name?"
"Winter Jones." I answered.
"How old are you?"
"I am fifteen years old." I replied.
"Do you love me, Miss Jones?"
"Yes." I responded.
He sighed. "Did you save my life that day because you love me?"
"I heard an explosion. I thought maybe you just had a lesson going on. Failing students, you know? But when I saw it was you alone, I knew I couldn't let you die."
Severus raised an eyebrow. "Do you love Harry Potter?"
"No."
Severus sighed loudly. "I apologize, Winter. I should have trusted you..." He looked down at me from above. He must have been about six feet and a few inches tall.
Severus drew in a breath and sighed deeply from his lungs. "I suppose trust entitles a good friend. It is not a quality I greatly possess."
I nodded, listening.
"I am afraid I do not have a good history with trust. I do not usually speak of my past to anyone but the Headmaster..." Severus paused.
He sighed heavily, eyes boring into mine. "However as it seems, things are becoming less complicated between you and I and much more...clear."
I didn't know what to say.
Severus continued giving me the intense look so I spoke. "Is there something you want to tell me?"
He inhaled sharply and sighed loudly from his lungs. "Not at present, Winter. Soon...very soon."
"I should go."
Severus burst into a violent coughing fit, expelling the air deep in his lungs. His tall frame vibrated from the forceful convulsions. I stood and clapped his back gently until he finished coughing.
"Here. Take a deep breath."
Severus obeyed and inhaled deeply, then sighed. "Thank you, Winter."
"Drink this now, not later." I walked to his desk and grabbed the potion, urging it into his hands.
He let a heavy sigh escape his lungs. "Very well." Severus opened the vial and drank.
Obsidian eyes met my blue-green. "That reminds me. I spoke with the Headmaster about your apprenticeship. You shall start immediately."
"Are you sure you want me?"
Severus sighed impatiently. "I would not accept anyone other than you."
"Then you'll have me." I smiled.
He smirked. "Excellent. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening then."
I turned to leave.
Severus coughed deeply, clearing his lungs. He took a deep breath and sighed from his lungs.
"Be careful, Severus. Don't blow anything up while I'm gone."
Severus shot me a deep frown. "No, Miss Jones."
