Chapter Five: Sharing
Jean swallowed and walked up to his desk, her hands grasping her books in a death grip. Hearing the sentence "We need to talk" from Snape couldn't be good. "About what?"
"Sebastian is quite helpless, Miss Weiss." Snape was looking at her with his cold eyes, and Jean felt suddenly very exposed.
"H-helpless? Sorry, but... Meaning?"
Snape sighed deeply, and leaned forward until his elbows rested on the table. "My sister, Sebastian's mother, was a squib. My family gave her away to muggles because they couldn't take the shame. This year, I got the news that she'd died of lung cancer. The ministry wanted me to take care of the boy, so I brought him here. But he doesn't know how to handle this situation. And I want you to help him."
Jean knew she was staring, but, damn, Snape in total share mode wasn't something you saw every day. The fact alone that he admitted having a squib sister made Jean's jaw drop and her eyes go wide. Then she realized that he was looking at her, expecting her to say something. "Oh! Um, but... I don't know how I could help him. I mean, he... he's got the whole "My uncle's a teacher" thing going for him, you know?" She laughed nervously. "And I'm just... well, me."
"You are muggle-born, like him." He was still looking at her, like he expected her to just get the idea, say yes and go.
"But... his situation's totally different! He, I mean, you're his uncle, family, and I'm just some girl he annoys the living Hell out of. Which he's doing on purpose. And which all the teachers are deliberately ignoring." Jean sighed, making a "See what I'm saying?" gesture.
Snape studied her for a second, a small smile curling his lips upwards. "I talked to the staff, explaining his situation to them. I guess that's why they didn't interfere."
"So just because he's had such a tragic childhood they allow him to drive me nuts?" Jean bit her lip, knowing that hadn't been the wisest thing to say.
He nodded slowly. "I have to ask this favour of you. He needs your support, and your friendship." He turned to his books, so obviously the conversation was over.
Jean left the dungeon, dazed, the whole situation still not fully registering with her. When she finally showed up in Divination, Professor Trelawney gave her a week's worth of detention, making her clean the classroom every day. Jean just nodded when the professor gave her the sheet and went to her seat, ignoring the looks she got.
Alicia poked her shoulder. "What happened?"
"Tell you later." Jean stared into her tea cup, still wondering if she had fallen asleep in some lesson and the whole thing had been a dream.
But the look Sebastian shot her over the brim of his tea cup made clear that it had happened. And suddenly a small note lay in her palm, her name written on it in small green letters. She stared at it as if it would bite her, and slowly unfolded it.
She sighed deeply as she felt her ears redden, and nodded slowly. Sebastian also nodded, then turned his back on her.
The closer the end of the lesson drew, the more nervous Jean became. What did Sebastian want to talk about? Aside from the inevitable "What did he want?" what he'd without a doubt witnessed. She sighed, stuffing her books into her bag and shooting Sebastian a weary look. He looked back at her, and as Jean climbed down the ladder, her heart started to beat faster and her blood was gushing in her ears.
He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, his bag flung over his shoulder carelessly, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. He wasn't looking at her, merely went into a small alcove, and Jean followed.
"Sebastian."
He turned around, his eyes unfathomable. "You talked to him."
"Yes."
"And he told you everything."
She nodded, twisting her robe in her hands.
Sebastian sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I don't need your help, Jean. I've come this far without you."
Jean felt a little sting. He didn't want her help. But that was what she had wanted, wasn't it? That he left her alone.
"But." He smiled a bit at her. "I would like to be your friend."
Jean found herself smiling back, relieved. "I would like that, too."
"Well, well, well. The two Mudbloods have found to each other."
Jean turned around, looking into the sneering face of Draco Malfoy. She scoffed. "Sod off, Malfoy."
"What, are you ashamed to admit it, Jeannie?" He came closer, too close for Jean's taste, and his eyes were glowing dangerously as he placed his hand on the wall next to her head. "Feeling... caught?"
A hand grabbed Draco's shoulder, pulling him away from Jean, and she sighed in relief. Sebastian was giving Draco a death glare, and the shorter boy took a step back. Sebastian looked at Draco in utter disgust. "You keep your filthy hands off Jean."
"Oh, already protecting your territory, aren't you?" Draco chuckled, brushing off his robes where Sebastian had touched him. "Cute. Really cute." Then he shot them a withering glance. "You two make a great couple. My best wishes, Mudbloods." And he swept off.
Jean stared at his back for a second, then turned to Sebastian, deeply embarrassed by the whole situation, and by Draco's words in particular. It was no real secret that Draco wanted to lay her, none at all, but he had never before made such a move. Sebastian had flushed slightly and didn't look at her. "I..." She swallowed. "Thank you. I hope Malfoy keeps off my tail from now."
He smiled a bit, and nodded. "He'd better not mess with my girlfriend."
Jean stared at him, blushing a bright crimson. "You... idiot!" Her palm connected with his cheek with a smack, and she glared at him.
Sebastian simply chuckled and rubbed his cheek. "If that's what you think."
"For your information, yes, I do." She sighed deeply, rubbing her temple. "Come on. We'll be late for lunch. They'll be wondering where we are."
He smiled and offered her his arm. "Peace, Miss Weiss?"
She nodded, linking arms with him. "Peace, Mister Snape."
