Detention for a Month

Harry and Serena walked into the dining hall hand in hand behind Ron and Hermione whom just chatted about their classes and extra curricular activities. Many students watched them as they entered the room but the only eyes he cared about were Cho's. She looked livid. Her cheeks turned red and eyes which were already slanted became narrow slits the size of apple seeds. She slowly walked over to her table and grabbed the arm of boy whose face was obscured by her long hair draping over him.

"Oh, good she noticed me." Serena whispered in Harry's ear. They walked over to the Gryffindor table and sat down to eat breakfast. Serena pulled out her class schedule and asked Hermione about the professors at Hogwarts. Hermione began to talk about the Potions teacher, Professor Snape when she was rudely interrupted by both Harry and Ron.

"He has it in for all of us." Harry said.

"He hates all Gryffindor students but he dislikes us especially." Ron chimed in.

"All students fell that way about one teacher or another at some point in their life. Are you sure it's not all in your heads." Serena giggled.

Before Harry could open his mouth Hermione started explaining how Professor Snape had gone to school with Harry's father and how Harry's father and friends mistreated and almost killed Snape in the shirking cottage.

"Well, I guess I wouldn't like you much after that either Harry." Serena said with a smile. "Harry if he starts into you again this year I'll have to prepare a special surprise for him."

They all looked at her with a mixture of fear and delight. Hermione whispered, "Please don't do anything to get yourself expelled or killed it just wouldn't look good on your record."

"Honey, I'll be good only if he behaves himself like a proper professor should." She smiles and finished her breakfast.

Harry now looked fearful and decided to talk her out of whatever punishment he was sure to come to Snape. He followed behind and they talked along the why to their first class, Transfiguration.

Serena excelled in every task put before her. She caught on before Hermione on how to turn a pen into a butterfly without using a wand, which made Hermione for the first time in her life a little jealous. She'd always been the most knowledgeable and talented in every class that wasn't divination or flying. But the pushed the emotion away in order to study how Serena performed magic without a wand.

After class Serena and Hermione talked about magic without wands and incantations passed their philosophies back and forth between classes. Hermione now looked at Serena as life she were a fascinating new book that she wanted to devour in a night's worth of studying. Serena loved talking about magic with Hermione but she saw the longing look in Ron's eyes and decided to go get a snack from the house elves with Harry.

Before they had a chance to reach the painting of a bowl of fruit they ran into Professor Snape in the hallway. The good professor was holding a few books and a couple of potions in his hands and Harry was talking to Serena, so no one noticed the other's presence until it was too late. Everything fell out of his hands and was going to hit the floor but Serena levitated the items back into the professor's hands.

Professor Snape scowled at the Harry and said, "Still alive I see and back at school. I would clap but my hands are full." He paused and looked at Serena for a long time. "A new student, hmmp. Be extremely careful of the company you keep. This one has a way of getting his friends and family killed."

"Don't worry sir I won't go quietly into that good night." Serena said sharply.

Professor Snape immediately snapped back, "What is your name girl."

"Serena, Sir." Serena stepped in front of Harry as if to protect him and looked the professor in his eyes.

"Serena, what?" Professor Snape glared at her started walking towards her.

"Elves don't have last names. And don't you ever whisper that word out loud. I hear your thoughts loud and clear and that's without probing. You're not exactly a pure blood yourself."

Snape's face flushed red and went back to its sour white. "I will see you class Miss Serena and you'd better be ready to pay for your tart tongue."

"I, Serena daughter of the Ambassador to the Elvon Kingdoms, 64th in line to the throne, and Lady over the North America continent, accepts your challenge and bides you good day." They stare at each other a little longer and break their gaze once they noticed other students watching.

After they got their snacks and started walking to Charms class Harry broke the silence. "Do you have a death wish or just hate authority?"

"Your professor is a very angry man but he doesn't know why. He thinks it's because your father almost killed him but it's something else. There was a place in his mind that I couldn't reach and it started to scare me a little. I saw walls in his mind made of steel and granite. The place is buried deep in his mind and I can't reach it. He couldn't have made that fortress within a fortress by within himself; someone powerful had to have done it for him. But why did they do that to him. It frightens me to think if someone locked away something that dangerous inside of a man that influences so many kids. I have to investigate this further."

"Serena, this is a bad—did I saw bad? No, no I meant horrific idea; please don't do anything that will get us kilt."

Serena kissed Harry on the cheek and said, "When I say move, do it quickly and quietly without anyone noticing. You won't be blamed for anything, okay." Harry nodded head and walked into the classroom defeated. This must be how Hermione feels when Ron and I have a stupid plan. Harry thinks to himself.

