Dreamless Sleep
Chapter Three
Disclaimer: If I owned Harry Potter, why would I be writing fan fiction?!?!! USE COMMON SENSE!!!
"There's no way I'm touching that."Ginny Weasely looked at the cauldron. Its sides were coated with a thick, slimy goop.
"You agreed to work, Weasely. This is work."Snape said, sitting at his desk and glaring over at her.
"Then why aren't you helping, oh dearest professor?"she said, trying to control the overwhelming urge to march over and strangle him.
"I am."
"What exactly are you helping with? It looks like you're just sitting there to me."
"I'm supervising, obviously."
"You're-You're."
"I'm what, Miss Weasely?"
"You're infuriating!!"
For all of her effort, all he did was smirk at her and say smugly, "Thanks." ~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
20 minutes later.
"I'm still not touching that."
"Just clean it out, Weasely. It can't possibly be that hard."
"Why can't I use magic, again?"
"Because I have your wand, and I said that you couldn't."
"Then give me my wand back. This isn't a detention."
Snape stood up, slammed his palms down on the desk and said, "No. You agreed to work, and that's what you are going to do. It's your own fault for agreeing to it."
She shrank back with frightened eyes.
"Yes, sir." She hurried to clean up the cauldron, having a hard time because her hands were shaking so much.
He honestly hadn't meant to scare her, he had just gotten a little annoyed. The fact that Longbottom had been in his last class that day didn't help improve his mood. He sighed, stood up, and walked toward her.
Ginny stopped her hurried cleaning, and shaking, when she felt warm hands cover her shoulders.
"I'm sorry, Weasely. I shouldn't have yelled at you." He wasn't accustomed to apologizing, and avoided doing so as much as humanly possible.
"Virginia."
"What?"
"That's my name. Don't call me 'Weasely'."
"Fine. I'll call you by your name."
"Thank you."
~_~_~_~_~_~_~
After about two weeks of having her work for him, Snape realized that she was far too advanced in potions for her Sixth year class. She had begun checking Seventh year assignments when she had gotten bored. He decided to humor her, and went back later to see how awfully she had messed up. She hadn't made a single mistake. After much deliberation, Snape decided that she should be in Seventh year potions; there was no avoiding it. She would be the first student in 75 years to advance a grade in any class.
*That Night*
"Virginia, would you consider taking Seventh year potions classes a year early?"
"Seriously?"
"You've proven yourself capable of it."
"I'd love to!!"
"I'll inform Dumbledore of your decision and get your new schedule.
"Alright!" She was smiling and looking like she would jump up and start dancing on a nearby desk. Then her ridiculous grin faded, and she looked as if she would cry.
"Does that mean I'd be in Harry's class?" her question was hesitant, and she really didn't want to know that answer.
"Yes, you would be with the 'Dream Team'."
"Oh, maybe that's not such a good idea after all, then."
"Hmm?"
"Ron wouldn't exactly appreciate it, and Harry-"
"Don't let them hold you back. I would be offended if you don't accept my offer."
"I can't help it. I've always done what my brothers told me to, and."
"Harry's not your brother." He pointed out.
"I know, but he thinks he is, and I don't want to correct him. There's no reasoning with any one of them when they get their minds set on something."
"What does that matter? It shouldn't affect you."
"The only reason that I let them boss me around so much is because what happened when I was younger, that's when I learned that my parents favored them."
"What do you mean by that?"
"I really wanted a doll for my sixth birthday, but my older brother Bill wanted a broom around the same time. He had already had his birthday, but he couldn't get that broom, because my parents couldn't afford it then. My mother had promised that she would get me that doll I saw in Diagon Alley, it was the only thing I had ever asked for. Charlie told my parents about the broom on the day before my birthday. They went out, bought it, wrapped it, and gave it to him. They didn't even tell me 'Happy Birthday'. The same sort of thing was always happening. One time I even asked my mother about it." Ginny was silently crying by now, tears running unnoticed down her cheeks.
"What did she say?" Snape was genuinely interested now. He had always thought the Weasely's were the 'perfect family'.
"She told me that they were older, and 'had more needs' that I did. She told that to me every time I didn't get enough to eat because my brothers didn't leave me anything."
"What?"
She was trying to choke down sobs, and couldn't answer. Snape stood and walked towards where she was seated. He pulled her into his arms and let her cry.
~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~_~
"Darn! I forgot my Potion's book in the classroom!" Colin Creevey turned and ran from the common room entrance, his ever-present camera hanging from his neck.
He raced down into the dungeons, hoping that Snape wouldn't be in the classroom, so that he couldn't deduct points.
When he carefully pushed the door open so the hinges wouldn't squeak, he saw something rather peculiar.
Severus Snape, the Potion's Master, was hugging Ginny Weasely. Thinking that it would be his best picture yet, he quickly took a picture.
'Thank goodness they didn't notice the flash.' He thought, heading out the door, and completely forgetting his Potion's book.
