Chapter 5: Midnight Reflections
Woohoo! Two chapters in a day! Just don't get too used to it, OK?
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It had taken that entire first lesson just to prepare all of the ingredients necessary. They had then been carefully stored in jars and put away for the following week when the actual potion had been made. Successfully. Seona was pleased about that, but even more pleased that Professor Snape had then suggested teaching her the much harder task of brewing the antidote for that potion. After all, he had said, one never knew when it would be necessary to wake someone up before the potion had time to wear off.
Sometimes she suspected Professor Snape of having a much more active sense of humour than he let on.
It was amazing how much she was enjoying those Saturday evening potions lessons, she mused. Certainly, all her friends were amazed that she always returned smiling and in high spirits. Hermione was the only one who came even close to understanding, and that was only because she shared the love of learning. Even she couldn't imagine voluntarily spending time with Snape. Harry and Ron just shuddered and the thought and looked at her strangely when she told them that she was enjoying it and that no, it wasn't some prolonged detention that they hadn't been told about.
Which was understandable, since however accepting and helpful the Potions Master was during those private sessions he hadn't changed one iota when it came to the real classes. He was irritable, sarcastic, and as ready as ever to take points from any Gryffindor he suspected of the least misdemeanour. Deciding early on that discretion was the better part of valour, she kept her head down and did her work and resisted the urge to dunk Draco Malfoy into his own cauldron.
Now there was a little piece of dirt that was likely to come to a nasty end. Persistent, too. He seemed to think that she was put there expressly for him to ogle. She shivered slightly. He made her flesh crawl. Hardly surprising really, considering the things she'd heard about his family.
Then again, she'd heard similar things about Snape, and he wasn't nearly so repellent. He had a brilliant, quick mind and wasn't afraid to use it. After the first couple of conversations she had with him, she realised that there was a hidden barb to almost all of the sarcastic rejoinders that he made over the course of a lesson. Sometimes it was all she could do to keep from laughing. That would have been a mistake though. He wasn't that forgiving.
He'd been pleased when she had created the antidote correctly, too. She almost dared to hope that he was coming to genuinely respect her abilities. He had actually suggested that she might help him with something he was working on himself, since she was so aware that sometimes a fresh perspective could help. She grinned to herself. This was better than she could have hoped. This sort of opportunity had always been denied her at her old school, as had the guidance that she was now being given. Was it any wonder she had experimented a bit beyond herself and blown up a portion of the old building?
She wondered how all her old friends were. Did they miss her? Silly question, of course. She received an owl from them at least once a week saying that they did and detailing the gossip (which they knew she hated) and the pranks they had been involved in (which they seemed to be getting in trouble for more often now that they no longer had such an innocent face to put on the front of them). She considered suggesting one or two of them to Fred and George, though. Those two were just as keen on making life interesting as she and her friends had been.
Fred had asked her to the Yule Ball, too. She accepted, although she had no idea whether he was any good at dancing. He would have to learn quickly if he wasn't. She smiled. And if they weren't playing good music for dancing, she would just have to hijack their sound spells. At least the twins would probably help her with that.
Did Snape dance?
She shook her head. Where had that thought come from? He certainly wouldn't be likely to dance with her. Not in front of a school full of people to whom he was the ultimate in dark broodiness and anger. But he had incredible possession of his own body, that much was obvious from the way he moved. He'd probably either not be able to unbend enough to dance at all, she decided, or he'd be one of the best dancers never to let it show.
Halloween in a few days, too. Which was going to mean a proliferation of pumpkin, inevitably. Pity. Hopefully there'd be alternatives.
Realising that it was getting late, Seona reached out and opened the drawer in her bedside table. Drawing out a small bottle, she looked at it and sighed softly. She was certainly feeling better now that she was getting a reasonable amount of sleep each night. Ah well, time for the nightcap. Uncorking the bottle, she took a sip before re-corking it and replacing it in the drawer. As the now familiar fog filled her head, she wondered if Professor Snape ever had trouble sleeping.
Rolling over, she settled into the deep and dreamless sleep of the potion dependant.
