Professor Snape and the Dark Arts
All of the students had left the great hall for the chambers, the first years led in groups by the prefects to their respected houses. Once she was settled in in the girl's dormitory upstairs in the Gryffindor tower, Penny slipped under the covers of her bed, and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning she had more time to pay attention to what was going on around her, as she went from the dormitory to the hall for breakfast, still dressed in her pajamas. She didn't care when a few of the other first years snickered at the shape they were in, because she knew that the reason they were so was because she'd had them for years. Coming from an orphanage she'd grown up proud to be an orphan, and the oldest there, currently.
After breakfast, she bumped into Harry on her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and blushed faintly, though without understanding why. She knew Harry saw her blush, but she didn't have time to stop and chat, she mumbled a hello as she quickly moved on toward her class.
As she stepped into the dark dungeon room, she grimaced. It stunk of something decaying down here, and that frightened her. She'd read bits and pieces of "Cursed Through the Ages, an Anthropology of Frequently Used Curses of the Century" a title which she'd had a hard time swallowing. As much as she loved to read, she didn't like text books at all, but it was necessary to plow through them, she knew.
Her first class was with the Hufflepuff students. As she moved in, she sat at a bench by herself, but was quickly joined by another student named Remus Moody. He grinned at her as he slid into the seat, but she turned to face the professor, who turned out to be the dark and greasy looking man from the Staff table last night.
Her great dislike for him seemed to be growing. Perhaps, she thought to herself, if he hadn't been teaching Dark Arts, she'd like him a bit better, but any man who could carry as much hatred in him as he had looked upon Harry with was dangerous. She waited for class to start as a few more first year students filed into the room and Snape lifted his roster into his arms.
"Class, today we will be studying Werewolves. I want each of you to turn to page 213 in your books, and take out parchment. Take Notes." he said, his beady eyes looking around the room at students, as if trying to pick out the trouble makers, and the star pupils. It seemed he was disappointed, as he grouchily asked them "What is the temporary cure to the werewolf curse? Does anyone know what it is called?"
When he received no answer, he raised an eyebrow, his sneering voice raising in slight pitch "oh, really? Does anyone know when the werewolf curse takes effect?" when all he received in response to his questions were silence, Snape rolled his eyes. "Well then,you can go back to your classes and read your books, and grumble because professor Snape has given you 4 feet of parchment on an essay about the history of werewolves and the cure. Spend the rest of class-time today taking notes for your essay. I'll be leaving the room shortly, but I want you all to stay until the end of class. Is that clear?" he asked, before walking down the isle, he paused at the desk where Penny sat, and raised an eye at her. By the time he'd reached her desk, all of the other students had begun copying down notes, but she had watched him walk through the class to her seat. "Yes, miss?"
She smiled softly as she looked up at him, "just as the moon reaches full, sir, and the cure is a potion that not many like to brew...but it holds off the effects of the curse for a short time." She looked back at her parchment, and waited for some sort of response. Why had she not answered when he asked, she wondered, but she herself didn't know the answer.
"Very good, may I ask what your name is and which house you are from then?" Snape's voice seemed to have changed. She almost thought she heard pride there.
"Penny, sir, from Gryffindor." she answered. He grimaced. "Oh, pity. You should have been in Slytherin." he said, then turned to the door and continued out into the corridor. Penny blinked. He had had to know that she wasn't in Slytherin, because the class consisted only of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, so why had he bothered to ask if that had been his reply?
All of the students had left the great hall for the chambers, the first years led in groups by the prefects to their respected houses. Once she was settled in in the girl's dormitory upstairs in the Gryffindor tower, Penny slipped under the covers of her bed, and quickly fell asleep.
The next morning she had more time to pay attention to what was going on around her, as she went from the dormitory to the hall for breakfast, still dressed in her pajamas. She didn't care when a few of the other first years snickered at the shape they were in, because she knew that the reason they were so was because she'd had them for years. Coming from an orphanage she'd grown up proud to be an orphan, and the oldest there, currently.
After breakfast, she bumped into Harry on her way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, and blushed faintly, though without understanding why. She knew Harry saw her blush, but she didn't have time to stop and chat, she mumbled a hello as she quickly moved on toward her class.
As she stepped into the dark dungeon room, she grimaced. It stunk of something decaying down here, and that frightened her. She'd read bits and pieces of "Cursed Through the Ages, an Anthropology of Frequently Used Curses of the Century" a title which she'd had a hard time swallowing. As much as she loved to read, she didn't like text books at all, but it was necessary to plow through them, she knew.
Her first class was with the Hufflepuff students. As she moved in, she sat at a bench by herself, but was quickly joined by another student named Remus Moody. He grinned at her as he slid into the seat, but she turned to face the professor, who turned out to be the dark and greasy looking man from the Staff table last night.
Her great dislike for him seemed to be growing. Perhaps, she thought to herself, if he hadn't been teaching Dark Arts, she'd like him a bit better, but any man who could carry as much hatred in him as he had looked upon Harry with was dangerous. She waited for class to start as a few more first year students filed into the room and Snape lifted his roster into his arms.
"Class, today we will be studying Werewolves. I want each of you to turn to page 213 in your books, and take out parchment. Take Notes." he said, his beady eyes looking around the room at students, as if trying to pick out the trouble makers, and the star pupils. It seemed he was disappointed, as he grouchily asked them "What is the temporary cure to the werewolf curse? Does anyone know what it is called?"
When he received no answer, he raised an eyebrow, his sneering voice raising in slight pitch "oh, really? Does anyone know when the werewolf curse takes effect?" when all he received in response to his questions were silence, Snape rolled his eyes. "Well then,you can go back to your classes and read your books, and grumble because professor Snape has given you 4 feet of parchment on an essay about the history of werewolves and the cure. Spend the rest of class-time today taking notes for your essay. I'll be leaving the room shortly, but I want you all to stay until the end of class. Is that clear?" he asked, before walking down the isle, he paused at the desk where Penny sat, and raised an eye at her. By the time he'd reached her desk, all of the other students had begun copying down notes, but she had watched him walk through the class to her seat. "Yes, miss?"
She smiled softly as she looked up at him, "just as the moon reaches full, sir, and the cure is a potion that not many like to brew...but it holds off the effects of the curse for a short time." She looked back at her parchment, and waited for some sort of response. Why had she not answered when he asked, she wondered, but she herself didn't know the answer.
"Very good, may I ask what your name is and which house you are from then?" Snape's voice seemed to have changed. She almost thought she heard pride there.
"Penny, sir, from Gryffindor." she answered. He grimaced. "Oh, pity. You should have been in Slytherin." he said, then turned to the door and continued out into the corridor. Penny blinked. He had had to know that she wasn't in Slytherin, because the class consisted only of Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors, so why had he bothered to ask if that had been his reply?