Chapter 3: Old Friends
Amy's mood took a turn for the better once they were inside the castle. Of course, the magnificent old building could sometimes have that effect on anyone.
She sighed and let the wondrous charm and bubbling laughter of the students wash over her. She smiled in thanks as she felt Harry's hand on her elbow when he helped her to a seat at Gryffindor table. The Sorting commenced.
"So," Hermione said, sitting on her right, "how many OWLs did you get?" Amy looked at Harry, who had taken a seat on the opposite side of the table with Ron.
"Is she always like this?" Both boys nodded vehemently. Hermione frowned.
"Hey! I was just making conversation."
Amy laughed and let her gaze wander to the teacher's table. Her smile widened considerably when some waved at her. Actually, Harry noticed, they all waved at her. She waved excitedly back at them. Then Harry saw something he never thought he'd see in all his years at Hogwarts.
Snape winked. At Amy.
Then, not-so-surprisingly, he turned and glared at Harry. Amy rolled her eyes at this gesture of uncontrollable dislike.
Not wanting to sound rude, Harry phrased his question carefully.
"So you get on with the teachers, eh?"
"Yeah. Whenever I came to visit, they'd let me hang around and bug them. They're great. Especially Severus."
The piece of gum Ron had been chewing promptly got lodged in his throat and he choked. Harry clapped his friend hard on the back. Amy ignored this as her grandfather stood to make his welcoming speech when The Sorting concluded.
"Once again, the school year begins. Young, fresh faces fill the halls," at this, he gestured to a pack of first years in Ravenclaw, "as do familiar, and considerably older ones." He made a vague motion toward Snape, and looked particularly amused when he received a threatening glare. "Rules are the same. The Forbidden Forest remains just that; Forbidden. For a complete list of those objects banned, see Mr. Filch. I do not believe there is any other pressing business. Tuck in."
Food magically appeared on the empty trays in front of them. As Amy was spooning some mashed potatoes on to her plate, her continued the conversation.
"You know, you're really not as bad as he said you were."
"What's that?" Harry asked absently, swallowing some pumpkin juice.
"Severus. He made you all out to be the most horrid bunch of teenagers this side of the Atlantic." Hermione gaped at her.
"That's hardly fair. Surely you didn't believe him?" Amy shook her head.
"No. Not at all. But I think it made him feel better to have someone to gripe to."
"So you're friends . . . with Snape," Ron muttered, not quite comprehending that Snape was capable of having friends. Amy nodded.
"Yeah. When I visited Grandpa, he'd baby-sit me so I wasn't in anyone's way."
"What did he make you do? Clean cauldrons with toothbrushes?"
"Hardly. He'd let me play around with potions. It was like making mud pies, only with fly's wings instead of mud."
"How. . .pleasant," Hermione manages, still frowning.
"Once, I turned his hair pink when I slipped one of my concoctions into his pumpkin juice. He had quite a time turning it black again."
The Trio was forced to laugh uncontrollably at the visual that accompanied her admission.
"He was a good sport about it. After all, I was only eight."
The topic changed and they quickly consumed their evening meals. They left the Great Hall following Hermione, the Head Girl, to Gryffindor tower. They didn't get very far, however.
They were barely halfway up the stairs when Snape caught up with them.
"Miss Haskell, a moment of your time, please?" he said politely.
"Sure," she said, grinning at his use of the formality. "I'll catch up with you guys later, 'kay?"
Hermione was forced to keep going, she had to take the first years to the common room, but Harry and Ron ignored Amy's hint that they should continue and hung back to observe.
Amy quickly descended the steps and the Potions Master caught her in his arms, brushing a fraternal kiss in her nose. Harry and Ron gaped, but Amy and Snape didn't notice them.
"Hey, Severus," she greeted. He smiled down at her.
"How are you, my dear?" he asked quietly.
"I've been better," she said truthfully.
"As have I, child. Your mother was a dear friend to me, as you well know." She nodded.
"Was there something in particular you wanted to tell me, or was this purely a greeting?"
"Just that, should you need anything. . .a dreamless sleep potion, or just to talk, you know where my chambers are."
