Disclaimer – Everything apart from Marina Matthews belongs to J.K. Rowling. Marina's mine and I'm just having fun with everything else so do not sue.

A/N – Marina's POV again. Thanks for all the reviews.

Being Evil

Marina whistled as she entered her rooms, a basket in her arms. The Quidditch match was still going on outside, one of the longer ones in recent school history. Along with her gift for Snape, she had managed to get in some further personal shopping. Opening the basket, she got to work. Humming, she started to think of how this idea was certain to get her into the Slytherin dorms for certain…

Two days later, the hourglass over Snape came off. She couldn't believe the man. He'd used Slytherin trickery to make her think he'd changed for the better. It was seeing a smile - true, a nasty, vicious, shark-like smile but a smile nonetheless that had made her think he'd changed. Marina had happily taken off the hourglass, not listening to the horrified students nearby. As soon as it was completely gone, he'd deducted two hundred points from all houses save his own. Whilst blinking in surprise at this unexpected turn of events, he assigned her detentions for the rest of the school year, save for the weekends and holidays. All of them were with Filch.

She'd come very close to slapping him in a mixture of hurt and anger at his trickery. Instead, she plotted…

During detention that night, he made a point to come and smirk at her as she polished a suit of armour, watched on by the unpleasant caretaker. Every night after that, he enjoyed watching her toil at her tasks, reminding her that it was he who had caused her suffering. Each day, one member of her family or other would bombard him with Howlers for his unjust punishment. That was the only bright spot in her miserable days.

Finally she was done with her personal project and was waiting to set it in motion. To throw Snape off the scent, she took to hanging around the Slytherin common room, in a bid to overhear the password. She heard Draco Malfoy speak it and promptly used it. For two wonderful, glorious days, she'd camped up in the girl's dorm with Lucinda. The Slytherins didn't tell Snape, wanting to see how long she could get away with it. He'd found out when doing a random inspection of his dorms at night. This included the first year girls' dorm.

One second Marina was blissfully sleeping in bed, the next she was being dragged out and thrown out of the common room by an irate Snape. It turned out that Firenze had made mention that he hadn't seen her around her rooms for a while. Snape had suspiciously scoured the castle in case she was plotting something or other against him. On not finding her anywhere, he'd decided that he might as well check his house dorms. This, of course led to her discovery. As she had detention for the rest of the school year and wasn't allowed to get any more, he simply took off fifty points for her cheek.

To stop her from getting the password again, he made a barrier around the common room. It was spelled to keep her at least ten feet away from it and unable to speak. So if she did find out the password again, she wouldn't be able to use it or enter the common room. Much to Snape's fury, he found two Ravenclaws betting on how long it would be before he cracked and gave in. Through them, he discovered that the majority of the students were also in on it. Some of the staff, including McGonagall were also in on the betting. For their own self interest and stakes in the bet, she would be helped out from time to time. She'd quietly asked around and found the one person she needed to further help her in her plot. As he was told the plan, he agreed to help out.

So it was that one Monday morning, she was warned of Snape's approach at the staff table. Lucinda having done her part, innocently blended back into the table of Slytherins. Marina happily made her way into the Great Hall, pushing along her small trolley.

'Get your exclusive Hogwarts teddies here! Roll up! Roll up!' she called, wheeling over to the Slytherin table. 'All profits to go towards the making of the new school sweet shop! Roll up! Roll up! You know you want the sweets!' A crowd had gathered around to see just what was on offer. 'Right, my lovelies, I'll auction off the teddies to the highest bidder. I've got all the popular folk of Hogwarts in teddy form! Let's start with the ever so evil Draco Malfoy, the Slytherin prince.'

She took out a small, stuffed toy of Draco Malfoy. It was dressed immaculately in Slytherin Quidditch robes. A sneer was sewn on, with white blonde hair neatly gelled back as the real boy had. It looked very much like the real boy too. A squeal rose from the Malfoy admirers in the crowd. 'We start bidding at ten sickles. Any bids?'

'Matthews, I'm insulted,' said a peeved Malfoy. 'Ten sickles? I'm worth that little? Unbelievable. You should start at five galleons at least. Oh give over, you have no idea how auctions go and I might as well do it. You'll be selling the toys for less worth than they actually hold. I expect a toy of myself in the dress robes of my choice as payment for this Matthews.'

