Soon the havoc surrounding the attack settled down, but the whole school remained on edge until Halloween rolled around.
Veronica admired the glowing jack-o-lanterns suspended in the air in the Great Hall as she entered for breakfast and sat at the head table by Lockhart who babbled on and on about nonsense she didn't bother listening to.
Halfway through the meal she noticed that Snape hadn't made an appearance, not entirely surprising since she had noticed at he would on occasion skip a meal or two for the sake of silence and solitude.
Still she knew that hunger was known to put people in foul mood and thought to spare everyone of that misfortune and set aside a small cup of black coffee and an apple to take him swiftly.
Plus she noticed the man had been in very low spirits recently, but she knew well that their friendship was too green for her to inquire into it. Instead she would offer her help in other ways.
Although she wasn't supposed to slip off alone due to the situation, she moved quickly through the empty corridors, her small heels clicking rapidly down the stairs carefully and to the large classroom door.
She tapped her knuckled on the door respectfully. "Hello?" she called, but received no answer. Figuring he must either still be getting ready or off in some part of the castle she resolved to leave the food and drink on his desk for him to find later, with a simple heating charm to keep the coffee hot for him.
She opened the door and entered briskly, crossing the large, dimly lit class room to the large desk at the front.
Setting the cup and apple on the desk and she muttered a simple heating spell over the cup with a small smile.
"I didn't open the door for a reason."
She jerked slightly and turned around to find a figure lingering distantly in the shadows of the back of the classroom.
"Sorry…" she swallowed, "you weren't at breakfast, so I brought…"
"If I wanted food, I would have been at breakfast wouldn't I?" He cut her off with such a sharp tone she was stunned a moment, and for a second was involuntarily ashamed of what she had thought to be an act of kindness.
"I-I'm sorry, you…You seemed very low lately. I only wanted…"
"I don't see how my mood is any of your concern." He hissed and she felt her throat go dry, "Neither my mood nor my habits are any of your business, nor is it your place to enter a room when no one answers the door." He left the shadows but was still obscured by the dim lighting and Veronica could see a strange darkness in his face, anger mixed with something else.
"I'm sorry…" she whispered and slowly made her way down the stairs and across the room, her eyes not daring to leave him as if he were an animal waiting for her too look away so he could strike.
"I was only trying to help."
"I do not need nor do I want your help madam!" He spat at her and she flinched slightly, "Perhaps if you were not preoccupied helping everyone you'd see that your assistance in not always needed, nor is it appreciated."
He glowered at her like she was the most annoying insect on the planet that had been buzzing around his head.
"Perhaps you would also notice your complete disregard of recent protocol, coming down here completely alone." He crossed his arms, a sudden antagonizing look in his eyes
"Tell me are you compulsively forgetful? Or does stupidly putting yourself in possible danger just to be a good citizen make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside?"
He said the last part with particular venom and Veronica crossed her arms over her black notebook like an embarrassed schoolgirl with her eyes to the ground, too afraid to stand down a bully.
"I think I had better go." She whispered and practically jumped for the door.
"Yes, I think you should."
Rushing out with a final glanced at him, Veronica closed the door firmly behind her and walked as fast as she could down the halls with long even strides.
What had she done?
She knew him to have a sharp tongue, and yes on occasion he would throw a sharp jibe her way but only as a jest.
And of course she knew the potions master was standoffish and savored his personal space, but she thought he might acknowledge her with silence or a nod if he saw she came bearing gifts.
This was something completely different, he had been cold, nasty, even down right mean.
Maybe she had read the situation wrong, maybe she had overstepped her bounds.
Was she being too nice, to the point of annoying?
Was she trying to help too much? Coming across as an inconvenient meddler or bother that others were too polite to tell to buzz off?
She was hurt, there was no doubt about it. And not being a master of the poker face, her featured showed her distress and confusion clearly as she returned to the hall and sat at the head table, keeping her eyes on the tablecloth.
"Where did you run off to?" Lockhart asked and Veronica poured herself a second up of coffee, not bothering to add her usual milk and sugar to it.
"I needed to check something in the classroom." She lied, her voice soft but hard.
Even Lockhart, oblivious as he was to his assistant, could sense something was off about her. From the tenseness in her neck and shoulders to the dullness of her voice he could tell his usual perky little assistant wasn't her typical self today.
"I say, are you quite alright? You seem…."
"I'm fine" she cut him off softly but he pressed on.
"Are you sure, you're extremely…"
"I said I'm fine!" She snapped harsher that she had meant to and covered her mouth with a small pale hand as a few staff members who had heard her bark leaned forwards or back in the hopes of witnessing the petite brunette with the soft, piano voice finally tear into the egotist.
"I apologize, sir." She swallowed hard and didn't meet his face. "I didn't mean for it to come out like that."
Lockhart was stunned and swallowed before laughing nervously, "heh, well uh…. You're just stressed that's all." He patted her shoulder awkwardly, "All this…new responsibility. It's taken a toll on you, too many late nights and the like."
The tenseness in her body didn't relax an inch and Lockhart, having never heard she so much as raise her voice let alone snap at someone like that, worried that she might go off again.
"Why…why don't you take a sick day?" he suggested, "just uh…a little time for yourself…to rest."
Veronica, too embarrassed to decline the offer nodded with a sigh.
"Whatever you think is best sir."
Lockhart grinned and nodded, "There's a smart girl."
Breakfast ended and Veronica sighed, she thought of walking the Quidditch pitch, but a storm raged outside, so she contented herself with the library which contained more books than she could read in twelve lifetimes.