The following day Serena was almost the perfect student through Care of Magical Creatures even though the singing serpents tried to bite her and she was caught snoring in the History of Magic—she graciously wiped the drool from her face and continued taking notes. Serena apologized to ghostly professor and he just floated through her as if he hadn't noticed her standing in front of him.

During lunch Harry fidgeted and tossed his food around his plate slowly. Serena said, "I know what you're thinking but I'm not backing down unless he behaves himself in class."

Harry sighed, "Maybe you should leave well enough alone."

Hermione looked up in surprise from her apple pie, and said, "You're actually being reasonable. I love this side of you. Serena, I've being waiting for someone to make him less reckless and here you are."

Harry ignored Hermione's cheers of Serena and said, "I think I'm over Professor Snape mistreating me so it's fine if he says something rude in class. I'll be fine really." Harry smiled his brightest fake smile and Serena smiled back at him but not the way he was hoping for. He wanted a smile of agreement and dreamed of obedience but her eyes were squinted into crescent moons with lips looking rosier than usual.

"Sweet and naïve, just the way I like them." She got up and walked away. Harry grabbed Serena and his books while Ron grabbed his and Hermione's.

Hermione tried to grab her books but Ron sheltered them in his arms as if it were a new born. "I've been carrying my own books for years now."

"Please let me be nice to you. I know where we stand and I don't mind that just allow me this and your company." Ron said softly so no one would hear except her. She nodded her head and he saw something in her eyes—was it pity or understanding he didn't know.

They walked together side by side to their potions class still whispering among themselves. Serena and Harry were already at their desks taking out their pens and paper so Ron and Hermione took the desk beside. Malfoy walked into the classroom with his friends and started cackling.

"He's Harry Potter with another mudblood, half breed freak of nature. Just look at her witch, elf she doesn't know what she is." Harry stood up and balled up his fist but Serena held him back and smiled.

"This mudblood freak of nature knows what makes you scream." Serena made eye contract with Malfoy. After ten seconds of silence from Malfoy, he opened his mouth and allowed a tear to fall down his cheek and hit the ground.

"Please don't hurt me." He whispered.

"I know your heart as you can see and you know mine by now. Stop trying to hurt other people just because you can and that won't happen to you. You don't have to be enemies with anyone here. Pride always comes before a fall and that will be your fall if you don't heed my words." Serena walked over to Malfoy and embraced him. She patted his white hair and stared into his eyes for another ten seconds. "Abide in love." And those were the last words that were ever spoken between them.

Professor Snape was running late for class so he missed Serena's performance. He wanted to find the hardest potion to create that would be on the NEWTS exam and time had gotten away from him. When the professor arrived it was unusually quiet and Malfoy's friends were patting him on the back. The professor didn't know what had happened but he was sure it was Harry's fault.

"I see that it wasn't too hard for the school hero to bring himself to class this afternoon, must not have anything to sabotage today." Harry looked at Serena and she just smiled her knowing smile. Professor Snape wrote the ingredients to the Sandman's Kiss and sleeping potion that fakes the appearance of death. Everyone scurried to Snape's desk in order to obtain the ingredients and rush back to their seats but Serena took her time.

"Harry sweetie, find yourself another desk." Without another word he moved its ingredients, books, and pot to an empty desk. No one notice this move except Ron and Hermione—Snape was too busy disapproving of Longbottom's stirring methods to pay too much attension.

Harry hurried to get his potion started so he could watch Serena more closely. Serena whispered to the ingredients in her pot and a light blue smoke oozed out of her pot and danced around her peaceful face. Finally, Professor Snape noticed the smoke and walked over to her pot. "Got rid of the riffraff didn't you but it didn't help you did it." Snape said with a grimace.

"I think I must have done something wrong Professor could you come over here and help me please." Serena said in a frustrated voice.

"It's easy to assume that you won't be prepared for this task. You've never had a proper teacher in the arts of potion making." Professor Snape walked over to her cauldron and looked inside. Before he cook say a word the contents exploded and covered his entire body. The Professor screamed a gut curdling scream that frightened everyone in the classroom. Serena suppressed a smirk that tried to rise up inside of her as he fell to the floor from the pain. Five minutes after he stopped screaming Serena helped Professor Snape off the floor and tried to dry him off with her jacket.

Snape looked at his smooth soft skin and whispered in a voice everyone could hear, "What have you done to me?"

Serena had many years practicing the same lines that she was about to deliver. Over the past ten years she'd gone to about fourteen different schools magic and muggle and she almost was expelled from all of them except for two.

