Chapter 5
Snape sat at his desk, glaring at his Gryffendor and Slytherin first years. 'Where is that stupid girl?' he thought to himself after glancing at the clock. 'It is 9:20. She was supposed to be here at 8:45. I told her not to be late..'
Of course, during these thoughts, the first years were rather tense in the ominous silence of the potions classroom. They didn't have the faintest idea what their potions master was waiting for and were starting to get a little bit freaked out with their potions master's glare.
Suddenly, the classroom door burst open again, this time revealing someone a little bit unexpected. In the doorway stood Sarah. Dressed in a velvet leopard print dress and black stiletto heels. Her long red hair was pulled tightly into a French braid and she had a rather flustered look on her face. She also had a black robe slung over her arm. "Sorry I'm late... I had a bit of a clothing issue that just couldn't wait," she said as she strutted into the classroom, her heels clicking on the stones.
Severus coughed at the sight of her and fought back a curse. "What is with this girl and indecent clothes?!' he demanded to himself. A rather nasty habit he needed to break. "Go into my office, Ms. Valentine and I will speak with you in a moment," he ordered, pointing to the door situated just past his desk.
Of course, rather than jumping to do his bidding, the red-headed muggle stopped in front of him and gave him a slow and rather thorough once over. When her golden eyes reached his, she raised a brow and smirked. "I just wanted to thank you for letting me borrow your robes last night... They were exceptionally helpful."
During her entrance and the exchange, many of the students were whispering to each other about the red headed woman who was smiling saucily at their seemingly grouchy and bitter potions master. One or two of the boys in the classroom looked at her with interest, their beginning teenage hormones kicking in slightly.
Snape choked slightly at her innuendo with his robes. "Get into my office without further comment and stay there until I come for you," he hissed, grabbing her by the arm and shoving her into his office. He took grim satisfaction when she stumbled and slammed into his desk.
He made quick work of his class, now that his infernal apprentice had finally decided to grace them with her presence. He gave those Gryffendors a tongue lashing and dropped the stupid Potter boy down a few notches before class was over. He had even managed to take some house points from those little pests. Not that a whole lot of work was completed. Now, he just had to deal with his newest assistant. Well, only assistant, if you were going to split hairs.
After all of the students had filed out of the classroom, he waved his wand and shut and locked the door. He was going to enjoy giving that bratty girl an earful before sending her packing. With a sneer firmly placed on his face, he stalked to his office and slammed open the door, hoping the dramatic effect would cause his apprentice to jump.
Sarah raised a brow as the office door swung open and slammed against the wall. She had, of course, been expecting something like that and wasn't the least bit surprised or intimidated. She was, in fact, leaning casually against his desk, a potions text in one hand and a perfectly round ball in the other. While reading the potions book, she was sliding the ball around on her hand, causing it to have almost liquid movements. "So glad you could join me, Professor."
Growling, the extremely irritated potions master slammed the door closed and stalked further into the room. "Did I or did I not, ask you to be here promptly at 8:45? And just what do you think you are wearing?" he demanded in a low voice after sitting gracefully down behind his desk. He glared at her position of practically sitting on his desk, giving a clear indication that he wanted her to move. He would have no such luck.
Sarah didn't move an inch at his accusing glare and hissed questions. In fact, she just smiled and went back to her reading. "I am well aware of the fact that you told me to be here, promptly, at 8:45 this morning.." she stated on a sigh.
"Then, why are you late?!"
"Don't get a high and mighty attitude with me. You didn't remember my lack of wardrobe any better than I did. So, don't think that you're so much smarter than me for that. And, rather than embarrass you by coming into the classroom in my pajamas and your robe wrapped around me, I went to the Headmaster to discuss my problem. The clothes I am wearing are not quite what I was expecting in the way of help from the Headmaster, but they are all I have. If you have a better idea, feel free to share."
