The rest of break progressed without an involvement from the Dark Lord. Sophie and Severus were left to themselves, working on the potion secretly in his lab. On more than one occasion Sophie turned up early or stayed late, finding that Snape didn't really mind and it was nice to talk to him outside of formal settings. They often retreated to his sitting room for these talks.
Snape didn't really understand what was going on. He agreed to be friends with Sophia, but he didn't even consider that she would start coming to his rooms just to talk. Her being there didn't necessarily bother him, in fact, he rather enjoyed these nights, but it was the principle of things. Before her, the only person to ever enter his rooms was Dumbledore. It felt like an invasion of privacy.
Sophie, on the other hand, was quite pleased with the way things were turning out. She couldn't have been more surprised the first time he invited her into his rooms and then kept inviting her there. The way she knew Severus Snape to be, she figured he would back out of this soon into it, but he proved her wrong there. Still, she wondered if maybe it just hadn't hit yet.
It was one of these nights, sitting on comfy Slytherin green furniture, where Sophie felt the burning. And Snape didn't. They were talking comfortably, simply talking, when the heat of the Mark shot through Sophie's body and scalded her shoulder where it lay.
Sophie gasped at the feeling, her eyes snapping up to Snape's. He didn't look affected at all, though maybe he was just hiding it well.
"What?" he questioned, his voice sharp, eyes curious.
The Herbology apprentice reached back and touched her Mark. Snape's eyebrows shot up on his forehead.
"You don't feel it?" Sophie questioned.
Severus shook his head only the tiniest bit, "No."
Again, the burning came in a fresh wave and Sophie gasped, "I have to go!"
Quickly, she stood and from that spot, she Apparated away.
Snape stared at the spot Sophia stood only a moment ago. He wondered why she was needed without anyone else, without even him. Then again, she did say that she was needed for other reasons than spying on Dumbledore. She did tell him that his role was safe. Perhaps this was just a part of that.
Severus sat in his chair by his unlit fireplace and waited quietly for the return of his colleague, in the meantime, he decided to read a book. He summoned it to him from his spot and opened it to the first page. For an hour, he would wait.
Sophie found herself in a house that she was very familiar with. The house she grew up in. Of course, once her parents were destroyed, Voldemort did not want to get rid of a house so strategically located. He assigned one of his followers to her old home.
At the moment, there was no one around. The Lord Voldemort stood in the center of the room his red eyes on her. He didn't speak a word as she righted herself and took a look around her old living room. It used to be a nice place to live. Now it was dark and cold, slightly damp, like the dungeons she so often frequented.
"Sophie!" Voldemort greeted, a large and fake smile on his face.
It looked abnormal, the way his lips curled. There was no happiness left in his soul and so the emotion displayed on his face was rehearsed obviously fake. It twisted her stomach to have to look at him while he tried to portray such a pure emotion as happiness.
Sophie bowed her head, "My Lord."
At this, his already raised lip curled and it was no longer happiness he tried to show, but satisfaction and greed. His dark red eyes glowed.
For an hour, Snape would wait, but the end wasn't quite what he was expecting. When an hour was up, a head appeared in his empty fireplace. The head of Albus Dumbledore.
"Severus, a word?" the Headmaster requested.
Snape nodded and rose to his feet, just as the wizard's face disappeared. He glanced around at his rooms one last time, with a thought to Sophia Roe, and then took a handful of Floo Powder and appeared in the Headmaster's office.
Everything was the same as it always was and yet it was different. Random things were added to or missing from the wizard's desk. Fawkes was nowhere to be seen, his cage empty. Dumbledore was not seated behind his desk, but wandering in the back of the room.
The Potion's Master observed his master from before the fireplace. The old man did not look up from his musings for quite some time.
"Severus," the Headmaster started and finally he turned to face the man he thought of like a son. "Please, have a seat."
Though not an order, Snape did as told and sat before the large desk. His eyes observed the wizard silently until he too came to be seated.
