CHAPTER 9- A PREMONITION
Laura sat up in bad, sweat trickling down her forehead and tears running down her cheek. The other three Slytherin girls had their curtains open and were staring, wide-eyed in disbelief, at her. Footsteps were heard from the stone wall outside, then muffled voices- one of Snape's, and the other belonged to Joe.
"I will sort it, she is my daughter-" came Snape's curt voice. "She's my friend!" came Joe's concerned tone. "Well, you can leave now, I have the password here- wolfsbane!" "Guess what, 'Prof.', you just let me in by mistake! HAHA!" Joe pushed past Snape and kneeled, panting, by Laura's bed. Snape followed soon after.
Laura stared up at her dad. He stared back. There was a split second of tension, then- "Oh, Dad!" she cried. She buried her face into his robes, and Snape, unlike Joe's initial instinct, held her tightly. "It's OK, now, you have me here." he muttered. She buried her face deeper, until she stopped crying.
"You dreamt, Laura. Nightmare, was it?" Joe asked in the same concerned tone she had heard him talking to Snape in. She nodded vigorously. "It's OK." he replied. She sat, her face buried in Snape's robes, silently sobbing. After what seemed like an age, she pulled away from his robes.
Snape moved forward, and pulled her forehead toward his mouth. "What you doin', Prof.?" Joe asked. "Kissing my daughter goodnight, Potter," he said coldly. He kissed her on the forehead, and then hugged her again. She didn't respond- she was too happy that her father had finally forgiven her.
When she awoke, it was morning. Snape sat fast asleep, snoring loudly on a hard wooden stool that Madam Pomfrey had supplied him with, obviously. She wasn't in the hospital wing, so she wondered how they had managed to get them. "Prof. here was so worried about you that he went down to fetch a stool. When I told him I'd be staying as well, he ranted on at me about how "his daughter wasn't ready" and how "I was manipulating you". I told him to shut up and get me a stool, and he did," Joe explained. "I think Snape reckons we're together as well."
Snape woke up promptly and stared at Joe. "What is he doing here?" he muttered to Laura under his breath. Laura looked at him. "I want him here," she replied. Snape rolled his eyes. "I see!" he snapped. "So it is true!" Laura's mouth dropped open in surprise. "No!" she stammered. Joe looked in Snape's direction. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Laura leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "What was that for?" he asked, taken aback. Snape was now fuming. "Being there," she replied promptly.
The next Charms lesson was all right, because the Gryffindors took it double with the Slytherins. Joe and Laura took a seat together and looked toward the front. Flitwick stood on about seventeen cushions in front of the board.
The classroom was a quirky one- shaped like an oval, it had all sorts of magical barriers around it to stop charms cast in there getting out of hand. All over the wall there were posters of "Rules in the Charms Room" and the such. Flitwick's desk was piled high with paperwork and mouldy apples. It had a ton of books on there, all of them about Charms.
Flitwick was teaching them Wingardium Leviosa today, which wasn't a problem for Laura as she knew the charm perfectly, off by heart. She taught Joe the swish-and-flick manoeuvre, and he got it almost instantly. They were just about to practise it on each other for kicks when-
"Flitwick! Tell your class to come quickly! It's an emergency!!" McGonagall burst in through the door, wearing the same flustered look she had worn when she had come into the dormitory when the Bloody Baron had first become petrified. A feeling of dread sank through Joe's heart.
He and Laura ran through the corridors connecting different floors, and there they saw him. Mort Malfoy. He was wearing the same look of horror on the Bloody Baron's face, and he was frozen in a position of running. His body was completely grey, his face unmoving and lifeless.
"Another one for the curse." muttered McGonagall.
Laura sat up in bad, sweat trickling down her forehead and tears running down her cheek. The other three Slytherin girls had their curtains open and were staring, wide-eyed in disbelief, at her. Footsteps were heard from the stone wall outside, then muffled voices- one of Snape's, and the other belonged to Joe.
"I will sort it, she is my daughter-" came Snape's curt voice. "She's my friend!" came Joe's concerned tone. "Well, you can leave now, I have the password here- wolfsbane!" "Guess what, 'Prof.', you just let me in by mistake! HAHA!" Joe pushed past Snape and kneeled, panting, by Laura's bed. Snape followed soon after.
Laura stared up at her dad. He stared back. There was a split second of tension, then- "Oh, Dad!" she cried. She buried her face into his robes, and Snape, unlike Joe's initial instinct, held her tightly. "It's OK, now, you have me here." he muttered. She buried her face deeper, until she stopped crying.
"You dreamt, Laura. Nightmare, was it?" Joe asked in the same concerned tone she had heard him talking to Snape in. She nodded vigorously. "It's OK." he replied. She sat, her face buried in Snape's robes, silently sobbing. After what seemed like an age, she pulled away from his robes.
Snape moved forward, and pulled her forehead toward his mouth. "What you doin', Prof.?" Joe asked. "Kissing my daughter goodnight, Potter," he said coldly. He kissed her on the forehead, and then hugged her again. She didn't respond- she was too happy that her father had finally forgiven her.
When she awoke, it was morning. Snape sat fast asleep, snoring loudly on a hard wooden stool that Madam Pomfrey had supplied him with, obviously. She wasn't in the hospital wing, so she wondered how they had managed to get them. "Prof. here was so worried about you that he went down to fetch a stool. When I told him I'd be staying as well, he ranted on at me about how "his daughter wasn't ready" and how "I was manipulating you". I told him to shut up and get me a stool, and he did," Joe explained. "I think Snape reckons we're together as well."
Snape woke up promptly and stared at Joe. "What is he doing here?" he muttered to Laura under his breath. Laura looked at him. "I want him here," she replied. Snape rolled his eyes. "I see!" he snapped. "So it is true!" Laura's mouth dropped open in surprise. "No!" she stammered. Joe looked in Snape's direction. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. Laura leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "What was that for?" he asked, taken aback. Snape was now fuming. "Being there," she replied promptly.
The next Charms lesson was all right, because the Gryffindors took it double with the Slytherins. Joe and Laura took a seat together and looked toward the front. Flitwick stood on about seventeen cushions in front of the board.
The classroom was a quirky one- shaped like an oval, it had all sorts of magical barriers around it to stop charms cast in there getting out of hand. All over the wall there were posters of "Rules in the Charms Room" and the such. Flitwick's desk was piled high with paperwork and mouldy apples. It had a ton of books on there, all of them about Charms.
Flitwick was teaching them Wingardium Leviosa today, which wasn't a problem for Laura as she knew the charm perfectly, off by heart. She taught Joe the swish-and-flick manoeuvre, and he got it almost instantly. They were just about to practise it on each other for kicks when-
"Flitwick! Tell your class to come quickly! It's an emergency!!" McGonagall burst in through the door, wearing the same flustered look she had worn when she had come into the dormitory when the Bloody Baron had first become petrified. A feeling of dread sank through Joe's heart.
He and Laura ran through the corridors connecting different floors, and there they saw him. Mort Malfoy. He was wearing the same look of horror on the Bloody Baron's face, and he was frozen in a position of running. His body was completely grey, his face unmoving and lifeless.
"Another one for the curse." muttered McGonagall.