Before he could comment, the door to his office swung open to reveal Mariah, who was dressed in a pair of black corduroys, a black and blue sweater and black boots. There was a studded bracelet on one wrist and a spiked bracelet on the other. She raised a brow when Snape muttered under his breath about her clothing. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, walking into the office and flopping into a chair. "I love your office, by the way."
"How did you get past my wards?" he demanded, standing.
Mariah blinked and stared at him, a confused look on her face. "You had wards up?"
A twitch developed in the corner of his eye and he closed them in an attempt to calm down. "Yes. I had wards up. How did you get past them?" he hissed through his clenched teeth.
Sarah shrugged and went back to her reading. This little problem didn't involve her. Her problem consisted of finding a bigger wardrobe. After all, she couldn't go through each day wearing just her leopard print dress. And, now that she had the dress, she didn't have any pajamas. Things just weren't working out properly. Dumbledore sure did have an sort of off sense of humor...
"Wouldn't you agree, Miss. Valentine?" Snape demanded, glaring at his newest acquisition.
Looking at him boredly with a raised brow, she said, "Of course I would love to go to dinner with you. But, since we barely know each other, I think we should get better acquainted first, don't you think? And, I'm not a piece of property, so stop looking at me like I'm some unwanted piece of furniture you have to sit on.."
By the time this brief monologue was finished, Mariah was almost falling out of her chair because of laughing so hard. "Uh.. I think that's a bit off topic, Sarah."
"Well, how can I agree to something if I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be agreeing to? Next time you're speaking to me, Professor, get my attention first. Don't assume I'm going to be waiting with baited breath every second of every day for you to say something to me." Satisfied with what she had to say, she went back to her book.
Growling under his breath, Snape turned to Mariah. "If you would be so kind as to leave us alone, Miss. Devine? I would like to talk to my... apprentice... about a few things," he hissed, glaring at the girl, who was occupied with eyeing and prodding various samples and specimens on his shelves.
"Huh? Oh, you mean me?" Mariah asked, blinking. "Sure." She shrugged, waved at Sarah and walked out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
"Now, Miss. Valentine," he began, snatching the book and ball from her, effectively gaining her attention. "We need to discuss your attitude and several other things now. So, pay attention." He sneered at her as he sat down gracefully behind his desk.
Raising a brow when he snatched away her book and ball, Sarah shifted so she was sitting on his desk, propped up on her hands and legs crossed. "Oh? Please, lets discuss my attitude, then."
Hissing slightly, he steepled his hands in front of him and glared at her over his fingertips. "Now... If you are to remain my apprentice, you will give me the respect I deserve as your superior. I will not negotiate or argue with you over this. My word will be law." He smirked when her eyes narrowed at him. "You will arrive to class at 8:45am sharp every morning, Monday through Friday. You will do exactly as I say in class, without comment or argument. And, you will wear appropriate clothing and not that... dress.. you are wearing now. Or those shoes. I expect you to be clean cut and ready to represent the Slytherin house to the best of your abilities. Should you not comply with these... agreements, you will no longer be welcome in my classroom and will be reassigned to some other professor that has the patients to deal with you and your immaturities. Understood?" Taking her silence as an assent, he nodded. "Good. Do you have any questions?"
Sarah waited patiently for him to finish with his rules and regulations before taking a deep breath to calm her temper. "No questions, per se. But, I do have a few comments to your... requests, to put it politely. My clothes.. What I am wearing is all I own. So, unless you plan on taking me shopping or giving me money to go shopping, this is all I have and I will continue to wear this until my wardrobe has been situated. If that is a problem, discuss it with the Headmaster. Now... I have a difficult time waking up before ten in the morning, so if I am late to class, it is completely unintentional and I will do my best to curtail my tardiness. As for you being my superior, that is true to a certain extent. I will do as you say in your classroom. But, if you should try to order me about outside of the classroom, you will get the shock of your life because I don't take kindly to being told what to do by a pompous, arrogant man such as yourself. I am only immature when I am not required to meet others' expectations. Which will only be in class with you and the other students. Other than that, I will act as I see fit. If you attempt to humiliate or embarrass me in front of the students or staff, I will retaliate in a very unpleasant manner. Is that agreeable? Good. Now, what would you have me do for you, Professor Snape?" She stood up and clasped her hands in front of her, looking down her nose at him in a very prim and arrogant manner that grated his nerves because it was almost flawless.