Dumbledore raised his fingers below his eyes. Tonight, he wore no half-moon glasses.
Snape waited for the older wizard to speak first. He didn't have the slightest clue as to what this might be about and he didn't dare take any guesses.
"Severus, we have a problem," the Headmaster started. He began to explain everything he knew about Harry Potter's dream of Arthur Weasley. He described it the way the boy saw it, from the point of view of the snake, Voldemort's point of view.
Snape listened intently, his mind working quickly to fit all the pieces together.
Dumbledore speculated aloud that this might be one of the effects of the Killing Curse used on the boy so long ago. He stated how if Voldemort didn't know about the connection before this, he would know soon and when he discovered it, he would most certainly use it against the boy.
"Severus," Dumbledore said.
His eyes were no longer twinkling with their usual mischief, but serious and cunning. This was why he was known as a great wizard. Not just for the way he knew everything, but the way his power radiated off of him when there was a situation at hand.
The magic in the air was palpable. Snape felt it on his skin, could almost see it rippling before him.
"If Voldemort gains control of this he could use it directly against Harry," Dumbledore stated. "We cannot allow this to happen."
Suddenly, it was very clear to Snape where all of this was heading. He could see clearly the path that the Headmaster laid out before him and he felt a twisting in his stomach at the thought. His lip curled to visibly show his displeasure.
"Severus, we must teach him the art of Occlumency," the wizard continued. "You are the only one I would trust with this task."
Snape stood abruptly from his chair, a scowl on his face.
"I will not do it!" he growled.
The thought of Potter under his teachings without an entire class around him seemed to be the worst thing imaginable. Two green eyes staring up at him out of a body that was the perfect copy of the man who tormented him for seven years straight, he would rather face Voldemort's Crutiatus Curse for hours on end.
Dumbledore was unfazed by the violent reaction the professor replied with. He expected something like this, perhaps even a few curses thrown.
"Now, Severus, this is of the utmost importance," the Headmaster told him. "The war may depend on Harry being able to shield his mind from unwanted visitors."
"Get one of your other cronies to do it. One of the ones that worship Potter at his feet. I will not," Snape spat. His eyes were dark, glaring at the Headmaster that made 'if looks could kill' nearly a real thing.
"I did not want to do this," Dumbledore said with a sigh.
Snape watched the wizard as he fixed him with his powerful blue eyes.
"You will do this, Severus," Dumbledore ordered.
Around them, the air crackled and Snape was reminded of an Oath he made fourteen years ago. He could feel his heart constrict and had the compelling urge to do as told. Although he hated it, Snape would be forced to take on the task of teaching the wonderful Harry Potter to shield his mind from those trying to enter it.
Snape's eyes hardened from the angry glare to nearly hate. He couldn't stand the fact that he was no longer able to decide. He hated to be controlled. But there was nothing he could do about it. Fourteen years ago, after she died, he gave his vow to do anything to protect the son with her green eyes.
"Of course, Headmaster," Snape replied curtly, the words clipped.
His lip rose in a snarl as he turned and exited the room, storming down the stairs. There was nothing he wanted more than to spend the rest of the night in his rooms with a glass of firewhiskey.
Dumbledore sighed as he watched the Potion's Master go. He didn't like forcing Severus into things, but there was no one better to teach Harry Occlumency and certainly no one at the school. The man would just have to live with it.
Snape entered his rooms and roughly collapsed into one of his chairs. His chest heaved as he thought angrily about the fact that he would teach Potter, alone. Immediately upon this thought, he summoned a glass and the bottle of firewhiskey and poured a generous amount into it.
"Old fool, great wizard he is," Severus muttered to himself.
Of course, he'd forgotten all about Sophia Roe and getting the call from the Dark Lord. It was a great surprise to him when she popped back into the room. His eyes snapped up to hers, shocked both that he forgot and that she was even there.
"Are you alright?" the girl asked immediately upon seeing him.
