I do not claim ownership to any of J.K. Rowling's characters, and I am not making any sort of profit from this. It's simply for a larf. Please R&R. Thanx. ~ZiMsta
THE ALLY AND THE ENEMY
Ezzie and Genevieve didn't speak for a long while, neither feeling any need to apologize. When they passed in the halls, the pretended not to notice. In Potions, they would glance at each other once in a while, looking away just as quickly. Genevieve saw Snape taking notice of their obvious quarrel, but was very indifferent towards it. She made a point of staying out of his way since the drawing incident. But with reasons beyond her control, their paths crossed once again.
"Genevieve, could you get me my quill? It's fallen under your desk." Harry Potter asked, tapping her on the shoulder. Genevieve moved away from her bubbling caldron, looking under her chair, finding no quill. "Your quill isn't" She stood upright just in time to see Harry push her caldron off the edge of the table. It hit the stone with a large smack, her healing potion oozing out over the floor in great globs of purple and orange.
"You INSOLENT, CLUMSY, little witch! DETENTION! Starting NOW! Report to my office AT ONCE, and don't think of even so much as scratching an ITCH until I get there! OUT!" Snape's face was red with fury, his accusing finger first only inches from her nose, then sternly pointed towards his office. Genevieve's lips moved in an attempt to defend herself, but her voice was lost and she wasn't going to give Snape the opportunity to yell at her some more. She turned and walked towards his office, the Slytherins sniggering and pointing as she walked. Genevieve looked up at Ezzie, and judging by the look of disagreement on her face, she hadn't seen what really happened.
Genevieve went into Snape's office for the first time, and was greeted by a disturbing array of various objects floating in fomaldehyde, and a sense of meticulous cleanliness. She took a seat in the chair in front of Snape's desk and sat motionless, just as he had instructed. After about twenty minutes, she heard the dismissal bell, and the fading sound of student voices. There was a moment of silence and then the door burst open. Snape appeared in front of her, grabbing the arms of her chair, trapping her. His face was livid.
"You are trying my patience, Miss Hemlock, and certainly walking a fine line! WHY do you insist on making me angry and wasting my precious time!?" Snape growled, his teeth barred, his eyes furious. Genevieve didn't answer. She just stared at him. "ANSWER ME!" Snape exploded, pounding his fists on the arm rests. Genevieve jumped at his sudden movement, and then cowered into the back of her chair as he gave her the most disturbing expression she had ever seen. She still didn't know what to say, but her eyes did, bringing forth small tears.
"I swear that if you do not answer me this instant, I will take one hundred points from Gryffindor." He hissed viciously, his face so close to hers she could have counted his eyelashes. "I don't care." She finally said. Not in a tone of defiance, but as if to say she had given up caring altogether. Snape seemed a little confused with her answer. "You don't care? It doesn't bother you that your fellow Gryffindor's will likely hang you by your toes when they find that it was you who lost all those points?" He asked in a seething, mocking voice. Tears were now pouring from Genevieve's eyes, yet her expression held no sign of crying. She just shook her head no'. Snape moved away from the chair, no longer confused. More like thoroughly confused.
"Is there anything you wish to discuss, Miss Hemlock?" He asked, his tone suddenly uncertain. "Not with you." Genevieve said, looking into his virtually endless black eyes. Snape took a black handkerchief from his sleeve, motioning it toward her with a somewhat repulsed look in his face. She took it, reluctantly, and dried her tears.
"I know for certain that I am quite far from the top of the list of people to come to for comfort, Miss Hemlock. I am, however, capable of listening. And it is blairingly obvious that there is something wrong with you." Snape looked down at her, his expression not quite as disgusted as before.
"Youreally want to know?" Genevieve asked, still not quite sure this was for real. Snape went around his desk, sitting in his chair. "Miss Hemlock, I understand that you may not be comfortable, pouring your heart out' to me, as they say. I will admit that I am quite certain of two factors that may be causing youremotional problems." Snape laced his fingers together and looked at her over his enfolded hands. She assumed that he was referring to her fathers' death, and her mothers siding with Lord Voldemort.
"Yes." She answered simply. She wasn't sure she wanted to tell him anything else. Would he actually care? He couldn't possibly find her problems important, could he? "Well, with that out of the way, would you like to tell me anything else? Perhaps explain the sudden distance between you and Miss Bloom?" Snape offered. Genevieve considered it, and decided it wouldn't hurt to tell him, but was still very much finding it hard to believe that Snape was truly interested in what she had to say. Maybe it was some kind of trap "Well, Sir, we both said some things that we didn't really mean. Mostly because of me. I haven't quite been myself lately." She confessed. Snape nodded, leaning into the back of his chair.
