Chapter 4
After the cream puffs were gone, I decided it was best to try to make conversation.
Imagine, me trying to chit-chat with Snape! I thought. He isn't exactly the "how's the weather type", but he has shown me an exceptional amount of kindness, so don't hold grudges, I told myself.
"So..." I said, clearing my throat. "How do you know my Aunt, Professor?"
Snape was leaning against the wall again, champagne still in his hand, and looking quite calm and collected.
"We went to school togehter. We were both in Slytherin. She was in her seventh year when I was in my first, and she was a bit of a mentor to me for a while."
"Oh," I was slightly taken aback by Professor Snape's openness and civility. I half expected him to say, "It's none of your business, you nosy twit," but he didn't. In fact, he was having a pleasant conversation with me. "Aunt Agnes never told me that," I said. She never tells you anything, idiot. "I would have thought that she was much older than you," I rambled. "She looks quite a bit older. I suppose she's just prematurely aged from all the--" I stopped. I was going to say, immorality, deception, lying, nagging, and just plain evilness, but I shut up. Snape probably liked her and even looked at her like a big sister.
"All the what?" He asked, a small twitch went across his lips. I almost thought that it was the beginning of a smile.
"Oh... the... well," I stuttered. "I don't want to offend you. It's no secret that I don't like her, but you do, so--"
"I felt," he interrupted. "obligated to come here. I received an invitation, so I came. I had every intention of leaving within a matter of moments before you came in. And I don't mind if you are honest about what you think of your Aunt." He took a sip of his champagne.
I was dumbfounded. Usually Snape didn't want me to be honest with him. Normally he would prefer a student to keep their mouth shut and stay out of his hair.
"So...what you're saying is..."
"I knew your aunt a long time ago. Alot of things can change in over twenty years."
I took that to mean, "No, I can't stand the woman." I unconciously let out a sigh of relief.
"Go on," Snape said.
"Well, my aunt is very, manipulative. Yes, that's the word. She sort of bamboozled me out of my Father's money. She disliked him as much as I did, but she kissed up to him for years so that he would leave her everything. I haven't got a single galleon. Nothing. She isn't even really obligated to keep me, she just does because I'm her little charity act or something. I'll be eighteen soon though, and after I graduate from Hogwarts she doesn't want me around. She wants me to find my own income and place to live. I'm just worried that I won't succeed... and I haven't got any one else to go to." I hadn't meant to say that much, but it felt good to get all of those worries off my chest.
"That does sound like Agnes," Snape said grimly with a frown on his face. "You could always speak to Headmaster Dumbledore, I'm sure he could find some housing and put in a good word for you."
"Yes," I said quietly. I was rather disappointed that he had not said, "Oh, you poor, poor, thing. You must come and live with me," but that would be unheard of.
"Or," Snape said, breaking my crazy thoughts of domestic life with him (I was imagining that Snape and I were folding laundry together). "I can help you find a job... I know some people at the Ministry of Magic."
Snape was offering to find me a job!
"The Ministry of Magic? What would I do there?"
"What do you want to do? You could do anything, you're very bright..." He looked uncomfortable again, almost as uncomfortable as he had been at Madam Malkin's.
"Thank you, Professor. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."
"It's nothing..." he mumbled.
Just then, Aunt Agnes came out into the hall with a slightly deranged look on her face.
"Oh, crap," I whispered.
"Meta! Why aren't you inside? I can't believe it, I take my eye off of you for two minutes and you run off! I swear, I'll have to put you on a leash!"
Professor Snape made a small sound from his throat to let himself be noticed.
"Oh, Severus," Agnes said, turning to him and putting her "charm" on again.
"I didn't see you there--"
"Obviously."
"I hope my neice hasn't been bothering you."
"Not at all," Snape said. "We've been discussing Miss Cockerham's career plans."
"Her? Career plans?" Agnes scoffed. "Well, that is a new one."
"Actually," Snape said forcefully. Aunt Agnes looked slightly taken aback. "Headmaster Dumbledore believes that your neice is very talented, and that she would do well in almost any job area. I believe that as well," he added. I blushed furiously.
"Well, that's news to me," Aunt Agnes snapped.
"Shouldn't you be getting back to your guests, Aunt Agnes?" I said sweetly, finally daring to speak.
She glared at me, but realised that I was right and turned on a heel back to the ballroom.
"I should be going as well," Professor Snape said abruptly.
"Oh, wait!" I jumped off the bench and walked over to him. I dared to look up into his face. He looked apprehensive and maybe even a little afraid, as if he thought I was going to attack him. "Thank you again, for getting me out of trouble."
Snape simply nodded and then said,
"I'll be seeing you soon, I expect."
"Yes," I replied, and he disapparated with a 'pop'.