She knelt down by the chair he was sitting on to look at him more closely. Snape roughly shoved away from her and stood up, snarling. He glared down into the witch's eyes as she slowly rose once more.
Sophie had no idea what she'd done wrong. When she left, all was fine and he was in a particularly pleasant mood. Now he was glaring at her like she was Voldemort himself.
"What happened?" the woman asked.
Severus calmed a bit as he remembered that she was summoned to the Dark Lord and that he was awaiting her return in the first place. Before the call to Dumbledore's office, he was expecting her to Apparate right back into his rooms.
Now her eyes stayed locked on him, watching his every move. They were wide and innocent and curious about what he would do next.
"Dumbledore," he spat.
The name was like acid on his tongue, the taste bitter coming out of his mouth. The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. This was out of his hands, but he wasn't going to like it.
"What happened?" Sophia repeated.
Snape's eyes wandered around the room as he tried to think of the words to explain his erratic behavior. The fury that still rolled through his body left him with few words as his chest heaved. He felt like taking out his wand and blasting something to pieces. He wanted to hit something, like his muggle father used to do when he was angry.
For a fleeting moment, his eyes landed on Sophia and he thought about her and her weak frame, staring up at him with those innocent eyes. They reminded him of his mother, who used to wait around on his father all day long. She would wait until he would come home and beat her and she would take it because she thought it was some kind of love. Sophia reminded him suddenly of that.
His hands balled into fists and he turned away from the witch, fighting the things inside him that turned everyone against him. These were the things that put him into Slytherin, which made his only friend turn away from him, and then killed his only love. He pushed it down and closed his eyes, focusing on something other than Dumbledore and Potter.
Sophie said nothing as she watched the Potion's Master fight with himself. She could see the anger inside of him, washing like waves through his entire body. Anybody else would have been terrified to stand in his presence when he was like this. Any other person would have taken off by now. But Sophie, she was afraid in the least.
Strangely, Sophie Roe wasn't at all scared of Severus Snape even as his fists clenched and he heaved with fury. She felt as she always did when around him, safe and comforted. Somehow, she knew he would not harm her.
This feeling was not rational. It wasn't right or in her best interests. Really, if Sophie was thinking properly, she should be absolutely scared stiff while standing before this man. Sophie was not really a rational girl, though.
When Snape turned around, he was much more collected. All of the anger he was feeling was pushed back from the surface and the mask of calm indifference went up again. All of the things which showed on the surface only moments before were tucked into that corner of his brain that was hidden from everyone.
His dark eyes met her light and he realized that she was unafraid of him. Normally, this would anger him and he would demand the fear and respect from her. But Sophia Roe was different and he'd known that for a long time now.
Snape breathed deeply for a second and then returned to his chair in a more relaxed pose. Sophia sat on the couch in the spot she occupied earlier in the evening. She watched him curiously and though the wizard wouldn't usually tell what was bothering him, this was Sophia and he wanted to tell her.
"Dumbledore," Severus started again. "Has asked me to instruct Potter in the art of Occlumency."
Sophie didn't have any problems with the Potter boy and didn't see anything wrong with this request on the surface, but she knew that there were deeper issues between Snape and the Boy Who Lived and so didn't comment on the statement.
"Dumbledore has ordered me to instruct the boy on how to close his mind," Snape said.
"And you don't want to," Sophie whispered, encouraging him to go on.
"The boy is closed minded to everything around him," Snape suddenly stated. "He is abysmal at Potion's when he is at his best. If he cannot focus enough for that he will not do well with Occlumency. Potter is too arrogant, too blind to see what he needs to do."
Sophie didn't quite agree with this assessment. She let him continue to talk.
"Dumbledore has ordered me to teach him even though he knows we will not work together well," Snape ended.
"Why doesn't he just make someone else do it? I'm sure there are more willing professors," Sophie replied.