Mischief and mayhem walked in her shadow every moment of the day. Her mother always kept fairy spies on her but they were getting to old and senile to keep up with her antics. The ambassador disciplined her daughter as best as she could but at the moment she was at a loss for words.

"Professor, professor are you alright. I don't know what happened, Sir. Oh my goodness I'm so sorry Sir." She said with all the evidence of concern.

"You knew exactly what you were doing. I just don't know how you did it." Professor Snape walked over to a mirror and looked at his seventeen year old face and body.

Harry saw something familiar in the professor's reflection but he passed it off as shock about the situation. Serena tried to finish drying off the professor he pushed her away with only a glance. "I'm just trying to help Sir, I feel so horrible about this." "How long will it take for this to wear off Miss Serena?" he growled.

"About a month Sir." She said and cowered back.

Professor Snape stared at his reflection without blinking and said, "Then you'll be in detention with me for the duration of this spell—six to eight o'clock every night copying every single spell know to wizards and witches. Clear your calendar."

"But, Professor it was an honest mistake." She said and allowed tears to fall down her cheeks.

"Most of the ingredients needed to make that potions had to be aged for at least a hundred years so don't tell me about honesty or mistakes." The Professor snarled. "Everyone else finish your potions and leave the classroom. Your homework will be to do a paper on the effectiveness of youth serums."

Everyone including Serena did their class work and put their potions on his desk at the front of the room. Serena waited for everyone to live the classroom and walked over to the mirror where Snape was still standing. "My mother will be here in a few minutes. Her spies should have informed her of my activities by now so I'll just stay here with you." She stood there looking at their reflections. Even though Snape was scowling she enjoyed looking at him. Somehow, a circle of roses around his head didn't seem too horrible an idea.

"You're a vain little thing aren't you?"

"You're one to talk—you can't take your eyes off yourself."

"I should give you another month just for that." He said with a smirk. "If I wasn't so enraged by your actions I would admire your skill."

Serena's face broke out into a smile and she said, "I like you despite how you treat the people around you. You could be such a wonderful teacher and person if you decided to put down the wall you have around yourself." She put her arm around him and ran her fingers through his greasy hair which dried up at her touch. Her mother walked in at that moment.

The ambassador walked in without making a sound but Serena knew her mother's prescence. "Hey, Mum."

"Don't hey Mum me—what did you do to the man?" Professor Snape turned around and smiled. He wanted to stop smiling but he suddenly felt happy and peaceful.

"Good afternoon Ambassador I apologize for the inconvenience it's just a slight misunderstanding between your daughter and I."

The Ambassador gently touches the side of his face and smiles. "Her simple magic I can relive you of but the potion I can not. The potion has to run its course. By the way don't allow her to touch you—she has a way with older men I didn't quite teach her."

Snape shakes off the spell and began to glare at Serena again. The Ambassador forgot to take her hand away from Snape's face but other than the glare he was gives Serena he doesn't seem to mind. She stares at Snape longing for a moment longer and Serena catches Professor Snape grimace melt into softer and a more indulgent look. Finally, Snape's eyes falls on the Ambassador. "I feel like I know you but I can't remember why or when."

"Maybe it was in another life." The Ambassador says and transforms into pink smoke. He watches her transform; first she turns transparent, then her hand became softer and warmer, and last of all he watched her longing look turn sad and pouty.

Serena also saw the look and her mind started swirling. She's had never seen her mother affectionately touch anyone but her while she was growing up. The Professor seemed an odd choice—not really handsome or charming and more secretive than she preferred. Why would she like him at all she thought to herself. Now, more than ever she felt she had to investigate this Professor Snape.

Detention began after lunch but Serena was not allowed to go along. Harry and Ron sent portable extendable ears and eyes, a new device or Ron's brothers. Harry wanted to be assured that no unjust harm would come to her even if she deserved it. He suddenly became very protective over her but she laughed it off.

During the duration of her detention Snape never looked directly at her. He handed her a book of spells and she copied every word until her time was up. But at the end of her time she faced his office door and said, "Tell me professor what do you feel about my mother?"

Without hesitation he said, "Attraction but not in a lusty way." He covered his mouth and scowled at the back of Serena's head. She was a little disgusted by his answer but she brushed it off.

"She likes you too, I think. What are you going to do about it?" she said still facing the door.

"Nothing, I'D never breath a word of it to anyone else." He said in a gruff voice and turned away from Serena. "Please stop your magic—don't bully the truth out of me."

"You have my permission to pursue her if you want. After all you humans only live once." Serena opened the door and walked out.

"She would never have me." Snape whispered after she closed the door.