CHAPTER 4

(It's Potions class. Harry walks in, eyeing the students cautiously and carefully.)
Harry (to himself): Don't look like they're really happy to be here, do they? Oh well. I'll show them. I'll be so much of a nicer teacher than Snape. They'll like me.
(He walks to the front of the class and starts the lesson.)
Harry: Today, we will make a very simple potion. The potion will drop a person's age 10 years for a time period of ten minutes. It only has five easy ingredients…
(Suddenly, he feels a wad of gum, carefully engulfed in a spit-ball strike his forehead. He flinches with disgust wiping it off and glares at the class.)
Harry (angry): Who did this?
(Of course nobody answers. Not knowing how to handle the situation, Harry sighs.)
Harry: Well, everyone knows what to do. Directions are on the board.
(He turns to go to his (or rather Snape's) desk to sit down and feels another wad of gum strike the back of his head, except now it's in his hair. He turns sharply and glares. Numerous students giggle into their laps. He sighs and sits down, only to find that there is a whoopee cushion on his chair, which causes the students to go into more fits of giggles. He picks up the whoopee cushion and sits back down after throwing it out, not sure how to react. Tired, he leans on the chair's arm rest, feels a carefully-placed tack dig into his elbow and almost bursts out crying.)
Harry (imagine Snape with tears running down his cheeks - isn't that such a sad image?): You horrible, horrible children! (the class erupts in an honest burst of laughter) Miserable, pathetic people! Immature freaks! (runs out of the room, sobbing. Malfoy high-fives Crabbe and Goyle. Mary Sue shoots him a death glare and runs after Harry. She goes into his room, where he sits with his head in his hands.)
Mary Sue: It's okay, Harry. Give it a couple of days.
Harry (lifting his head. He is surprised): Harry? How did you know?
Mary Sue: Memory charms don't work on me. I know everything.
Harry: Oh… Well, thank you, Mary Sue.
(They hug. Emotional/romantic/inspirational movie-music plays in the background. They break apart.)
Mary Sue (encouraged): Be strong, Harry! You can do it! You can destroy all your enemies and overcome all your… um… obstacles! You have the power! You have the will! You have the strength! You… (music stops suddenly. Voldemort pops out of his room with a violin in his hands.)
Voldemort: Like my music, guys? I've been getting in touch with my artistic side the last few days…
Mary Sue (with exasperation): You, like, totally ruined the moment!
Voldemort (immediately looks sad): Oh. I'm sorry. I just… just… wanted to help. But if no one likes my music…
Harry: Oh no! We love your music!
Voldemort: It's okay. I understand. (He hangs his head and turns to go.)
Harry: No! Wait! (Voldemort gives him another hurt look before leaving the room.)
Harry (to Mary Sue): Look what you've done!
Mary Sue: Well, I'm SORRY! I… wait a sec., who was that?
Harry: Voldemort, of course! (sobs are heard in the other room) You made him cry!
Mary Sue: VOLDEMORT? Are you kidding?
Harry (angrily): Does it LOOK like I'm kidding?
Mary Sue (importantly): Stand aside.
Harry: Wh--

(Mary Sue marches right into Voldemort's room. Harry follows. Voldemort is seen sitting on the bed and patting his violin sorrowfully, saying "it's okay, it's okay.")
Voldemort (looks up): What do you want?
Mary Sue (importantly): I've come to defeat you, you evil murderous creature!
Voldemort (confused): Who is a murderous evil creature?
Mary Sue (strict): Stop pretending you're innocent and FIGHT LIKE A MAN!
Voldemort: Oh dear.
Harry: Mary Sue, maybe it's best to leave.
Mary Sue: Leave?? NO! I'm not a coward! (to Voldy): Hear me? I'm not afraid of you, Voldemort!
Voldemort: Well, that's good. You shouldn't be. I still want to know who the murderous evil creature is.
Mary Sue: You!
Voldemort: ME? But… (tears well up in eyes again) but why?
Harry: Mary Sue… You're hurting him. He's not in the mood for being defeated today, you see. Maybe you should come back towards the end of the year. That's when I usually end up fighting and defeating him.
Mary Sue: Well… okay. But we WILL meet again, Voldemort. (said menacingly)
Voldemort (face brightens): Sure! I'd be happy to see you again!
(Mary Sue gives him a death-look and walks out.)
Voldemort (to Harry): What's with her?
Harry (shrugs): I don't know. It's probably that time of the month.
Voldemort (meaningfully): Ohhh.
(Harry says good-bye to Voldemort and goes back to the class. Just as he is about to start teaching again, the bell rings and everyone scurries out. The only person that's left behind is Snape.)