Woohoo! Two chapters in a day! Just don't get too used to it, OK?
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
It had taken that entire first lesson just to prepare all of the ingredients necessary. They had then been carefully stored in jars and put away for the following week when the actual potion had been made. Successfully. Seona was pleased about that, but even more pleased that Professor Snape had then suggested teaching her the much harder task of brewing the antidote for that potion. After all, he had said, one never knew when it would be necessary to wake someone up before the potion had time to wear off.
Sometimes she suspected Professor Snape of having a much more active sense of humour than he let on.
It was amazing how much she was enjoying those Saturday evening potions lessons, she mused. Certainly, all her friends were amazed that she always returned smiling and in high spirits. Hermione was the only one who came even close to understanding, and that was only because she shared the love of learning. Even she couldn't imagine voluntarily spending time with Snape. Harry and Ron just shuddered and the thought and looked at her strangely when she told them that she was enjoying it and that no, it wasn't some prolonged detention that they hadn't been told about.
Which was understandable, since however accepting and helpful the Potions Master was during those private sessions he hadn't changed one iota when it came to the real classes. He was irritable, sarcastic, and as ready as ever to take points from any Gryffindor he suspected of the least misdemeanour. Deciding early on that discretion was the better part of valour, she kept her head down and did her work and resisted the urge to dunk Draco Malfoy into his own cauldron.
Now there was a little piece of dirt that was likely to come to a nasty end. Persistent, too. He seemed to think that she was put there expressly for him to ogle. She shivered slightly. He made her flesh crawl. Hardly surprising really, considering the things she'd heard about his family.
Then again, she'd heard similar things about Snape, and he wasn't nearly so repellent. He had a brilliant, quick mind and wasn't afraid to use it. After the first couple of conversations she had with him, she realised that there was a hidden barb to almost all of the sarcastic rejoinders that he made over the course of a lesson. Sometimes it was all she could do to keep from laughing. That would have been a mistake though. He wasn't that forgiving.
He'd been pleased when she had created the antidote correctly, too. She almost dared to hope that he was coming to genuinely respect her abilities. He had actually suggested that she might help him with something he was working on himself, since she was so aware that sometimes a fresh perspective could help. She grinned to herself. This was better than she could have hoped. This sort of opportunity had always been denied her at her old school, as had the guidance that she was now being given. Was it any wonder she had experimented a bit beyond herself and blown up a portion of the old building?
She wondered how all her old friends were. Did they miss her? Silly question, of course. She received an owl from them at least once a week saying that they did and detailing the gossip (which they knew she hated) and the pranks they had been involved in (which they seemed to be getting in trouble for more often now that they no longer had such an innocent face to put on the front of them). She considered suggesting one or two of them to Fred and George, though. Those two were just as keen on making life interesting as she and her friends had been.
Fred had asked her to the Yule Ball, too. She accepted, although she had no idea whether he was any good at dancing. He would have to learn quickly if he wasn't. She smiled. And if they weren't playing good music for dancing, she would just have to hijack their sound spells. At least the twins would probably help her with that.
Did Snape dance?
She shook her head. Where had that thought come from? He certainly wouldn't be likely to dance with her. Not in front of a school full of people to whom he was the ultimate in dark broodiness and anger. But he had incredible possession of his own body, that much was obvious from the way he moved. He'd probably either not be able to unbend enough to dance at all, she decided, or he'd be one of the best dancers never to let it show.
Halloween in a few days, too. Which was going to mean a proliferation of pumpkin, inevitably. Pity. Hopefully there'd be alternatives.
Realising that it was getting late, Seona reached out and opened the drawer in her bedside table. Drawing out a small bottle, she looked at it and sighed softly. She was certainly feeling better now that she was getting a reasonable amount of sleep each night. Ah well, time for the nightcap. Uncorking the bottle, she took a sip before re-corking it and replacing it in the drawer. As the now familiar fog filled her head, she wondered if Professor Snape ever had trouble sleeping.
Rolling over, she settled into the deep and dreamless sleep of the potion dependant.