"Sure thing." He pulled her in for another comforting hug and then she moved to the staircase.
"And Amy?" She turned back.
"Yeah?"
"You just had to befriend Potter and company, didn't you?"
* * *
"So you weren't too upset with how today went?" Hermione asked, running a brush through her bushy brown hair.
Amy considered bringing up the murder of her mother, but decided against it, on the grounds that it could put a damper on the mood. Instead, she just shook her head as she crawled under the covers of her bed.
"Amy, did you have a boyfriend in Canada?" asked Lavender, giggling slightly.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Boys have cooties," she answered sarcastically. Lavender and Parvati pretended not to hear her. Hermione snorted with laughter.
"See any eye candy that you might stake a claim on?" Parvati asked.
"I dunno. What's the scoop on the guys here?" She really didn't feel like chit chatting about boys right now, but didn't want to be rude.
"Ron and I used to date -" started Lavender.
"- for like a month -" interrupted Hermione.
"- but I broke up with him."
"Why?" Not that she cared.
"He was inattentive to my needs." Hermione snorted again, but Lavender seemed to have spontaneously developed selective hearing.
"Harry used to have a crush on this girl named Cho, but she graduated," said Parvati.
"She was flaky," said Hermione.
"He's never had a serious girlfriend, but I'm sure we'd all like to get our hands on a piece of that. Except for Hermione. She has Viktor."
"Who?"
"Viktor Krum."
"Bulgaria's seeker?" Hermione grunted an affirmation. "Nice job."
"Thank you."
"Who was that creepy blond dude?"
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione answered, immediately knowing who she was referring to.
"Malfoy? He's that sleazy guy in league with Voldemort, right?" Her grandfather had spoken of him, as had Severus.
Two pillows promptly pelted her.
"Don't say the name," hissed Lavender.
"Oh, grow up," Hermione responded coolly. "Yes, Draco is his son. And also Head Boy. He's a player, but sleaze. Pure sleaze. Don't even bother."
Amy glanced at her watch, then swore.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Hermione, concerned.
"I keep forgetting that electronics don't work here. Do you know what time it is?"
Amy's mood took a turn for the better once they were inside the castle. Of course, the magnificent old building could sometimes have that effect on anyone.
She sighed and let the wondrous charm and bubbling laughter of the students wash over her. She smiled in thanks as she felt Harry's hand on her elbow when he helped her to a seat at Gryffindor table. The Sorting commenced.
"So," Hermione said, sitting on her right, "how many OWLs did you get?" Amy looked at Harry, who had taken a seat on the opposite side of the table with Ron.
"Is she always like this?" Both boys nodded vehemently. Hermione frowned.
"Hey! I was just making conversation."
Amy laughed and let her gaze wander to the teacher's table. Her smile widened considerably when some waved at her. Actually, Harry noticed, they all waved at her. She waved excitedly back at them. Then Harry saw something he never thought he'd see in all his years at Hogwarts.
Snape winked. At Amy.
Then, not-so-surprisingly, he turned and glared at Harry. Amy rolled her eyes at this gesture of uncontrollable dislike.
Not wanting to sound rude, Harry phrased his question carefully.
"So you get on with the teachers, eh?"
"Yeah. Whenever I came to visit, they'd let me hang around and bug them. They're great. Especially Severus."
The piece of gum Ron had been chewing promptly got lodged in his throat and he choked. Harry clapped his friend hard on the back. Amy ignored this as her grandfather stood to make his welcoming speech when The Sorting concluded.
"Once again, the school year begins. Young, fresh faces fill the halls," at this, he gestured to a pack of first years in Ravenclaw, "as do familiar, and considerably older ones." He made a vague motion toward Snape, and looked particularly amused when he received a threatening glare. "Rules are the same. The Forbidden Forest remains just that; Forbidden. For a complete list of those objects banned, see Mr. Filch. I do not believe there is any other pressing business. Tuck in."
Food magically appeared on the empty trays in front of them. As Amy was spooning some mashed potatoes on to her plate, her continued the conversation.
"You know, you're really not as bad as he said you were."
"What's that?" Harry asked absently, swallowing some pumpkin juice.