Madame Pince nodded toward her as she entered and Veronica nodded back but didn't stop to converse before placing herself in the restricted section, off limits to students below year six, but she had free range of it as an assistant teacher.
She picked a single book at a time, sitting away from the few students studied quietly and lurked in the aisles, leaning on a counter or pacing as she read of forbidden arts and dark wizards.
The dark side of magic held a morbid fascination for the woman, who growing up in a Catholic home as well as a magic home, was forbidden of even bringing up the subject, or so much as lingering too long in the bookstore aisle that boasted such literature.
But that mysterious fear her parents would never explain to her only made the idea of reading such things more exciting.
It was illicit, unspeakable, and terrifyingly exhilarating.
Other girls got a rush from running around with the bad boy?
Well Veronica Largo got a rush off reading forbidden books in the shadows of the library.
No one paid her any mind as she spent hours perusing the shelves, fingering ancient spines and yellowed, tarnished pages.
Soon she almost forgot her unfortunate morning until the bell rang for the fifth time, signaling the changing of classes again and Veronica, having settled herself on the floor hidden behind a corner with her back flat against a shelf, her legs bent to provide the perfect reading shelf, heard the gate to the restricted section squeal open and shut.
She stood and dusted any dust off her skirt before keeping her eyes on her book firmly, maybe if she didn't make a sound of move too much they wouldn't notice her.
"Eh…Veronica?"
She tensed once more and bent herself over her book at the sound of the unmistakable voice.
"Good afternoon, Professor."
"Irma said you were back here."
"hm" Veronica hummed as if the fact was mildly interesting but not so much that it could pull her out of her book.
The raven haired man resisted the urge to shift from foot to foot awkwardly.
When she ran out of the classroom that morning Severus's first fear was that he had frightened her again, as he had the first time he almost snapped at her on the first day.
But much to his regret he discovered it was in fact much worse than that.
He first went looking for her in Lockhart's classroom and the blond had been all too eager to explain in an ungodly amount of detail how frustrated and restlessness she had been when she returned to the table, so much that for the first time she actually snapped at him out of nowhere.
After what felt like forever he finally managed to get her location out of the ninny and tracked her down to see just what the damage was.
Judging by her reaction to his voice and her hard, shell like body language, she was still angry.
"Look, I…just wanted to…"
"You don't have to apologize" She cut him off, "If I over stepped my bounds, I over stepped my bounds. I'm a big girl I can handle it." She turned the book page casually but there was a hard edge to her voice.
Severus nodded, "That's not what I mean, I shouldn't…"
"Look." She closed the book with a tart look on her face, and looked up at him. "I know not everyone wants to be my friend or wants my help, I'm not a fool" she crossed her arms like a wall in front of her. "If you considered my behavior unprofessional or if you just didn't want me around you only had to tell me and I would have left you alone."
She turned to the book shelf and replaced the book she had been reading.
"You didn't have to be such an ass about it though." She added softly and bitterly under her breath but he could still catch it and he covered guilty, almost embarrassed, smirk.
"I know." He said quickly but softly so they weren't over heard. "And I am sorry, and I just need you to know that I…I didn't mean any of that"
She looked up at his with softer eyes, but they still scanned him for lies.
"I didn't, that was just…" He smiled a little with bitterness, "That was just me being an ass, like you said. You didn't do anything to deserve that, you were just trying to help."
Veronica stared at him a moment before determining that he was telling the truth. "Why?"
Snape swallowed, "Well eh, that's a long story. I don't have the time or will to get into it but…Let's just say I really really hate Halloween."
He hoped she would buy his vague explanation and to his surprise she saw her face soften with a strange sort of understanding.
Like they were two soldiers meeting up after a war, both bearing scars from their battles.
Neither had to ask how the scars came to be, they knew enough to have plenty in common.
"Yeah…" she breathed in and nodded before looking away, staring at the aged spine of books. "I get it."
She stared at the wall of volumes and moment before smiling fondly a little and looking down.
"I can't stay mad at you." She rested her forehead on the shelf and turned slightly to look at him. "Who else would help me mock Lockhart?"
Severus smirked, and looked at all the books in the dimly lit aisle off limits to students under sixth year.
"You know, I really didn't peg you as the type to be interested in this sort of dark subject matter" He retrieved the book she had been reading from the shelf and eyed the inside cover, suddenly raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Especially not this" he eyed her, "should I be concerned?"
She took the book from him and shrugged, "Please, if I was capable of any of this do you think I'd be working for Lockhart?"
"No, I think Lockhart would be dead."
Veronica looked around and eyed him, "You're not going to believe his newest escapade."
Severus closed his eyes, already feeling his patience for the man running thin, and mentally prepared himself. "I'm sure I will."
"In light of recent circumstances, headmaster Dumbledore has permitted Lockhart to start a dueling club."
Snape paused
That actually….wasn't an awful idea.
But when he expressed the sentiment Veronica gaped, "Just the idea has me on edge, just the thought of those kids throwing hexes at each other, someone could get hurt."
"Not with proper supervision" He pointed out, "Besides they do it outside of classes anyway, why not make sure they're educated about it?"
"If they're already doing it outside of class do you really want to make them more skilled?" Veronica stressed while picturing first years filling up the hospital wing with all sorts of injuries.
"You're neurotic"
"I'm cautious" She picked another book to read, "Call me old fashioned but the thought of children dueling makes me anxious"
The man smirked a little at her unnecessary worry, "Even if Lockhart is a fool I'm sure you can handle watching them."
"Oh not me." She laughed a little and to Severus it sounded almost mocking, "I told Lockhart I'm no good at dueling so he's decided to ask you to assist."
Snape paled, as if it were possible for him to get paler.
"You are serious?"