"Do as I say and I shant have any arguments," he muttered, standing and pulling out his wand. "Now, about your... .clothes. That term is used very loosely, by the way. Take my robes from last evening and put them on, if you will." This was an obvious order and she muttered softly on her breath as she swung the robes about her shoulders.
"Now what, Professor?"
"Don't move..." Giving a swish and flick of his wand, Snape had transfigured the robes into a simple, almost medieval style dress with shoes of black leather that had small heels. 'Not the best clothing, but it will do for the time being,' he thought to himself as he tucked his wand away. "I will speak with the Headmaster about providing you with an appropriate wardrobe this evening. Until then, that will have to do."
Sarah looked down at her latest outfit and smirked. The robes had been turned into a dress with belled sleeves and a square neckline. The bodice hugged her waist while the skirts flared out into a delicate bell. The fabric was the same and scratched at her only a bit. "It's well enough." That was the best he was going to get considering the way he was speaking to her. Like she was the lowest life form on the planet and not even worth his attentions. 'That'll change...' she thought with a secret grin.
"Now.. There is a class starting in twenty minutes and I would like to give you directions for the rest of the day. So, if you wouldn't mind.. ?"
"Yeah yeah.. Whatever..."
"Watch it, Miss. Valentine. I still haven't decided to keep you as an apprentice."
Grumbling under her breath, Sarah stalked out of the classroom, muttering insults under her breath. Also, plots of torment flitting through her head as payment for his attempt at degradation. 'He'll never know what hit him...' she cackled inside her head. 'Oh, just you wait, Severus Snape. Just you wait...'
Snape sat at his desk, glaring at his Gryffendor and Slytherin first years. 'Where is that stupid girl?' he thought to himself after glancing at the clock. 'It is 9:20. She was supposed to be here at 8:45. I told her not to be late..'
Of course, during these thoughts, the first years were rather tense in the ominous silence of the potions classroom. They didn't have the faintest idea what their potions master was waiting for and were starting to get a little bit freaked out with their potions master's glare.
Suddenly, the classroom door burst open again, this time revealing someone a little bit unexpected. In the doorway stood Sarah. Dressed in a velvet leopard print dress and black stiletto heels. Her long red hair was pulled tightly into a French braid and she had a rather flustered look on her face. She also had a black robe slung over her arm. "Sorry I'm late... I had a bit of a clothing issue that just couldn't wait," she said as she strutted into the classroom, her heels clicking on the stones.
Severus coughed at the sight of her and fought back a curse. "What is with this girl and indecent clothes?!' he demanded to himself. A rather nasty habit he needed to break. "Go into my office, Ms. Valentine and I will speak with you in a moment," he ordered, pointing to the door situated just past his desk.
Of course, rather than jumping to do his bidding, the red-headed muggle stopped in front of him and gave him a slow and rather thorough once over. When her golden eyes reached his, she raised a brow and smirked. "I just wanted to thank you for letting me borrow your robes last night... They were exceptionally helpful."
During her entrance and the exchange, many of the students were whispering to each other about the red headed woman who was smiling saucily at their seemingly grouchy and bitter potions master. One or two of the boys in the classroom looked at her with interest, their beginning teenage hormones kicking in slightly.
Snape choked slightly at her innuendo with his robes. "Get into my office without further comment and stay there until I come for you," he hissed, grabbing her by the arm and shoving her into his office. He took grim satisfaction when she stumbled and slammed into his desk.
