Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe is not owned by me but by the lovely J.K Rowling. I wish I was as brilliant as her. In that regards, this fanfic is 100% original and something that I dreamt one night. I just added onto it as I went along.
AN: And we're rolling right along with Chapter 4! I truly hope you enjoy this chapter. Again there will be plenty of edits from the original so take care to read through it again. I have 23 Chapters written and that just goes through part of 5th year. There is much more to go. As of right now, I plan to for sure upload a chapter once every 2 weeks until I run out of pre-written chapters. As I edit chapters, I plan to continue writing new ones, but once we catch up it may be slower uploads. I will work tirelessly to keep it updated. I slacked entirely too much on my last version with months between chapter uploads and I refuse to let that happen again. So, without further ado, here is the next chapter!
Chapter 4As soon as Natalia left, Severus sighed and leaned back in his chair. That infernal woman. Poppy was always interfering with his life and he was frustrated. Why couldn't he just be left alone? He itched his dark mark and growled at it. It had been just over twelve years since the last time it burned. He would have been concerned if he heard more whispers, but there weren't any. Not any to be concerned about at least. Not yet…
Severus growled again and set back to grading essays from the fourth years that were in earlier that morning. He had just finished with the most knowledgeable student's essay when his fifth years started filing into the classroom. He waved his wand, filing the essays away for another time, and brought the chalk on the blackboard to write on its own accord as he began teaching simultaneously. The lesson went on without a hitch thankfully and afterward was lunch. Instead of going to the Great Hall he kept to his private rooms and wrote a note for Poppy, then ordered his lunch. He had the house elf that delivered his food send the note to Poppy since he had work to do. He graded schoolwork as he ate, careful not to get food on the papers, but marking a majority with his red script, his mood brightened just a bit.
/
Natalia apparated home after her meeting with Poppy, the Headmaster, and finally, Severus. She walked through the wards of her quaint, slightly rundown cottage and took off her traveling cloak, hanging it on the coat rack near the door. She heard the soft cry of her tabby familiar.
"Oh, Freya. I forgot about you! I'm sorry. You're probably terribly hungry. I got caught up in some business," Natalia explained to the cat. The feline just meowed; as if annoyed, and twirled between her owner's legs. She looked up at Natalia and exclaimed again, signaling her indignation and hunger. Natalia immediately went into her kitchen and got out some food and water for her familiar. She sat at her dark oak wooden table and watched the animal eat its fill.
She ran her hands through her auburn hair and sighed. So much had happened that day; so much that she had not even expected. She went to gossip with Poppy and came home with an apprenticeship with a Potions Master. She was suddenly nervous. She summoned parchment and a quill and set water for tea on the stove to heat up. As she waited for the water, she penned her resignation letter and gave her notice. In two weeks time, she would be an apprentice to one of the most well know potions masters of this time. She bit her lip and smiled. She could finally pursue her passion. St. Mungo's would understand. She hoped anyway.
The whistle of the tea kettle brought her out of her fantastical reverie and she went to make herself a cup. She took her two cubes of sugar and mixed it into the tea, then wrapping her fingers around the warm cup she took a sip, savoring the warming effect it had on her. The hot liquid settled in her gullet warming her whole body, taking the winter chill away. She sighed and nodded. These next few weeks would be interesting indeed.
/
Two weeks later; the last day that Natalia was to intern at St. Mungo's she was quite nervous. That day she only had a few mundane tasks to finish before her lunch then she would be free to go. She cleaned bedpans and made up some living quarters for longer staying patients, and she was finished. She sighed and went off to lunch. When she entered the lunchroom, many yells of "Surprise!" surrounded her. She was surprised all right. She wasn't aware that her fellow interns had noticed her, let alone would care enough to make a farewell party for her. She was touched, to be sure. She ate and drank with them and they gave her well wishes and congratulated her on her apprenticeship. She smiled and told them how nervous she was.
"No need to be nervous Natalia, if you had stayed on, I heard that you would have been hired full on in the next couple months! But this is a huge opportunity for you! St. Mungo's will definitely miss you," said a girl her age whose name she guiltily couldn't remember. Natalia smiled politely and nodded. Then, taking the cards and well wishes with her, she left St. Mungo's, went home and got ready to start her new adventure.
She was suddenly nervous, yet again. The Yule Ball was tonight and then, a day later was her first day being Severus' apprentice. She bit her lip in worry. How could she handle that pressure? Being around her former professor, trying to do what he does on a daily basis? She groaned aloud. Her feline familiar looked up at her and almost rolled its eyes as if to say, 'Calm down. No need to fret,' before returning to its lunch. Natalia took a deep breath to try to calm down. This could work. I just have to try my hardest and not muck up too horribly. She could do that… Right?