'You've got yourself a deal,' she nodded, letting him take over. The Malfoy toy sold at nine galleons to a thoroughly excited Pansy Parkinson. Then there were toys of Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, McGonagall, Filch and Peeves (which had been really hard to make and wasn't much of a seller). Dumbledore, Flitwick, Sprout and Hagrid had laughed hard at their own toys. The Creeveys bought their own toys, complete with mini cameras. The school Quidditch players were bid for by their house members, if possible. Everyone had scrabbled over Harry Potter's Quidditch version. It had been bought by the blushing boy himself, refusing to let anyone else have it. Still, it was fifteen galleons well earned.

'Trelawney is sold at two galleons and one sickle to Lavender Brown,' said Malfoy, banging down the makeshift gavel. 'Moving on to the next toy, we have the Professor Snape doll. Matthews are you mad? I can't read the full description or he'll kill me!'

She placidly took the description parchment and said, 'If you won't read it, I will. Listen up people! This is the Professor Snape teddy, but it's special. It's not just a teddy, it is a not – voodoo doll. That means that you can do voodoo on it without actually doing it. I know you all want to do so many evil, evil, things to our sarcastic potions professor. So what's the starting bid?'

There was stunned silence before Harry Potter stood up. 'Ten galleons!'

'Harry, are you mad?' hissed Ron, tugging him back down.

'The chance to torment Snape, even in toy form is too good a chance to pass up,' they all heard him reply.

'Potter, you will not get the chance to do so,' said a sneering Snape, who'd been silently watching the auctions up until then. 'Loathe as I am to involve myself in your madness Matthews, I bid a sickle more for my toy,' he said with distaste colouring his words.

So the bidding war began between Harry Potter and Severus Snape over a doll. They slowly outbid each other sickle by sickle until Snape finally hissed, 'Thirty-five galleons!' Since the previous bid had been thirteen galleons and five sickles, this was a huge leap.

'Going at thirty-five galleons, going, going…sold! The Professor Snape doll sold to the gentleman in black at thirty-five galleons,' she gleefully said.

The hall burst into laughter as horrified realization dawned upon the potions professor. He'd just been swindled out of thirty-five galleons for a doll of himself. Harry Potter laughed loudest, having teamed up with Marina to trick the man into parting with his money.

'I'm evil! Evil! Mwahahah!' she cackled.

Dumbledore asked, 'How much did you raise for the school sweet shop Miss Matthews?'

She checked her profits and said, 'A hundred and twelve galleons, eight sickles and ten knuts.'

'Excellent,' he beamed at her. 'There's more than enough to build it. Thank you students for helping to raise the funds for such a cause. Ten points for each successful bidder's house. An extra fifty points to Slytherin for Mister Malfoy's auctioning. A hundred points to Gryffindor for Miss Matthews' hard work and efforts in raising funds. Do enjoy your new Hogwarts memorabilia.'

'Matthews you just lost a hundred points from Gryffindor for your latest ridiculous idea,' hissed a livid Snape.

She sweetly asked, 'Now I've proved my evilness, will you let me into your house?'

'Keep dreaming Matthews. Who knows, one day you might just be eaten by snakes and I won't have to kill you personally.'

Her plan having fallen flat, she deliberated on what she could do. Since she wanted him on his toes, she decided to try and use small tactics until she thought of something big. Marina followed him around when not in class, working on schoolwork or in detention with Filch. She made notes of what he was doing into a small notebook. Not that she had any reason to do so, but because she knew it would unnerve him. After three days, he had had enough and caught on to the fact that she did it to aggravate him. So he took to roaming the hallways on the higher castle levels. Forced to not follow him for her fear of heights, she took to jumping out on him when he least expected it. She had to cease this tactic after her housemates complained that she was losing Gryffindor too many points.

'Matthews, what is this?' he sneered, poking the basket with his wand. He didn't look too far away from blasting it, not trusting whatever she handed him.

'First part of your birthday gift professor,' she cheerfully said. 'This is personally from me. Open it! Go on, you know you want to.'

Under the nearby McGonagall's prompting, he reluctantly and warily did so. A puzzled look came over his face as he took out the large bottles inside. She beamed happily at him, pleased that he seemed to enjoy her selection of shampoos, conditioners, shower washes and soaps. 'Since you have a hygiene problem, I thought it was because you didn't have the correct washing items. So I decided to treat you to them as part of your birthday gift. Do you like them? More to the point, are you going to use them? I mean, heaven knows, you need to…What kind of impression are you giving your students by going around whilst stinky, greasy and dirty?'

'The day I use these bathing items will be the day I wash your blood off me after murdering you,' snarled Snape.

'Good then, you will use it after all.'

Robes billowing around him, he stormed out, the basket left where it was. McGonagall said, 'Don't worry Miss Matthews, I'll have a house elf put his toiletries in his rooms.'

That night, she carried in a large wicker basket, gift wrapped in silver and green festive ribbons. 'Marina, what have you done now?' asked a wary Lucinda.