"It sounds as if a few apologies are in order. And might I add that it is always commendable to be the first to step forward." He said with a very slight grin. She wasn't sure if he was just saying that because Ezzie was a Slytherin, so Genevieve, being a Gryffindor, must have been in the wrong. Or maybe he had a point. It was quiet for a moment as Genevieve held her eyes to the floor. Snape's low voice broke the silence.
"Is there anything else, Miss Hemlock?" he asked. Genevieve knew for a fact that she wasn't going to tell Snape about Dylan, so she shook her head. "No, Sir." She said, sniffling slightly. Snape stood up, coming back around his desk towards her with long, graceful movements. "Then I have a question for you" He folded his arms over his chest, his usual, uptight expression covering his face. "Why did you turn over your cauldron?" He asked pursing his lips. Genevieve looked him strait in the eyes, not blinking. "I didn't turn over my cauldron, Professor. Harry Potter did." She said in a very even tone. Snape smirked at her.
"Very well, Miss Hemlock. Tenfifteen points from Gryffindor. And you can inform Mr. Potter that he will be serving detention with Mr. Filtch. You are dismissed. Good evening." He turned, sitting back in his chair and going strait to work. Genevieve stood up, motioning his handkerchief towards him. He took it swiftly without looking up.
"Thank you, Sir." She said nervously. It was so weird thanking Snape for anything, and judging by his reaction as he looked up at her, he was not accustomed to being thanked. "You are welcome, Miss Hemlock." He said quietly, then returned to his work. Genevieve turned around and left his office, almost running right into Ezzie.
"OhHullo." Genevieve said, smiling lightly. Ezzie looked miffed. "I was starting to worry when the screaming stopped. I thought he might have killed you." She said. Something tugged at the corner of her mouth, and she finally managed a smile. "You have a set of balls under that skirt, or are you just completely mad? Why did you piss Snape off like that?" She asked, walking Genevieve to the door. Genevieve shook her head. "It wasn't me. It was Harry. Not sure why he did it. But I am certainly going to find out."
*****
Harry Potter, however, was nearly impossible to find. Genevieve would see him in class, but that was certainly no place to pick a fight. She didn't want to fight with him, but she had a strange feeling that it was going to come down to that. Her opportunity finally came when she saw Harry alone in the hallway after Charms. "Harry?" She called out to him. It became obvious that Harry had been avoiding her, because his eyes widened when he saw her, and he instantly turned to run away. Genevieve pulled her wand from her sleeve.
"LOCOMOTER MORTIS!" She shouted, and Harry immediately fell to the ground, his legs bound by her spell. She hurried over to where he lay, standing next to him. "Running away so soon, Harry?" She said, her stomach lurching at how much she sounded like Snape. Harry rolled onto his back, straitening his glasses as he looked up at her. "OhHullo, Genevieve." He said, his voice shaking a little. Genevieve chose not to waste time with pleasantries. "Why did you turn my potion over, Harry?" She asked, her grip tightening on her wand. Harry shrugged. "It was an accident." He said with a grin. He was clearly lying. "That was no accident, Potter. Why did you do it?" Genevieve pointed her wand directly at Harry, and still sounding remarkably like Snape. Perhaps there was a method to his madness.
"What are you going to do, Hemlock? Attack me here in the middle of the hall where anyone could see?" Harry said with a laugh. Genevieve smiled at him. "How very right you are, Harry." She said. She reached down and grabbed one of his ankles. "What are you doing?" Harry shouted. Genevieve ignored him, dragging him across the floor to the nearest classroom. Harry tried to get lose the entire way, wiggling and squirming as he grunted in objection. Genevieve closed the door of the classroom, turning her wand back on Harry.
"Now, do you care to explain?" She asked. Harry sort of glared at her. "You wouldn't dare." He muttered, not sounding too sure of himself. "Try me." She challenged. Harry sat upright, his legs sticking out in front of him like two solid blocks of wood. "I don't have to tell you anything. What could you do about it anyway? You're only a pathetic Gryffindor." He spat. Genevieve stopped a moment, wondering if she should take Harry to the hospital wing due to his obvious case of amnesia. "HarryYou're a Gryffindor, too. What are you on about?" Harry made a futile attempt at standing up, pounding his hands into the floor. "Just let me go, Hemlock!" He screamed, his voice echoing through the empty room. Though he was being rather violent, Genevieve realized that she wasn't going to get an answer out of him, so she might as well let him go.
"Reverta Mobulia." She said, and Harry's legs broke free from her spell. He stood up strait away, straitening his robes. "Stay out of my way, Hemlock. If you try anything like that again, I'll make sure you pay dearly for it." Harry threatened. He bumped shoulders with her roughly as he stormed out of the room. Genevieve remained where she stood, slipping her wand back into her sleeve.