She sighed again and ran her hand through her hair as she sat down in a dining room chair. She had plenty of time to get ready for the ball, and she really needed to calm down. She brewed a ritualistic cup of tea and drank it slowly, pondering what exactly her duties would be for tonight. She didn't think that the students would be too unruly at the ball, but there were two additional schools attending. Also, from the gossip that she heard from Poppy, a popular band was to play at the ball, which could always make kids overly excited.
After her tea and a bit of reflection, Natalia went up to her room. She closed the white painted door and looked around. The light blue paint on the walls was peeling slightly at the corners, the white paint on the window sills was chipped. She sighed, wanting more in a home, but shrugged thinking this was the best she could do with what she had. She went to her wardrobe and opened the creaky cherry oak doors to reveal her clothing. She tried to decide what to wear, but besides some very casual jeans and a few t-shirts, all she had were her St. Mungo's robes and her spare traveling cloak. She sighed again and decided to transfigure a nightgown into a nice ball gown.
She changed the lace from the neckline of the nightgown onto the dress into tulle and transferred it to the skirt portion of the now floor-length gown. After a few more moments of wandwork, the end result was satisfying for Natalia. It was an A-line halter floor length dress. The bodice was satin and light yellow in color. She thought it was appropriate to bring in her former house colors. There were jewels on the bodice, soft yellow topaz beaded throughout and up the neckline meeting the halter straps. As she looked herself over with the dress on she smiled, content in her alteration. She looked quite nice if she thought so herself. Her auburn hair was a nice punch of color to offset the subtle yellows of her dress. She put on some nice makeup, made her eyes a little smoky, put on some mascara and eyeliner and was happy with the outcome. Natalia was never one for a lot of makeup, but this was a special occasion and she wanted to look nice.
Freya nuzzled into the room, pushing the door open with her head and meowed contentedly looking up at Natalia. It was almost as if she approved of the young woman's choice in fashion. Natalia smiled and quickly tied her hair up into a simple french braid, curving around her head. With one last look into the mirror, she declared herself presentable enough to go to the ball. She felt a little fidgety. She hadn't been to a ball since she left Hogwarts. Who would she dance with? She didn't really have any friends at the school besides Poppy. She just shrugged, put on her traveling cloak, and then, after warding her home, she spun around and apparated right outside of the school grounds.
/
Severus growled at his reflection. He was not in the mood to deal with drunken dunderheads. He could hardly stand when they were sober. Dumbledore all but insisted that the professors needed to be lenient tonight on some rules in order to make sure the students had the best time imaginable.
"This only happens once in a lifetime, Minerva. Let the youngsters have some fun. If they get in too much trouble, then you can deduct as many house points as you want. However, a little drinking and frivolity shouldn't be a sin at such a wondrous event. Don't you agree?" the old man asked. Severus just scowled at him. Not only was the old man asking them to shirk on their duties, but he wasn't even going to be attending all night. He would make a short appearance at the beginning, then he 'had some business to take care of'. Whatever the hell that meant.
Severus growled again and turned around, his dress robes swinging behind him. He just wished that the night went on without a hitch and would end as soon as possible. He honestly liked events such as these, when he was actually allowed to enjoy them and not just be a chaperone. However, he had no date tonight; and as such was roped into the chaperone position. He sighed dejectedly and tied his hair back with a simple black leather strap. His dress robes were a slate gray instead of his traditional, plain black professor's robes. There was a line of buttons running along the middle, keeping the robes together.
He cast a silent 'tempus' charm and it showed him that he had about fifteen minutes before the ball started. He soundlessly left his quarters and ascended from the dungeons to the Great Hall. He went to the doors of the Great Hall and found that they were closed to the students until the time the ball started officially. There were many students already there, anxious to start dancing. There would, of course, be a feast first, so Severus at least had a short reprieve before the 'drinking and frivolity' started.
Once the feast finished, the food was removed from the tables, and drinks appeared on a long, side table to the far left of the room. There were also a few snacks under stasis charms for the students and faculty to nibble on throughout the night, but otherwise, the few remaining tables were for students to rest their tired feet.
Severus noticed his to-be apprentice arrive just after the feast. He was surprised when he saw her. Her delicate yellow dress was striking and very flattering to her appearance. He cleared his throat and looked away from her just as his Gryffindor equal sidled up to him.
"Oh, she looks lovely. So grown up from the time she was here as a student. Ms. Rook certainly has turned into a lovely young lady. I hear she is to be your apprentice, Severus? How ever will you find the time?" the Scottish elder asked.
Severus shrugged. "We had planned that she come to study under me on the weekends, evenings after classes during the week, and during school breaks. It may lengthen the apprenticeship, but she assured me that I would not be wasting my time. She seems more competent now than when she was a student. I hope I am not disappointed," he said simply.
