Eight
I was almost to the stairs leading down to the entrance hall when I heard that familiar silky hiss from behind me. I stopped but didn't turn around. I had been hoping I could just go down to the dungeons (where I was sure my things had been dumped), collect everything, and go up to Dumbledore's office to beg for a new housing assignment. I really didn't want Snape to see me in my bathrobe with my hair hanging flat against my head and shivering against the cold of the castle. Oh well.
"Miss McMathewes." Why did he still call me that? I could feel everything that had been on my mind boiling over inside me and I could tell that this encounter was going to send me over the edge. Not that it was his fault. He was the only thing that didn't irritate me in my entire life. Yes, he tended to get under the skin with his snide remarks and his cutting attitude, but he mixed all that with this underlying sweetness that I couldn't help but respond to. But tonight was too much.
I had been thinking hard about Michael and my past and how I could avoid going home this summer. I was thinking about my housemates and how I'd just as soon hang them than put up with them one more minute. I was thinking about everything that had happened between Snape and I and where it all was going. I had no idea what I was going to do once I graduated. Everything, every single god damned thing in my life was upside down and inside out and I had no idea how to right it all and I was angry.
"Just where do you think you're going in that - revealing robe of yours?" He was right behind me now. He was drawling his words out straight into my ear and I enjoyed the sensation in spite of myself. My robe was revealing, but I hadn't realized that until just now. It was white silk and probably almost transparent in this infernal candlelight.
I stepped forward a few paces, just enough to put some distance between us, and turned to face him. "My roommates kicked me out. They've taken my things and put them in the dungeons, I'm guessing. I'm headed down there to find and collect them, and then I'm going up to Dumbledore's office to either be placed in another house or start a damn house of my own." With that I turned and began walking down the stairs and into the entrance hall, and from there into the corridor that led to the dungeons.
For one fleeting second I thought he was going to leave me alone, and I didn't look behind me to check his progress. Needless to say it took my breath away when he sidled up beside me and headed me off in the corridor. I stopped and gave him a determined look and tried to walk around his right side. He stepped to the right and cut me off. Rolling my eyes heavenward and exhaling exasperatedly I stepped to the left and tried again. Again, he cut me off.
"Why are you doing this to me," I veritably screamed at him as I crossed my arms and stamped my foot like a stubborn child. Where had that come from? It looked as though he was wondering the same thing because his eyes widened and for a second I thought he may let me pass out of pure doubt about my mental stability. But he regained himself, the damn prick and crossed his arms just as I had, standing staunchly in the middle of the corridor.
"Either you tell me what's going on in that head of yours or so help me Merlin you'll never get down this corridor." His voice was soft and silky as it ever was, but it was also firm and demanding. Like my father when he was giving me my final chance to straighten up or be punished.
I uncrossed my arms and my body seemed to go limp. "I'm exhausted," I told him. He didn't say anything. Apparently that wasn't enough because he showed no signs of moving. "I am physically and emotionally exhausted and I'm frustrated and I have too much on my mind. And right now all I want is to get my things, find a bed, and stay there for the rest of the weekend." My voice was becoming whinier and whinier as I went and finally I just tilted my head all the way back and groaned the groan of a woman on the edge.
He never said anything. He just put one arm around both of my shoulders and walked me down the corridor to the potions classroom. I was too tired to do anything except allow myself to be led. I didn't look at him but I could tell his demeanor had softened, now he'd gotten what he wanted. Sure enough, there in the middle of the hallway, were all my things. My sheets, my comforter, my trunk, a huge pile of my robes, my books, and on the top of the pile all my knickers. Those total bastards. They had put my black thongs on the top of the pile for the whole world to see. I was going to kill them all.
My face went ten shades of red but I just marched forward and threw everything that would fit into the trunk, starting with the knicker pile. Then I stood up and whipped my wand out from the sleeve of my robe. I performed a simple "wingardium leviosa" on everything and began to march back up the corridor, fully intending to head up to Dumbledore's office, wake him up, and not let him go back to bed until I was in another house.
Of course my plans were foiled once again as Snape performed the old cutting me off trick again.
"Back that way," he instructed, pointing behind me. Too tired to argue I just sighed and redirected myself and my things. I walked down the hallway following his directions from behind me as I went.
"Turn to the right. Take that left." And on and on until I finally heard him tell me to stop. I did, and found that I was standing in front of a great mahogany door. He stepped forward and muttered some charm to it, tapped his wand twice above it, and I heard a series of clicks, metal scraping against metal, and then he hoisted the door open and held it for me while I led my things into the room.