'Nothing,' she innocently replied. Carrying the basket, she reached the teacher's table and she saw Snape wince briefly at the sight of her. 'Why, hello professor Snape. I've been looking all over for you. Your birthday gift from the entire school just came through today and right on time too. Ooh, I'm so excited and it isn't even my birthday today!'

There was a murmur in the hall as nearby students told others her words. The students all wanted to see what she'd got for Snape with their funding.

'Once you open the basket, you have to keep what's inside,' she firmly told him. 'You can't throw your present away. Remember, a puppy is for life, not just for Christmas.'

'Think she got him a dog?' a student's whisper was heard to say.

'Snape? A dog? Are you mad? He's bound to use it for potions ingredients,' hissed a boy.

The man in question glared in the direction of the talkers as Marina handed him the basket. The basket was checked for curses and jinxes. He didn't trust her to not have them on it, despite the fact she'd never do such a thing. Not finding anything amiss, he undid the ribbons as the students and staff alike held their breath in anticipation.

Snape's face went carefully blank as he saw what was inside, which was nothing. She'd charmed it so he'd have to reach in to pull out his gift. Nearly dancing with joy, she watched him as he put his hands into the basket. His mask slipped and he looked horrified. His arms came out of the box to take out a small Kneazle, barely more than a kitten.

A Kneazle with black fur and natural dark green flecks. Marina had spent hours searching for such a rare coloured kitten in Diagon Alley. Rare as it was, it had cost a lot of money, which was why she'd needed extra money from other students. Snape looked utterly horrified and revolted as the cat like creature proceeded to wash his face with a small, pink tongue. It had obviously taken a huge liking to him and he couldn't get it to stop. Some of the students at the back of the hall were rolling around on the ground, clutching their sides and crying with laughter.

She couldn't see what they found so funny about her choice. Snape had a cat in his trademark black and Slytherin green. It didn't look bad either or inspired such laughter, but was rather handsome and sleek.

'Matthews, what possessed you to get me this?' he bitingly asked.

'You're the most evil of all Slytherins and you know, you're like a head honcho. All evil head honchos have to have a cat they can stroke,' she patiently explained. 'You have to hold him in your arms, stroking him as you tell students their dooms. Work on your most evil trademark Snape glare and smile evilly – you'll have everyone crying to go back home. You can't be evil without a cat and since you didn't have one, I got you one. He's smart, he's cute, he's Slytherin coloured and his name is registered as Sooty Snape. See, I got you a license from the ministry to let you keep Sooty,' she said, handing him an official looking certificate.

'Sooty Snape!' The students erupted into laughter at the name.

'Well, I did want to call him Cuddles…'

'I never wanted a cat, especially not a Kneazle. If you wanted me to have an evil pet Matthews, you should have got me a snake in Slytherin colours. Not this ridiculous and harmless cat,' he spat. 'You're not a muggle and cats aren't evil!'

'Sooty is,' she insisted. 'I mean, he likes you and only Slytherins like you. You yourself said that your house students are evil, so that makes Sooty evil. Anyway, snakes can't be bought by a young person like me, so I couldn't get you one. Besides, the ones I saw would have probably swallowed me up at your bidding,' she sulked. 'Or they'd have run amok in the castle and poisoned the students. So for the safety of the students and for the sake of my own life, I refused to get you a snake.'

'Matthews, you could have at least let me choose the thing's name,' he hissed.

'What? You don't like Sooty?' she asked, eyes wide and scandalized. 'Professor McGonagall, he's being mean and ungrateful – even more than normal!'

Her house head kindly said, 'You go back to dinner young lady. I'll personally see to it that Sooty is taken good care of by your potions master. He doesn't show it, but I can tell he's impressed by Sooty. He's wanted a Kneazle for many years and Sooty is very fine.' The look Snape sent her clearly said otherwise.

'So, can I stay with Lucinda professor Snape?' she casually asked.

'NO! Matthews, get out of my sight. Better yet, get out of my life. I've tolerated your antics and will not do so anymore. Leave right now, I've had enough of you for this month,' he ordered, shaking with rage.

This was it, she'd pushed him too far and had made him angrier than she'd ever seen him. All she'd wanted was a friend to live and talk with in Lucinda and a bed in a dorm instead of alone. Maybe even a smile from Professor Snape too. All in all, little things that would have brought her much joy. Downcast and miserable, Marina left the hall for her rooms. A sign of having pushed Snape too far was the fact that he hadn't taken points off her. It was a good thing that the Easter holidays started the following day. She would be going back home to her family so didn't have to hide from Snape at school.