The next day I was so exhausted from staying up practically the whole night
before that I seemed to drift in and out of consciousness. By lunchtime I
had become a walking zombie. I'm surprised I had even managed to get through
Transfiguration and Charms without causing a national catastrophe. I only
had one desire... sleep. But I knew that if I closed my eyes for even one
minute I would surely not wake up until the next afternoon. So I choked down
a few bites of mince pie and some swallows of pumpkin juice and made my way
to my last class that day-- Potions.
My previous nights of detention had not brought me any closer to Professor Snape, in fact, I thought that he hated me even more. If only I had not said anything about my paper. I thought. Then he wouldn't notice me like before... but now he hates me. Oh, how blissful those days of invisibility were. I walked to my normal seat near the back of the dungeons and sat next to a boy named Franco Polley.
"What's wrong with you?" Franco asked. "You look white as a sheet. And you've got great big dark circles around your eyes."
"Thanks bunches, Franco," I muttered and sat down. Just as I was sitting down I heard a quiet voice behind me.
"Miss Cockerham, a word."
I spun around and came face to face with Professor Snape.
"Yes, Professor?" I asked as I followed him to his desk. He lowered his voice to practically a whisper and said,
"I'm missing a personal effect, Miss Cockerham."
At first I didn't realize what he meant. My mind was fuzzy and clouded. Then it hit me: the diary! He knew!
"Er...well, that's too bad Professor." I replied weakly, trying to sound sincere.
Snape's lip curled and he continued to stare at me.
"Don't toy with me," he snarled. "I know you have it and if you don't give it back I'll be forced to--" he broke off as a loud crash came from the back of the room.
"Sorry, Professor!" Franco cried. He had knocked over his cauldron, which was full of the potion that the class had been assigned on the board. Franco clumsily tried to mop it up with Leila McHedgridge's scarf.
"Hey!" Leila yelled, jumping up and trying to grab the scarf back. "That's my favorite Chudley Cannons scarf! Franco, you twat!"
Franco's attempts to stop the spill were unsuccessful because the potion he was working on was very acidic. Leila screamed as her scarf began to burn through where the liquid had gotten on it. A green smoke was coming from the scarf.
"Eurgh!" Franco yelled and quickly dropped the scarf, but he was too late. The potion got on his hands and began to eat through his skin.
"Polley! You fool!" Professor Snape yelled. "How many times have I told you? Frog's finger potion is extremely dangerous!" Franco moaned; his hands were getting worse.
"Professor," Leila screamed, finally over her scarf. "If he doesn't get help soon it will melt his hands off!" Franco moaned again.
"I'll take him to Madam Pomfrey!" I said, and ran over to Franco.
"I'm sure Polley can find his own way, Miss Cockerham." Snape sneered, remembering me again.
"No, no, I'm sure he needs my help. Look at him!" Franco was practically screaming now. "Come on, Franco," I hurried him past Professor Snape who was scowling horribly. By the time I was back from the hospital wing, Snape was in depth in his lecture and only looked up for a second when I came back in.
Later that afternoon, I threw my bag down on my bed and reached under the mattress for the diary. I took it out and began to read, but before I could even find the page I had left off on I heard footsteps coming toward the dormitory. I quickly slammed the book shut and shoved it back under the bed covers.
"Meta," Leila called. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you. Franco is back from the hospital wing; you've got to come see his hands! Madam Pomfrey had to regrow one of his fingers. It's all green and stubby!" She said excitedly, pantomiming with her own pink finger.
I couldn't very well say, "No, thanks" especially not to a stubby green finger. I frowned as I followed Leila out of the dormitory. I wanted to read the diary! I had to... who knows when Snape would get it back, and then I would never know what happened.
Before I knew it, it was 5 o'clock and I had to go to detention. Franco would not let me leave. He kept thanking me profusely and making me tell everyone what had happened.
"Really, Franco, it was nothing." I mumbled. "But I really have to go now... detention, you know."
"Okay," Franco said with the look with admiration still on his face. "See you!"
"Yeah... See you Franco."
I almost considered running away, stunning myself, or even throwing myself in the school lake with peanut butter rubbed all over myself so that the giant squid would eat me. I stood outside the dungeon door until Snape thrust it open in my face.
"Miss Cockerham, in." He had an eerie calmness about him. It frightened me almost to death, because with Snape, silence was worse than yelling. I walked in, trembling.