Snape: Well, well, well. I see you're not doing so well.
Harry: Oh, shut up.
Snape (smirks): I bet you hoped to be a nicer teacher than I was.
Harry (angrily): They'll pay for this!
Snape: You're going to be just like me.
Harry: No I'm not! (Snape shrugs and leaves. Harry sighs looking after him.) Yes I am.
***
(After all the classes are over, Professor Snape sits in a chair in the Gryffindor Common Room, gazing at the fire, as one by one all the students go off to bed. Finally, only he, Ron and Hermione are left. The two are playing a game of chess. Ron wins and they come over to Snape.)
Hermione: What's wrong, Harry?
Snape (startled): Huh? Oh, nothing, just thinking.
Ron: Aren't you going to go visit that girl you met at Hogsmeade?
Snape (his heart sinking as he remembers): Oh, yes. Sure.
Ron: Well, you'd better hurry. It's almost time.
Snape (with a regretful note that Ron doesn't catch): Is it?
Ron: Yeah. You always go at 11:00.
Snape: All right. (he takes the invisibility cloak) Bye.
(Snape leaves through the portrait hole and walks to the Quidditch field, jumping at every sound. He gets there and starts looking for the Snitch.)
Snape: Where's that bloody box?
(Suddenly, very clearly, he hears a girl's voice in his mind.)

Voice: Hey, Harry. I've over here. Have you forgotten? The box is right under the uniforms.
Snape: I must be going crazy. Maybe I should go see a doctor.
Voce (laughing): No, Harry. You're not crazy. It's me, the Snitch. Remember.
Snape (understanding, with horror): It's telepathic! (he desperately tries to think "Harry thoughts" so that the Snitch doesn't figure out who he is.)
Snitch (in Snape's mind): Why are you suddenly calling me "it"?
Snape: It's… uh… a habit Oliver's gotten me into. Sorry. (he finds the box, gets her out and sits down on the grass, watching as the Snitch flies laps around his head. He puts out his hand and it lands on his palm, giving his thumb a hug with its wings.)
Snape (thinking, as tears well up in his eyes): It likes me!
Snitch (with a dreamy sigh, inside Snape's mind): Of course I do.
(Well, let's leave the two star-crossed lovers alone for the night. I'm guessing they need a little privacy, so even though I know you all would love to know what they did for the rest of the night, I'll just leave that up to your perverted little minds. As for me, I'll just be polite, turn my head, and look the other wa-- WHOA! On the other side of the field, under an old magnolia tree we see one MORE resemblance of Romeo and Juliet sitting and gazing at the sky. Out of curiosity, let's go and see who it is. One of them seems to be sporting a white beard. Hm… that's strange. It's still September - a little too early for Santa Claus, don't you think? Now, who else has a white beard? OH! I know! Dumbledore! This is getting interesting. And with him… someone young… athletically-built… can it be… OLIVER WOOD? I'm sorry I looked. Let's get out of here. Now.)

Okay, since this chapter is too long, it WON'T BE THE LAST. #5 will probably be the last but I'm not sure about that either. Keep reading please! I'll update shortly. And yes, Mary Sue WILL play a significant role in the end.

~Genevieve.