Severus shook his head and began to feel the horrid anger rise within him again. He didn't want to explain at all to the girl, but there was so much more behind this that she didn't understand. Like when he said ordered, he literally meant ordered, as in forced, but to tell her that would lead to questions such as how the Headmaster could force him and why he would make such and Oath.
"He says there is no one else," Snape replied.
Sophie wrinkled her nose, but didn't say any more on the subject. She could feel that there were things there and she didn't think he would allow her to pry any deeper into his privacy tonight.
Snape sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was thankful to have befriended someone like Sophia because she always seemed to know when to shut up and when to keep talking. Right now, she knew that it would be best to just be quiet about everything and Severus Snape was relieved.
The room was quiet and both people relaxed into their seats. Snape closed his eyes and tried to think about other things. Sophie stared deeply into the fire, forgetting the room around her for just a moment.
"What did the Dark Lord wish to see you for?" Snape asked.
The question was so random, Sophie jumped before turning to face him.
She shrugged. What was there to say?
Snape raised an eyebrow. This was not an answer he took from anybody.
"Just a report on the latest comings and goings," Sophie replied.
"Why wouldn't he require my service for that?" Snape wondered aloud.
"Other comings and goings," Sophie quickly reiterated. "There are things that I discuss with Voldemort that must be kept secret. I am not allowed to tell you."
Snape knew that there were reasons a person wouldn't confide about their meetings with the Dark Lord, but he wanted to know why Sophia wouldn't tell him hers. Was it because his role really wasn't safe? Was she on the other side? He couldn't rightly say at the moment.
"Other comings and goings?" Severus questioned.
Sophia nodded, "Yes."
"And what are those?" the Potion's Master asked.
The girl blinked, "I can't tell you."
Snape stared for a long time into the girl's eyes before finally giving in. Perhaps he would ask the Headmaster about this. Maybe in a few days' time when he was no longer fuming over being forced into teaching the Potter boy.
He let the subject drop and they fell back into silence. Snape watched the girl closely as she turned once again to stare at the brick of his fireplace. She obviously knew he was staring, but she chose to ignore this piece of information and studied the rock on the wall intently.
"Dumbledore mentioned something the last time we talked," Sophia spoke randomly.
She turned to face him, her face bright and smiling.
"When is your birthday exactly?" she asked.
Snape hadn't expected this question. For a moment, he was stunned. Of course, it was just like the old man to meddle into his affairs once more and mention his birthday.
The Potion's Master scowled deeply, but he watched Sophia's face with a kind of wonderment. She was smiling at him, still. Even though he didn't like it, no one else smiled at him like that before. It was nice even if it was unwanted.
"None of your business," Severus replied coldly.
Sophia's eyes lit up and she grinned mischievously.
"How can I get you anything if I don't know what day it is?" the witch questioned.
Snape's lip curled, "I do not need anything."
"Of course you do!" Sophia argued, but she was still smiling from ear to ear.
He didn't say a word.
"When is it?" she pressed.
Snape didn't know how she did it, but twenty minutes later, the truth came out and he slumped in his chair, arms crossed in front of his chest. Sophia sat on the couch with a smug smile on her face as the Potion's Master glowered at her.
"January ninth!" the girl exclaimed. "So soon!"
Severus did not reply as he glared at the floor by his feet. He did not know how the little witch had gotten the date out of him, but he was already regretting it.
"What will I get you?" Sophia asked herself.
Snape's eyes snapped up to the girl's, "Nothing, I beg of you."
Her lips pulled upward in a grin, "I have to get you something!"
"You do not. I have just relieved you of this obligation," Snape protested.
Sophia just laughed at this and for a second the Potion's Master relished in the sound as it washed over him.
"Alright, whatever you say," she conceded.
It did not sound much like she was giving in, though.
For the rest of the night, they read and talked and just sat in each other's company. Tomorrow they would get back to work on the potion and in three days' time the students would come back to school, but for now they simply enjoyed their time being friends.