"Sit."
I obeyed him like a dog and sat at the table he pointed to.
"You have something that belongs to me," he said through clenched teeth.
"I-I don't," I mumbled.
He put both hands on the desk and leaned down towards me. His nose was almost touching mine.
"I know you do." He said in a deadly tone. I looked down at his hands. His knuckles were white from gripping the table. He noticed me looking at them and backed away. He turned his back towards me for a moment, then spun around with a look of pure fury on his face.
"Give. It. Back. I know you took it!"
"Took- took wh-what, Professor?"
"THE BOOK!" He snarled. "The book! The diary... my..."
"I-I didn't--"
"You miserable, stupid, brat!" I jumped back as he shouted at me and almost fell over in my chair.
"Professor--I, I didn't take anything of yours."
"Liar!" He spat. "Give it back to me now and we'll forget this ever happened. I won't go to Dumbledore."
"I don't know what--" I tried to say, but I knew I was losing.
"I'll go to your father." Snape said. "I'll speak to him about this."
"NO!" I shouted. My cover was blown. "No! Please, no! I can't bear him yelling at me again, I can't!" I closed my mouth and put my hand up to it, surprised at myself for shouting that out. An odd look flashed over Snape's face for a second, but only a second. The anger quickly reappeared.
"Fine!" I was more terrified of my father's disapproval than anything Snape could do to me. "Fine!" I yelled again, still trembling. "I did take it! And I read it too, and I only have one thing to say; you and my father have something in common. You both treat your children like scum!"
"What?" The sneer disappeared off of Snape's face. He looked genuinely shocked.
"That's right! And you treated your wife like scum, too. I read it. She hated you. She was terrified of you! She thought that you were disgusting, just like I do!"
Snape stood there for a moment, looking at me, too shocked to answer. Finally he replied in a quiet, almost sad voice.
"Obviously, you didn't finish reading it. That was my mother's diary. The brute you are speaking of was my father... the only father I knew at least... You really shouldn't jump to such conclusions, Miss Cockerham."
I opened my mouth to speak. I suddenly felt very sheepish, sorry even.
"No." He said softly. "Don't say another word. You are dismissed for tonight. Bring it back with you tomorrow."
"Prof--"
"Get out, Miss Cockerham." He pushed me gently, yet forcefully out the door. I turned around as he was shutting the door just in time to see his face. I'll never forget that pained expression. Never, as long as I live.
My previous nights of detention had not brought me any closer to Professor Snape, in fact, I thought that he hated me even more. If only I had not said anything about my paper. I thought. Then he wouldn't notice me like before... but now he hates me. Oh, how blissful those days of invisibility were. I walked to my normal seat near the back of the dungeons and sat next to a boy named Franco Polley.
"What's wrong with you?" Franco asked. "You look white as a sheet. And you've got great big dark circles around your eyes."
"Thanks bunches, Franco," I muttered and sat down. Just as I was sitting down I heard a quiet voice behind me.
"Miss Cockerham, a word."
I spun around and came face to face with Professor Snape.
"Yes, Professor?" I asked as I followed him to his desk. He lowered his voice to practically a whisper and said,
"I'm missing a personal effect, Miss Cockerham."
At first I didn't realize what he meant. My mind was fuzzy and clouded. Then it hit me: the diary! He knew!
"Er...well, that's too bad Professor." I replied weakly, trying to sound sincere.
Snape's lip curled and he continued to stare at me.
"Don't toy with me," he snarled. "I know you have it and if you don't give it back I'll be forced to--" he broke off as a loud crash came from the back of the room.
"Sorry, Professor!" Franco cried. He had knocked over his cauldron, which was full of the potion that the class had been assigned on the board. Franco clumsily tried to mop it up with Leila McHedgridge's scarf.
"Hey!" Leila yelled, jumping up and trying to grab the scarf back. "That's my favorite Chudley Cannons scarf! Franco, you twat!"
Franco's attempts to stop the spill were unsuccessful because the potion he was working on was very acidic. Leila screamed as her scarf began to burn through where the liquid had gotten on it. A green smoke was coming from the scarf.
"Eurgh!" Franco yelled and quickly dropped the scarf, but he was too late. The potion got on his hands and began to eat through his skin.
"Polley! You fool!" Professor Snape yelled. "How many times have I told you? Frog's finger potion is extremely dangerous!" Franco moaned; his hands were getting worse.