He made quick work of his class, now that his infernal apprentice had finally decided to grace them with her presence. He gave those Gryffendors a tongue lashing and dropped the stupid Potter boy down a few notches before class was over. He had even managed to take some house points from those little pests. Not that a whole lot of work was completed. Now, he just had to deal with his newest assistant. Well, only assistant, if you were going to split hairs.
After all of the students had filed out of the classroom, he waved his wand and shut and locked the door. He was going to enjoy giving that bratty girl an earful before sending her packing. With a sneer firmly placed on his face, he stalked to his office and slammed open the door, hoping the dramatic effect would cause his apprentice to jump.
Sarah raised a brow as the office door swung open and slammed against the wall. She had, of course, been expecting something like that and wasn't the least bit surprised or intimidated. She was, in fact, leaning casually against his desk, a potions text in one hand and a perfectly round ball in the other. While reading the potions book, she was sliding the ball around on her hand, causing it to have almost liquid movements. "So glad you could join me, Professor."
Growling, the extremely irritated potions master slammed the door closed and stalked further into the room. "Did I or did I not, ask you to be here promptly at 8:45? And just what do you think you are wearing?" he demanded in a low voice after sitting gracefully down behind his desk. He glared at her position of practically sitting on his desk, giving a clear indication that he wanted her to move. He would have no such luck.
Sarah didn't move an inch at his accusing glare and hissed questions. In fact, she just smiled and went back to her reading. "I am well aware of the fact that you told me to be here, promptly, at 8:45 this morning.." she stated on a sigh.
"Then, why are you late?!"
"Don't get a high and mighty attitude with me. You didn't remember my lack of wardrobe any better than I did. So, don't think that you're so much smarter than me for that. And, rather than embarrass you by coming into the classroom in my pajamas and your robe wrapped around me, I went to the Headmaster to discuss my problem. The clothes I am wearing are not quite what I was expecting in the way of help from the Headmaster, but they are all I have. If you have a better idea, feel free to share."
Before he could comment, the door to his office swung open to reveal Mariah, who was dressed in a pair of black corduroys, a black and blue sweater and black boots. There was a studded bracelet on one wrist and a spiked bracelet on the other. She raised a brow when Snape muttered under his breath about her clothing. "Am I interrupting something?" she asked, walking into the office and flopping into a chair. "I love your office, by the way."
"How did you get past my wards?" he demanded, standing.
Mariah blinked and stared at him, a confused look on her face. "You had wards up?"
A twitch developed in the corner of his eye and he closed them in an attempt to calm down. "Yes. I had wards up. How did you get past them?" he hissed through his clenched teeth.
Sarah shrugged and went back to her reading. This little problem didn't involve her. Her problem consisted of finding a bigger wardrobe. After all, she couldn't go through each day wearing just her leopard print dress. And, now that she had the dress, she didn't have any pajamas. Things just weren't working out properly. Dumbledore sure did have an sort of off sense of humor...
"Wouldn't you agree, Miss. Valentine?" Snape demanded, glaring at his newest acquisition.
Looking at him boredly with a raised brow, she said, "Of course I would love to go to dinner with you. But, since we barely know each other, I think we should get better acquainted first, don't you think? And, I'm not a piece of property, so stop looking at me like I'm some unwanted piece of furniture you have to sit on.."
By the time this brief monologue was finished, Mariah was almost falling out of her chair because of laughing so hard. "Uh.. I think that's a bit off topic, Sarah."
"Well, how can I agree to something if I don't know what it is I'm supposed to be agreeing to? Next time you're speaking to me, Professor, get my attention first. Don't assume I'm going to be waiting with baited breath every second of every day for you to say something to me." Satisfied with what she had to say, she went back to her book.
Growling under his breath, Snape turned to Mariah. "If you would be so kind as to leave us alone, Miss. Devine? I would like to talk to my... apprentice... about a few things," he hissed, glaring at the girl, who was occupied with eyeing and prodding various samples and specimens on his shelves.
"Huh? Oh, you mean me?" Mariah asked, blinking. "Sure." She shrugged, waved at Sarah and walked out of the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.
