A/N: Well I thought that leaving you with a cliffhanger (sort of) would
lead to more reviews. It doesn't appear to have worked because I only got
two more reviews and one had nothing to do with the chapter. Now don't get
me wrong, I love reviews of all kinds and am not upset but I had hopped for
more. So… I'm not going to resolve Snape's little dilemma in this chapter!
(Snape: WHAT! Me: insane laughter) I'm not going to say something like five
more reviews or anything like that but I think you get the idea. Also who's
interested in a little Snape romance? You'll find out whom my idea is if
you read the chapter.
Company
I decided to ignore my little problem and work on something useful. Let's see, the storeroom was in good order so there was no need to clean that out. Was I low on any potions? No, not really. Ah! I could make some more wolfsbane potion. Even though Lupin left Hogwarts years ago I still made the potion for him. Dumbledore was considering hiring him back I heard. Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing I was still unsure of. We still hadn't had a DADA teacher last more than a year and most of the candidates were pathetic dunderheads that wouldn't recognize Voldemort if he stood in front of them. Lupin knew his stuff I had to admit. True we were enemies as students as a teacher he never attempted to humiliate me publicly like his idiot friends and he did when we were younger.
I was just getting started when there was a knock at my door. I stared at the door for a minute. That couldn't be right. No one knocked at my door. Finally I called out, "Who's there?"
"It's Astra Sinistra. May I come in?"
I let her in. This was odd. Sinistra was an intelligent woman who seldom left her astronomy tower. She was almost as much a recluse as I was. What was she doing in the dungeons? "What's the matter? Got Lost?" I don't dislike the woman but I couldn't stop myself either.
She fortunately was used to my sarcasm. "Yes Severus, I got lost I was trying to end up in the North Pole. This place is so cold it threw me off." This wasn't the first time she had returned my sarcasm with her own.
I nodded. Then deciding that I would be a good host if it killed me (and it might) offered her a seat and asked if she wanted some tea.
"I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"No, not really." For some strange reason I felt like having company for a while.
"So, why were you headed to the North Pole?"
She smiled but decided to play along a while longer. "The Aurora Borealis, of course."
"Ah, the Northern Lights."
"Also I had a question for you."
I raised my eyebrows for her to continue.
"A student asked me recently how astronomy affected other branches of magic. For example Divination is supposed to rely heavily on astronomy but most of us think Divination is a load of rot. She wondered specifically about potions and possibly herbology possibly having some relationship. She didn't think charms or transfiguration would have much to do with astronomy. So I said I would ask."
"I see. Well, wolfsbane is strongest when brewed at new moon. And some require fresh ingredients that can only be gotten at certain times. Though for the most part most potions have nothing to do with astronomy. By the way who asked the question, a Ravenclaw?" Astra had been a Ravenclaw.
"No, actually it was a Gryffindor by the name of Sophia Goldstone."
Can I never escape that girl? "What is she like in your class?"
"Well, she is a bit slow to grasp concepts and can't work out a star formula to save her life. But she remembers constellation names, pays attention and asks interesting questions. She tries to integrate the branches of magic in her mind. Definitely better at memorizing than using formulas. Why?"
"All I see her in is potions. Sometimes you get a skewed view of a student that way."
She gave me a strange look at that but I ignored it. "Oh dear, I have a class in five minutes! I can't possibly make it on time!" Then she thought of something. "Can I use your fireplace?"
"Certainly, There's floo powder in the vase."
"Thank you! It was nice talking with you."
"It was nice talking with you too." To my surprise I meant it. She vanished from sight. It had been nice to have company for a while.
A/N Okay what do you think? Should I try for a Snape/Sinistra romance? No I'm not doing a Snape/Lupin romance. I can't write slash. Sorry for those of you who thought I was heading there. Review!
Company
I decided to ignore my little problem and work on something useful. Let's see, the storeroom was in good order so there was no need to clean that out. Was I low on any potions? No, not really. Ah! I could make some more wolfsbane potion. Even though Lupin left Hogwarts years ago I still made the potion for him. Dumbledore was considering hiring him back I heard. Whether that would be a good thing or a bad thing I was still unsure of. We still hadn't had a DADA teacher last more than a year and most of the candidates were pathetic dunderheads that wouldn't recognize Voldemort if he stood in front of them. Lupin knew his stuff I had to admit. True we were enemies as students as a teacher he never attempted to humiliate me publicly like his idiot friends and he did when we were younger.
I was just getting started when there was a knock at my door. I stared at the door for a minute. That couldn't be right. No one knocked at my door. Finally I called out, "Who's there?"
"It's Astra Sinistra. May I come in?"
I let her in. This was odd. Sinistra was an intelligent woman who seldom left her astronomy tower. She was almost as much a recluse as I was. What was she doing in the dungeons? "What's the matter? Got Lost?" I don't dislike the woman but I couldn't stop myself either.
She fortunately was used to my sarcasm. "Yes Severus, I got lost I was trying to end up in the North Pole. This place is so cold it threw me off." This wasn't the first time she had returned my sarcasm with her own.
I nodded. Then deciding that I would be a good host if it killed me (and it might) offered her a seat and asked if she wanted some tea.
"I'm not interrupting, am I?"
"No, not really." For some strange reason I felt like having company for a while.
"So, why were you headed to the North Pole?"
She smiled but decided to play along a while longer. "The Aurora Borealis, of course."
"Ah, the Northern Lights."
"Also I had a question for you."
I raised my eyebrows for her to continue.
"A student asked me recently how astronomy affected other branches of magic. For example Divination is supposed to rely heavily on astronomy but most of us think Divination is a load of rot. She wondered specifically about potions and possibly herbology possibly having some relationship. She didn't think charms or transfiguration would have much to do with astronomy. So I said I would ask."
"I see. Well, wolfsbane is strongest when brewed at new moon. And some require fresh ingredients that can only be gotten at certain times. Though for the most part most potions have nothing to do with astronomy. By the way who asked the question, a Ravenclaw?" Astra had been a Ravenclaw.
"No, actually it was a Gryffindor by the name of Sophia Goldstone."
Can I never escape that girl? "What is she like in your class?"
"Well, she is a bit slow to grasp concepts and can't work out a star formula to save her life. But she remembers constellation names, pays attention and asks interesting questions. She tries to integrate the branches of magic in her mind. Definitely better at memorizing than using formulas. Why?"
"All I see her in is potions. Sometimes you get a skewed view of a student that way."
She gave me a strange look at that but I ignored it. "Oh dear, I have a class in five minutes! I can't possibly make it on time!" Then she thought of something. "Can I use your fireplace?"
"Certainly, There's floo powder in the vase."
"Thank you! It was nice talking with you."
"It was nice talking with you too." To my surprise I meant it. She vanished from sight. It had been nice to have company for a while.
A/N Okay what do you think? Should I try for a Snape/Sinistra romance? No I'm not doing a Snape/Lupin romance. I can't write slash. Sorry for those of you who thought I was heading there. Review!