"Professor," Leila screamed, finally over her scarf. "If he doesn't get help soon it will melt his hands off!" Franco moaned again.
"I'll take him to Madam Pomfrey!" I said, and ran over to Franco.
"I'm sure Polley can find his own way, Miss Cockerham." Snape sneered, remembering me again.
"No, no, I'm sure he needs my help. Look at him!" Franco was practically screaming now. "Come on, Franco," I hurried him past Professor Snape who was scowling horribly. By the time I was back from the hospital wing, Snape was in depth in his lecture and only looked up for a second when I came back in.
Later that afternoon, I threw my bag down on my bed and reached under the mattress for the diary. I took it out and began to read, but before I could even find the page I had left off on I heard footsteps coming toward the dormitory. I quickly slammed the book shut and shoved it back under the bed covers.
"Meta," Leila called. "Oh, there you are! I've been looking all over for you. Franco is back from the hospital wing; you've got to come see his hands! Madam Pomfrey had to regrow one of his fingers. It's all green and stubby!" She said excitedly, pantomiming with her own pink finger.
I couldn't very well say, "No, thanks" especially not to a stubby green finger. I frowned as I followed Leila out of the dormitory. I wanted to read the diary! I had to... who knows when Snape would get it back, and then I would never know what happened.
Before I knew it, it was 5 o'clock and I had to go to detention. Franco would not let me leave. He kept thanking me profusely and making me tell everyone what had happened.
"Really, Franco, it was nothing." I mumbled. "But I really have to go now... detention, you know."
"Okay," Franco said with the look with admiration still on his face. "See you!"
"Yeah... See you Franco."
I almost considered running away, stunning myself, or even throwing myself in the school lake with peanut butter rubbed all over myself so that the giant squid would eat me. I stood outside the dungeon door until Snape thrust it open in my face.
"Miss Cockerham, in." He had an eerie calmness about him. It frightened me almost to death, because with Snape, silence was worse than yelling. I walked in, trembling.
"Sit."
I obeyed him like a dog and sat at the table he pointed to.
"You have something that belongs to me," he said through clenched teeth.
"I-I don't," I mumbled.
He put both hands on the desk and leaned down towards me. His nose was almost touching mine.
"I know you do." He said in a deadly tone. I looked down at his hands. His knuckles were white from gripping the table. He noticed me looking at them and backed away. He turned his back towards me for a moment, then spun around with a look of pure fury on his face.
"Give. It. Back. I know you took it!"
"Took- took wh-what, Professor?"
"THE BOOK!" He snarled. "The book! The diary... my..."
"I-I didn't--"
"You miserable, stupid, brat!" I jumped back as he shouted at me and almost fell over in my chair.
"Professor--I, I didn't take anything of yours."
"Liar!" He spat. "Give it back to me now and we'll forget this ever happened. I won't go to Dumbledore."
"I don't know what--" I tried to say, but I knew I was losing.
"I'll go to your father." Snape said. "I'll speak to him about this."
"NO!" I shouted. My cover was blown. "No! Please, no! I can't bear him yelling at me again, I can't!" I closed my mouth and put my hand up to it, surprised at myself for shouting that out. An odd look flashed over Snape's face for a second, but only a second. The anger quickly reappeared.
"Fine!" I was more terrified of my father's disapproval than anything Snape could do to me. "Fine!" I yelled again, still trembling. "I did take it! And I read it too, and I only have one thing to say; you and my father have something in common. You both treat your children like scum!"
"What?" The sneer disappeared off of Snape's face. He looked genuinely shocked.
"That's right! And you treated your wife like scum, too. I read it. She hated you. She was terrified of you! She thought that you were disgusting, just like I do!"
Snape stood there for a moment, looking at me, too shocked to answer. Finally he replied in a quiet, almost sad voice.
"Obviously, you didn't finish reading it. That was my mother's diary. The brute you are speaking of was my father... the only father I knew at least... You really shouldn't jump to such conclusions, Miss Cockerham."
I opened my mouth to speak. I suddenly felt very sheepish, sorry even.
"No." He said softly. "Don't say another word. You are dismissed for tonight. Bring it back with you tomorrow."
"Prof--"
"Get out, Miss Cockerham." He pushed me gently, yet forcefully out the door. I turned around as he was shutting the door just in time to see his face. I'll never forget that pained expression. Never, as long as I live.