"Now, Miss. Valentine," he began, snatching the book and ball from her, effectively gaining her attention. "We need to discuss your attitude and several other things now. So, pay attention." He sneered at her as he sat down gracefully behind his desk.
Raising a brow when he snatched away her book and ball, Sarah shifted so she was sitting on his desk, propped up on her hands and legs crossed. "Oh? Please, lets discuss my attitude, then."
Hissing slightly, he steepled his hands in front of him and glared at her over his fingertips. "Now... If you are to remain my apprentice, you will give me the respect I deserve as your superior. I will not negotiate or argue with you over this. My word will be law." He smirked when her eyes narrowed at him. "You will arrive to class at 8:45am sharp every morning, Monday through Friday. You will do exactly as I say in class, without comment or argument. And, you will wear appropriate clothing and not that... dress.. you are wearing now. Or those shoes. I expect you to be clean cut and ready to represent the Slytherin house to the best of your abilities. Should you not comply with these... agreements, you will no longer be welcome in my classroom and will be reassigned to some other professor that has the patients to deal with you and your immaturities. Understood?" Taking her silence as an assent, he nodded. "Good. Do you have any questions?"
Sarah waited patiently for him to finish with his rules and regulations before taking a deep breath to calm her temper. "No questions, per se. But, I do have a few comments to your... requests, to put it politely. My clothes.. What I am wearing is all I own. So, unless you plan on taking me shopping or giving me money to go shopping, this is all I have and I will continue to wear this until my wardrobe has been situated. If that is a problem, discuss it with the Headmaster. Now... I have a difficult time waking up before ten in the morning, so if I am late to class, it is completely unintentional and I will do my best to curtail my tardiness. As for you being my superior, that is true to a certain extent. I will do as you say in your classroom. But, if you should try to order me about outside of the classroom, you will get the shock of your life because I don't take kindly to being told what to do by a pompous, arrogant man such as yourself. I am only immature when I am not required to meet others' expectations. Which will only be in class with you and the other students. Other than that, I will act as I see fit. If you attempt to humiliate or embarrass me in front of the students or staff, I will retaliate in a very unpleasant manner. Is that agreeable? Good. Now, what would you have me do for you, Professor Snape?" She stood up and clasped her hands in front of her, looking down her nose at him in a very prim and arrogant manner that grated his nerves because it was almost flawless.
"Do as I say and I shant have any arguments," he muttered, standing and pulling out his wand. "Now, about your... .clothes. That term is used very loosely, by the way. Take my robes from last evening and put them on, if you will." This was an obvious order and she muttered softly on her breath as she swung the robes about her shoulders.
"Now what, Professor?"
"Don't move..." Giving a swish and flick of his wand, Snape had transfigured the robes into a simple, almost medieval style dress with shoes of black leather that had small heels. 'Not the best clothing, but it will do for the time being,' he thought to himself as he tucked his wand away. "I will speak with the Headmaster about providing you with an appropriate wardrobe this evening. Until then, that will have to do."
Sarah looked down at her latest outfit and smirked. The robes had been turned into a dress with belled sleeves and a square neckline. The bodice hugged her waist while the skirts flared out into a delicate bell. The fabric was the same and scratched at her only a bit. "It's well enough." That was the best he was going to get considering the way he was speaking to her. Like she was the lowest life form on the planet and not even worth his attentions. 'That'll change...' she thought with a secret grin.
"Now.. There is a class starting in twenty minutes and I would like to give you directions for the rest of the day. So, if you wouldn't mind.. ?"
"Yeah yeah.. Whatever..."
"Watch it, Miss. Valentine. I still haven't decided to keep you as an apprentice."
Grumbling under her breath, Sarah stalked out of the classroom, muttering insults under her breath. Also, plots of torment flitting through her head as payment for his attempt at degradation. 'He'll never know what hit him...' she cackled inside her head. 'Oh, just you wait, Severus Snape. Just you wait...'