Chapter 2: A Strange New Student
Authors Note: This chapter has given me a phenomenal amount of trouble, trying to keep Snape in character. Please, let me know how I did. I strive for improvement and thrive on feedback.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Hogwarts Potions Master, Severus Snape, stalked down the corridor to the dungeon where he held his classes. He rounded the final corner to find his three least favourite students ahead of him, chattering to a forth person who Snape didn't recognise. Must be the new student he had been told about, he decided. With a frown, he realised that they were talking about him.
"If you do even the tiniest thing wrong, he'll take points off Gryffindor!" The Weasley boy was shaking his head in disgust as he made this announcement.
"Even if you don't do anything wrong, Snape'll take points off just because you're in Gryffindor." Potter. Easily the most annoying student in the whole damn school.
"What makes it even worse is that we have Potions with Slytherin. Snape hardly ever takes points from them, no matter what." That was Granger. Bright girl. Shame she had to be so annoying.
"Come on, guys, he can't be that bad." The new girl spoke now, sounding like she was greatly amused by all their warnings. She paused, then added curiously, "Can he?" There was another pause while they all looked at each other, then all four dissolved into giggles.
This was ridiculous. Scowling, he strode forward until he drew level with them. All four choked back their laughter as they noticed him, three with signs of shock and terror on their faces and the forth with curious interest as she looked at him.
"Well," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I see that you three have taken it upon yourselves to share you opinions with your new friend." He eyed them angrily. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Each." Amid horrified gasps, he turned his attention to his newest student. "As for you, I trust I will not have any added trouble from you. I've seen your records, and it appears this subject is one of your strengths. Don't spoil that by giving me more reason to interrupt my teaching."
The girl stepped forward and gave him a slight bow, a small smile hovering at the corner of her mouth. "I assure you Professor, I shall try not to be a bother." Her voice was calm and quiet, with a self-possession that puzzled Snape. Surely she had been told about his temper? Slightly taken aback, he growled at them all to get inside and take their seats and stalked into the classroom after them.
Over the course of the lesson, Snape had plenty of opportunity to observe his new charge. She was a small, lightly built girl, easily half a head shorter than any of her classmates. A cascade of long auburn hair fell to her waist, although she had twisted it into a knot at her neck to prevent it getting in her way while she worked. And she worked well, he was quietly surprised to notice. Every time he passed on his rounds, the contents of her cauldron seemed to be progressing as they should.
The only thing he found to reprimand her over was when she caught young Malfoy watching her with open admiration. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she picked up the hazel twig from her desk and said calmly, "If you don't put your eyes back where they belong, I'm going to poke them out with this." While he secretly felt like applauding - really, it was quite disgusting the way that boy was looking at her - there were limits.
"Miss MacGinty, that is quite enough. Five points from Gryffindor for threatening your classmate. Now return to your work." She glanced at him in silent reproach, but bent back over her books while Malfoy smirked unpleasantly at her.
The class went surprisingly smoothly, although they were working on a potion so simple that even Longbottom would be hard pressed to mess it up, Snape mused to himself as he announced the end of class and his students rose and scurried from the room. It took him a few moments to realise that not all had left, however: a pair of large green eyes were regarding him from the other side of his desk. "Yes, Miss MacGinty?" he said quietly.
"If you have a moment, Professor, would you mind taking a look at something for me? It's a recipe I was working on at home. I can't get it to work right." She held out a piece of parchment covered in flowing handwriting.
"You work on potions recipes in your spare time?" He spoke in his coldest tone, curious to see how much it would take to unsettle this strange girl.
She shrugged. "I was bored. And I always enjoyed a challenge." She met his eyes boldly, as if she was challenging him in return. He rose to the bait.
"And you just happened to have this with you today?"
"Oh, no, it was by design. I considered seeking you out before the class, but I decided it might be better if you were worth your weight as a potions professor first. Merlin only knows, the chap at my other school wasn't worth the air he breathed. I always got the feeling that he'd rather teach anything but potions."