"Severus. He made you all out to be the most horrid bunch of teenagers this side of the Atlantic." Hermione gaped at her.
"That's hardly fair. Surely you didn't believe him?" Amy shook her head.
"No. Not at all. But I think it made him feel better to have someone to gripe to."
"So you're friends . . . with Snape," Ron muttered, not quite comprehending that Snape was capable of having friends. Amy nodded.
"Yeah. When I visited Grandpa, he'd baby-sit me so I wasn't in anyone's way."
"What did he make you do? Clean cauldrons with toothbrushes?"
"Hardly. He'd let me play around with potions. It was like making mud pies, only with fly's wings instead of mud."
"How. . .pleasant," Hermione manages, still frowning.
"Once, I turned his hair pink when I slipped one of my concoctions into his pumpkin juice. He had quite a time turning it black again."
The Trio was forced to laugh uncontrollably at the visual that accompanied her admission.
"He was a good sport about it. After all, I was only eight."
The topic changed and they quickly consumed their evening meals. They left the Great Hall following Hermione, the Head Girl, to Gryffindor tower. They didn't get very far, however.
They were barely halfway up the stairs when Snape caught up with them.
"Miss Haskell, a moment of your time, please?" he said politely.
"Sure," she said, grinning at his use of the formality. "I'll catch up with you guys later, 'kay?"
Hermione was forced to keep going, she had to take the first years to the common room, but Harry and Ron ignored Amy's hint that they should continue and hung back to observe.
Amy quickly descended the steps and the Potions Master caught her in his arms, brushing a fraternal kiss in her nose. Harry and Ron gaped, but Amy and Snape didn't notice them.
"Hey, Severus," she greeted. He smiled down at her.
"How are you, my dear?" he asked quietly.
"I've been better," she said truthfully.
"As have I, child. Your mother was a dear friend to me, as you well know." She nodded.
"Was there something in particular you wanted to tell me, or was this purely a greeting?"
"Just that, should you need anything. . .a dreamless sleep potion, or just to talk, you know where my chambers are."
"Sure thing." He pulled her in for another comforting hug and then she moved to the staircase.
"And Amy?" She turned back.
"Yeah?"
"You just had to befriend Potter and company, didn't you?"
* * *
"So you weren't too upset with how today went?" Hermione asked, running a brush through her bushy brown hair.
Amy considered bringing up the murder of her mother, but decided against it, on the grounds that it could put a damper on the mood. Instead, she just shook her head as she crawled under the covers of her bed.
"Amy, did you have a boyfriend in Canada?" asked Lavender, giggling slightly.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Boys have cooties," she answered sarcastically. Lavender and Parvati pretended not to hear her. Hermione snorted with laughter.
"See any eye candy that you might stake a claim on?" Parvati asked.
"I dunno. What's the scoop on the guys here?" She really didn't feel like chit chatting about boys right now, but didn't want to be rude.
"Ron and I used to date -" started Lavender.
"- for like a month -" interrupted Hermione.
"- but I broke up with him."
"Why?" Not that she cared.
"He was inattentive to my needs." Hermione snorted again, but Lavender seemed to have spontaneously developed selective hearing.
"Harry used to have a crush on this girl named Cho, but she graduated," said Parvati.
"She was flaky," said Hermione.
"He's never had a serious girlfriend, but I'm sure we'd all like to get our hands on a piece of that. Except for Hermione. She has Viktor."
"Who?"
"Viktor Krum."
"Bulgaria's seeker?" Hermione grunted an affirmation. "Nice job."
"Thank you."
"Who was that creepy blond dude?"
"Draco Malfoy," Hermione answered, immediately knowing who she was referring to.
"Malfoy? He's that sleazy guy in league with Voldemort, right?" Her grandfather had spoken of him, as had Severus.
Two pillows promptly pelted her.
"Don't say the name," hissed Lavender.
"Oh, grow up," Hermione responded coolly. "Yes, Draco is his son. And also Head Boy. He's a player, but sleaze. Pure sleaze. Don't even bother."
Amy glanced at her watch, then swore.
"What? What's wrong?" asked Hermione, concerned.
"I keep forgetting that electronics don't work here. Do you know what time it is?"