Jean swallowed and walked up to his desk, her hands grasping her books in a death grip. Hearing the sentence "We need to talk" from Snape couldn't be good. "About what?"
"Sebastian is quite helpless, Miss Weiss." Snape was looking at her with his cold eyes, and Jean felt suddenly very exposed.
"H-helpless? Sorry, but... Meaning?"
Snape sighed deeply, and leaned forward until his elbows rested on the table. "My sister, Sebastian's mother, was a squib. My family gave her away to muggles because they couldn't take the shame. This year, I got the news that she'd died of lung cancer. The ministry wanted me to take care of the boy, so I brought him here. But he doesn't know how to handle this situation. And I want you to help him."
Jean knew she was staring, but, damn, Snape in total share mode wasn't something you saw every day. The fact alone that he admitted having a squib sister made Jean's jaw drop and her eyes go wide. Then she realized that he was looking at her, expecting her to say something. "Oh! Um, but... I don't know how I could help him. I mean, he... he's got the whole "My uncle's a teacher" thing going for him, you know?" She laughed nervously. "And I'm just... well, me."
"You are muggle-born, like him." He was still looking at her, like he expected her to just get the idea, say yes and go.
"But... his situation's totally different! He, I mean, you're his uncle, family, and I'm just some girl he annoys the living Hell out of. Which he's doing on purpose. And which all the teachers are deliberately ignoring." Jean sighed, making a "See what I'm saying?" gesture.
Snape studied her for a second, a small smile curling his lips upwards. "I talked to the staff, explaining his situation to them. I guess that's why they didn't interfere."
"So just because he's had such a tragic childhood they allow him to drive me nuts?" Jean bit her lip, knowing that hadn't been the wisest thing to say.
He nodded slowly. "I have to ask this favour of you. He needs your support, and your friendship." He turned to his books, so obviously the conversation was over.
Jean left the dungeon, dazed, the whole situation still not fully registering with her. When she finally showed up in Divination, Professor Trelawney gave her a week's worth of detention, making her clean the classroom every day. Jean just nodded when the professor gave her the sheet and went to her seat, ignoring the looks she got.
Alicia poked her shoulder. "What happened?"
"Tell you later." Jean stared into her tea cup, still wondering if she had fallen asleep in some lesson and the whole thing had been a dream.
But the look Sebastian shot her over the brim of his tea cup made clear that it had happened. And suddenly a small note lay in her palm, her name written on it in small green letters. She stared at it as if it would bite her, and slowly unfolded it.
She sighed deeply as she felt her ears redden, and nodded slowly. Sebastian also nodded, then turned his back on her.
The closer the end of the lesson drew, the more nervous Jean became. What did Sebastian want to talk about? Aside from the inevitable "What did he want?" what he'd without a doubt witnessed. She sighed, stuffing her books into her bag and shooting Sebastian a weary look. He looked back at her, and as Jean climbed down the ladder, her heart started to beat faster and her blood was gushing in her ears.
He was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, his bag flung over his shoulder carelessly, hands stuffed deep into his pockets. He wasn't looking at her, merely went into a small alcove, and Jean followed.
"Sebastian."
He turned around, his eyes unfathomable. "You talked to him."
"Yes."
"And he told you everything."
She nodded, twisting her robe in her hands.
Sebastian sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I don't need your help, Jean. I've come this far without you."
Jean felt a little sting. He didn't want her help. But that was what she had wanted, wasn't it? That he left her alone.
"But." He smiled a bit at her. "I would like to be your friend."
Jean found herself smiling back, relieved. "I would like that, too."
"Well, well, well. The two Mudbloods have found to each other."
Jean turned around, looking into the sneering face of Draco Malfoy. She scoffed. "Sod off, Malfoy."
"What, are you ashamed to admit it, Jeannie?" He came closer, too close for Jean's taste, and his eyes were glowing dangerously as he placed his hand on the wall next to her head. "Feeling... caught?"
A hand grabbed Draco's shoulder, pulling him away from Jean, and she sighed in relief. Sebastian was giving Draco a death glare, and the shorter boy took a step back. Sebastian looked at Draco in utter disgust. "You keep your filthy hands off Jean."
"Oh, already protecting your territory, aren't you?" Draco chuckled, brushing off his robes where Sebastian had touched him. "Cute. Really cute." Then he shot them a withering glance. "You two make a great couple. My best wishes, Mudbloods." And he swept off.
Jean stared at his back for a second, then turned to Sebastian, deeply embarrassed by the whole situation, and by Draco's words in particular. It was no real secret that Draco wanted to lay her, none at all, but he had never before made such a move. Sebastian had flushed slightly and didn't look at her. "I..." She swallowed. "Thank you. I hope Malfoy keeps off my tail from now."
He smiled a bit, and nodded. "He'd better not mess with my girlfriend."
Jean stared at him, blushing a bright crimson. "You... idiot!" Her palm connected with his cheek with a smack, and she glared at him.
Sebastian simply chuckled and rubbed his cheek. "If that's what you think."
"For your information, yes, I do." She sighed deeply, rubbing her temple. "Come on. We'll be late for lunch. They'll be wondering where we are."
He smiled and offered her his arm. "Peace, Miss Weiss?"
She nodded, linking arms with him. "Peace, Mister Snape."