After the cream puffs were gone, I decided it was best to try to make conversation.
Imagine, me trying to chit-chat with Snape! I thought. He isn't exactly the "how's the weather type", but he has shown me an exceptional amount of kindness, so don't hold grudges, I told myself.
"So..." I said, clearing my throat. "How do you know my Aunt, Professor?"
Snape was leaning against the wall again, champagne still in his hand, and looking quite calm and collected.
"We went to school togehter. We were both in Slytherin. She was in her seventh year when I was in my first, and she was a bit of a mentor to me for a while."
"Oh," I was slightly taken aback by Professor Snape's openness and civility. I half expected him to say, "It's none of your business, you nosy twit," but he didn't. In fact, he was having a pleasant conversation with me. "Aunt Agnes never told me that," I said. She never tells you anything, idiot. "I would have thought that she was much older than you," I rambled. "She looks quite a bit older. I suppose she's just prematurely aged from all the--" I stopped. I was going to say, immorality, deception, lying, nagging, and just plain evilness, but I shut up. Snape probably liked her and even looked at her like a big sister.
"All the what?" He asked, a small twitch went across his lips. I almost thought that it was the beginning of a smile.
"Oh... the... well," I stuttered. "I don't want to offend you. It's no secret that I don't like her, but you do, so--"
"I felt," he interrupted. "obligated to come here. I received an invitation, so I came. I had every intention of leaving within a matter of moments before you came in. And I don't mind if you are honest about what you think of your Aunt." He took a sip of his champagne.
I was dumbfounded. Usually Snape didn't want me to be honest with him. Normally he would prefer a student to keep their mouth shut and stay out of his hair.
"So...what you're saying is..."
"I knew your aunt a long time ago. Alot of things can change in over twenty years."
I took that to mean, "No, I can't stand the woman." I unconciously let out a sigh of relief.
"Go on," Snape said.
"Well, my aunt is very, manipulative. Yes, that's the word. She sort of bamboozled me out of my Father's money. She disliked him as much as I did, but she kissed up to him for years so that he would leave her everything. I haven't got a single galleon. Nothing. She isn't even really obligated to keep me, she just does because I'm her little charity act or something. I'll be eighteen soon though, and after I graduate from Hogwarts she doesn't want me around. She wants me to find my own income and place to live. I'm just worried that I won't succeed... and I haven't got any one else to go to." I hadn't meant to say that much, but it felt good to get all of those worries off my chest.
"That does sound like Agnes," Snape said grimly with a frown on his face. "You could always speak to Headmaster Dumbledore, I'm sure he could find some housing and put in a good word for you."
"Yes," I said quietly. I was rather disappointed that he had not said, "Oh, you poor, poor, thing. You must come and live with me," but that would be unheard of.
"Or," Snape said, breaking my crazy thoughts of domestic life with him (I was imagining that Snape and I were folding laundry together). "I can help you find a job... I know some people at the Ministry of Magic."
Snape was offering to find me a job!
"The Ministry of Magic? What would I do there?"
"What do you want to do? You could do anything, you're very bright..." He looked uncomfortable again, almost as uncomfortable as he had been at Madam Malkin's.
"Thank you, Professor. That's the nicest thing anyone's ever done for me."
"It's nothing..." he mumbled.
Just then, Aunt Agnes came out into the hall with a slightly deranged look on her face.
"Oh, crap," I whispered.
"Meta! Why aren't you inside? I can't believe it, I take my eye off of you for two minutes and you run off! I swear, I'll have to put you on a leash!"
Professor Snape made a small sound from his throat to let himself be noticed.
"Oh, Severus," Agnes said, turning to him and putting her "charm" on again.
"I didn't see you there--"
"Obviously."
"I hope my neice hasn't been bothering you."
"Not at all," Snape said. "We've been discussing Miss Cockerham's career plans."
"Her? Career plans?" Agnes scoffed. "Well, that is a new one."
"Actually," Snape said forcefully. Aunt Agnes looked slightly taken aback. "Headmaster Dumbledore believes that your neice is very talented, and that she would do well in almost any job area. I believe that as well," he added. I blushed furiously.
"Well, that's news to me," Aunt Agnes snapped.
"Shouldn't you be getting back to your guests, Aunt Agnes?" I said sweetly, finally daring to speak.
She glared at me, but realised that I was right and turned on a heel back to the ballroom.
"I should be going as well," Professor Snape said abruptly.
"Oh, wait!" I jumped off the bench and walked over to him. I dared to look up into his face. He looked apprehensive and maybe even a little afraid, as if he thought I was going to attack him. "Thank you again, for getting me out of trouble."
Snape simply nodded and then said,
"I'll be seeing you soon, I expect."
"Yes," I replied, and he disapparated with a 'pop'.