I was almost to the stairs leading down to the entrance hall when I heard that familiar silky hiss from behind me. I stopped but didn't turn around. I had been hoping I could just go down to the dungeons (where I was sure my things had been dumped), collect everything, and go up to Dumbledore's office to beg for a new housing assignment. I really didn't want Snape to see me in my bathrobe with my hair hanging flat against my head and shivering against the cold of the castle. Oh well.
"Miss McMathewes." Why did he still call me that? I could feel everything that had been on my mind boiling over inside me and I could tell that this encounter was going to send me over the edge. Not that it was his fault. He was the only thing that didn't irritate me in my entire life. Yes, he tended to get under the skin with his snide remarks and his cutting attitude, but he mixed all that with this underlying sweetness that I couldn't help but respond to. But tonight was too much.
I had been thinking hard about Michael and my past and how I could avoid going home this summer. I was thinking about my housemates and how I'd just as soon hang them than put up with them one more minute. I was thinking about everything that had happened between Snape and I and where it all was going. I had no idea what I was going to do once I graduated. Everything, every single god damned thing in my life was upside down and inside out and I had no idea how to right it all and I was angry.
"Just where do you think you're going in that - revealing robe of yours?" He was right behind me now. He was drawling his words out straight into my ear and I enjoyed the sensation in spite of myself. My robe was revealing, but I hadn't realized that until just now. It was white silk and probably almost transparent in this infernal candlelight.
I stepped forward a few paces, just enough to put some distance between us, and turned to face him. "My roommates kicked me out. They've taken my things and put them in the dungeons, I'm guessing. I'm headed down there to find and collect them, and then I'm going up to Dumbledore's office to either be placed in another house or start a damn house of my own." With that I turned and began walking down the stairs and into the entrance hall, and from there into the corridor that led to the dungeons.
For one fleeting second I thought he was going to leave me alone, and I didn't look behind me to check his progress. Needless to say it took my breath away when he sidled up beside me and headed me off in the corridor. I stopped and gave him a determined look and tried to walk around his right side. He stepped to the right and cut me off. Rolling my eyes heavenward and exhaling exasperatedly I stepped to the left and tried again. Again, he cut me off.
"Why are you doing this to me," I veritably screamed at him as I crossed my arms and stamped my foot like a stubborn child. Where had that come from? It looked as though he was wondering the same thing because his eyes widened and for a second I thought he may let me pass out of pure doubt about my mental stability. But he regained himself, the damn prick and crossed his arms just as I had, standing staunchly in the middle of the corridor.
"Either you tell me what's going on in that head of yours or so help me Merlin you'll never get down this corridor." His voice was soft and silky as it ever was, but it was also firm and demanding. Like my father when he was giving me my final chance to straighten up or be punished.
I uncrossed my arms and my body seemed to go limp. "I'm exhausted," I told him. He didn't say anything. Apparently that wasn't enough because he showed no signs of moving. "I am physically and emotionally exhausted and I'm frustrated and I have too much on my mind. And right now all I want is to get my things, find a bed, and stay there for the rest of the weekend." My voice was becoming whinier and whinier as I went and finally I just tilted my head all the way back and groaned the groan of a woman on the edge.
He never said anything. He just put one arm around both of my shoulders and walked me down the corridor to the potions classroom. I was too tired to do anything except allow myself to be led. I didn't look at him but I could tell his demeanor had softened, now he'd gotten what he wanted. Sure enough, there in the middle of the hallway, were all my things. My sheets, my comforter, my trunk, a huge pile of my robes, my books, and on the top of the pile all my knickers. Those total bastards. They had put my black thongs on the top of the pile for the whole world to see. I was going to kill them all.
My face went ten shades of red but I just marched forward and threw everything that would fit into the trunk, starting with the knicker pile. Then I stood up and whipped my wand out from the sleeve of my robe. I performed a simple "wingardium leviosa" on everything and began to march back up the corridor, fully intending to head up to Dumbledore's office, wake him up, and not let him go back to bed until I was in another house.
Of course my plans were foiled once again as Snape performed the old cutting me off trick again.
"Back that way," he instructed, pointing behind me. Too tired to argue I just sighed and redirected myself and my things. I walked down the hallway following his directions from behind me as I went.
"Turn to the right. Take that left." And on and on until I finally heard him tell me to stop. I did, and found that I was standing in front of a great mahogany door. He stepped forward and muttered some charm to it, tapped his wand twice above it, and I heard a series of clicks, metal scraping against metal, and then he hoisted the door open and held it for me while I led my things into the room.