Snape raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "And you believe I'm worthy of helping you with your problem?" His voice was heavy with sarcasm, his lips twisted in a sneer.
"I believe it's going to be a pleasure to learn from someone who actually deserves the title of Potions Master," she replied blandly.
Now he sneered openly, "You think flattery is going to get you anywhere?"
Surprisingly, she laughed. "That depends where I'm trying to get, Professor. I doubt it's going to get me any better marks, but the day I have to flatter my potions teacher just to get good marks is the day I'll swallow my wand whole. Right now though, I'm just trying to get you to have a look at my problem and maybe even offer some advice."
The ghost of a rare smile touched Snape's lips and he took the parchment from her and scanned it briefly. His eyes widened and he looked again. The little chit had actually been attempting to make a potion of her own devising! He was willing to bet his position as an expert in this field that this didn't come from any book. Frowning, he looked at the list of ingredients and their quantities. "Have you considered adding less wormwood, but adding a bit of griffon hair instead? It might balance this mix better."
She leaned over and looked at the list he held, then her eyes and mouth both widened in surprise. With a sigh, she smiled ruefully at him. "I guess I've looked at it for too long and stopped seeing the obvious," she said. "Thank you, Professor. I'll not take up any more of your time." She took the list back and slipped it into one of her books, nodded to him and turned to go.
It had been a while since anyone had possessed either the courage or the capability of matching wits with him, Snape thought to himself. Part of him also wondered why he had let her get away with it, but he was forced to admit that he had actually enjoyed their verbal fencing match. Reaching an abrupt decision, he raised his voice just as she reached the door. "Miss MacGinty?" She turned, a puzzled expression on her face. "If you encounter any other difficulties, please do not hesitate to ask me. I'd hate to see you blow up any of the school here." He was rewarded with a blush and a dazzling smile, then she was gone.
With a sigh, he stood and gathered his things together in preparation for his next class.
Authors Note: This chapter has given me a phenomenal amount of trouble, trying to keep Snape in character. Please, let me know how I did. I strive for improvement and thrive on feedback.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
The Hogwarts Potions Master, Severus Snape, stalked down the corridor to the dungeon where he held his classes. He rounded the final corner to find his three least favourite students ahead of him, chattering to a forth person who Snape didn't recognise. Must be the new student he had been told about, he decided. With a frown, he realised that they were talking about him.
"If you do even the tiniest thing wrong, he'll take points off Gryffindor!" The Weasley boy was shaking his head in disgust as he made this announcement.
"Even if you don't do anything wrong, Snape'll take points off just because you're in Gryffindor." Potter. Easily the most annoying student in the whole damn school.
"What makes it even worse is that we have Potions with Slytherin. Snape hardly ever takes points from them, no matter what." That was Granger. Bright girl. Shame she had to be so annoying.
"Come on, guys, he can't be that bad." The new girl spoke now, sounding like she was greatly amused by all their warnings. She paused, then added curiously, "Can he?" There was another pause while they all looked at each other, then all four dissolved into giggles.
This was ridiculous. Scowling, he strode forward until he drew level with them. All four choked back their laughter as they noticed him, three with signs of shock and terror on their faces and the forth with curious interest as she looked at him.
"Well," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I see that you three have taken it upon yourselves to share you opinions with your new friend." He eyed them angrily. "Twenty points from Gryffindor. Each." Amid horrified gasps, he turned his attention to his newest student. "As for you, I trust I will not have any added trouble from you. I've seen your records, and it appears this subject is one of your strengths. Don't spoil that by giving me more reason to interrupt my teaching."
The girl stepped forward and gave him a slight bow, a small smile hovering at the corner of her mouth. "I assure you Professor, I shall try not to be a bother." Her voice was calm and quiet, with a self-possession that puzzled Snape. Surely she had been told about his temper? Slightly taken aback, he growled at them all to get inside and take their seats and stalked into the classroom after them.