"Oh, Severus. Don't be too hard on her. You always were so intimidating as a teacher. Maybe if you enjoy this, she could learn even more," McGonagall said knowingly. Her eyes twinkled, almost like the headmaster. It was disconcerting, to say the least, and he scowled.
"Oh, come off it, Minerva. This is a Potions Apprenticeship. She wants to be a potions mistress. If I am too easy on her we will have an inadequate legacy and I refuse to allow that to happen. If she is unable to deal with my 'intimidation', as you so put it, then she is unworthy of my time. However, Poppy assures me she shall not be. We will see. She starts tomorrow he finished.
At that moment, Dumbledore came up to the front of the Great Hall where all of the professors usually ate together, and where his great podium normally stood. He stood in the middle of the platform and put a slight sonorus charm on his voice.
"Welcome! And thank you for coming to the Yule Ball! We would like to especially welcome again the great schools of Durmstrang and Beauxbatons and we hope you all have a wondrous time here! Now a few simple rules. Underage drinking is prohibited tonight just as any other on school grounds. Those of you of age, please be responsible. We would hate to take away house points on such a magnificent night. Second, this is a chaperoned event. If you wish to get some air, the gardens to my left are open and available to you with a warming charm all around the area to stave off the winter chill. If any student is ready to retire for the evening, a teacher will escort you to your common room. This is for your safety, security, and well-being."
He looked seriously at the large group of students in fourth year and above, making his point well. Then he clapped his hands together delightedly and continued in a happier tone.
"Now, with the boring formalities taken care of, please enjoy The Weird Sisters performance tonight!" he exclaimed. With a wave of his wand, the candles floating in the sky dimmed and from the back of the room, a band appeared dramatically in a cloud of smoke and started playing.
Students immediately began screaming and hollering in excitement. They did two upbeat songs while Severus' eyes prowled to make sure no student spiked the punch bowl. Dumbledore asking him to shirk the rules or not, it was too early for that tomfoolery and Severus would put an end to it, even if he didn't get to take away house points. Unfortunately for him, it hadn't happened by the time the band started a slower song. He saw the headmaster walk over to Natalia and offer her his arm, which she gladly took with a dazzling smile.
The pair started dancing, and surprisingly gracefully for the old man. Natalia kept up quite well for the waltz that began. After the Headmaster took his dancing partner, the champions all came to the floor one by one and danced with their dates as well. Viktor Krum was dancing with Hermione Granger surprisingly, Harry Potter was with one of the Patil twins, Cedric Diggory with Cho Chang, and Fleur Delacour with Roger Davies, the Captain of the Ravenclaw Quidditch Team.
Everyone clapped as they watched the champions and headmaster dance. They slowly joined, one by one to join the waltz. Dumbledore gracefully swung Natalia around for the dance and she was smiling radiantly. It was hard to look away from a smile like that, and Severus was finding that fact right at the moment that Dumbledore swung her around one last time and stopped in front of him.
"Severus my boy! Would you mind taking over for an old man? Ms. Rook here has too much stamina for me and I need to rest a moment. Here you are," he said handing Natalia's hand over to Severus, not waiting for an answer. It took him a moment to shake himself out of his reverie, but emptied his mind, nodded and gently took her hand in his.
She was blushing and looking down as he lightly pulled her back onto the dance floor. They quickly got in step with the others and joined the dance formation. Silently stepping to the beat, Severus was mindful not to look into her clear brown eyes, but he was having a hard time. Upon closer inspection, he could see little specks of gold swirling in those shining eyes and he almost smiled. The gold almost matched the gems on her dress.
"You look quite lovely, Ms. Rook," Severus complimented. She blushed again.
"Thank you, sir. As do you. Look dashing, I mean," she corrected in haste. Her blush deepened at her slip of the tongue and he again very nearly smiled. She danced well, so he didn't have to focus too hard on that. He found that he actually enjoyed dancing with his former student, and to-be apprentice. With that thought, he sighed and remembered that that is what she was to him. His apprentice. It would be inappropriate for him to think of her any other way. He strengthened his reserve and got a bit more tense for it. She looked confused as if she noticed and bit her lip nervously.
'She shouldn't draw that much attention to her lips. They are utterly distracting,' he thought to himself. He then chastised himself for the thought. What had he just steeled himself against? Her. And yet he immediately had that thought. He would have to be careful around this girl, he decided. And she really needed to be careful around him.
Suddenly the music changed to a more upbeat song. Severus, ever the gentleman, bowed to Natalia and went to man his post as a chaperone. He was in the corner nearest where the staff tables used to be. Natalia took the hint and went to where she was assigned as well. It was near the balcony on the far right side of the Great hall. The doors were open, but the chill of the air didn't get past the warming charm around the area. The light of the night, the moon, and stars, however, were shining all around her, making her look radiant. Severus had a hard time looking away. Such a hard time in fact, that he missed some fifth years spiking the punch.