Over the course of the lesson, Snape had plenty of opportunity to observe his new charge. She was a small, lightly built girl, easily half a head shorter than any of her classmates. A cascade of long auburn hair fell to her waist, although she had twisted it into a knot at her neck to prevent it getting in her way while she worked. And she worked well, he was quietly surprised to notice. Every time he passed on his rounds, the contents of her cauldron seemed to be progressing as they should.
The only thing he found to reprimand her over was when she caught young Malfoy watching her with open admiration. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she picked up the hazel twig from her desk and said calmly, "If you don't put your eyes back where they belong, I'm going to poke them out with this." While he secretly felt like applauding - really, it was quite disgusting the way that boy was looking at her - there were limits.
"Miss MacGinty, that is quite enough. Five points from Gryffindor for threatening your classmate. Now return to your work." She glanced at him in silent reproach, but bent back over her books while Malfoy smirked unpleasantly at her.
The class went surprisingly smoothly, although they were working on a potion so simple that even Longbottom would be hard pressed to mess it up, Snape mused to himself as he announced the end of class and his students rose and scurried from the room. It took him a few moments to realise that not all had left, however: a pair of large green eyes were regarding him from the other side of his desk. "Yes, Miss MacGinty?" he said quietly.
"If you have a moment, Professor, would you mind taking a look at something for me? It's a recipe I was working on at home. I can't get it to work right." She held out a piece of parchment covered in flowing handwriting.
"You work on potions recipes in your spare time?" He spoke in his coldest tone, curious to see how much it would take to unsettle this strange girl.
She shrugged. "I was bored. And I always enjoyed a challenge." She met his eyes boldly, as if she was challenging him in return. He rose to the bait.
"And you just happened to have this with you today?"
"Oh, no, it was by design. I considered seeking you out before the class, but I decided it might be better if you were worth your weight as a potions professor first. Merlin only knows, the chap at my other school wasn't worth the air he breathed. I always got the feeling that he'd rather teach anything but potions."
Snape raised an eyebrow enquiringly. "And you believe I'm worthy of helping you with your problem?" His voice was heavy with sarcasm, his lips twisted in a sneer.
"I believe it's going to be a pleasure to learn from someone who actually deserves the title of Potions Master," she replied blandly.
Now he sneered openly, "You think flattery is going to get you anywhere?"
Surprisingly, she laughed. "That depends where I'm trying to get, Professor. I doubt it's going to get me any better marks, but the day I have to flatter my potions teacher just to get good marks is the day I'll swallow my wand whole. Right now though, I'm just trying to get you to have a look at my problem and maybe even offer some advice."
The ghost of a rare smile touched Snape's lips and he took the parchment from her and scanned it briefly. His eyes widened and he looked again. The little chit had actually been attempting to make a potion of her own devising! He was willing to bet his position as an expert in this field that this didn't come from any book. Frowning, he looked at the list of ingredients and their quantities. "Have you considered adding less wormwood, but adding a bit of griffon hair instead? It might balance this mix better."
She leaned over and looked at the list he held, then her eyes and mouth both widened in surprise. With a sigh, she smiled ruefully at him. "I guess I've looked at it for too long and stopped seeing the obvious," she said. "Thank you, Professor. I'll not take up any more of your time." She took the list back and slipped it into one of her books, nodded to him and turned to go.
It had been a while since anyone had possessed either the courage or the capability of matching wits with him, Snape thought to himself. Part of him also wondered why he had let her get away with it, but he was forced to admit that he had actually enjoyed their verbal fencing match. Reaching an abrupt decision, he raised his voice just as she reached the door. "Miss MacGinty?" She turned, a puzzled expression on her face. "If you encounter any other difficulties, please do not hesitate to ask me. I'd hate to see you blow up any of the school here." He was rewarded with a blush and a dazzling smile, then she was gone.
With a sigh, he stood and gathered his things together in preparation for his next class.