A/N: And here comes chapter four. Amazing how quickly I've been doing these. Really strange...:) :A/N
Chapter 4
Remedial Everything
Celsea was sitting at the Slytherin House table in the Great Hall the next morning. Already, owls were coming with post. She wasn't suprised that she didn't recieve any mail. The time-tables were passed around after that. For some reason, she had no lessons in the second half of the day. This was strange, as everyone else had lessons after lunch. She did not let that bother her, but finished her breakfast, and headed off to potions.
Thankfully, attatched to her timetable was a map of the school that showed her where she was, and where she had to go. She soon found herself in the dungeons, waiting outside the potions classroom, and found that students from Gryffindor were there as well. That must be what Double potions with the Gryffindors' meant then.
Hermione was there, along with Harry and Ron. She walked over to them, as they were the only students in the entire school she was at all acquainted with.
Hey Celsea. Tough luck being put in Slytherin.What do you mean?
Ron made a face.
Well, all the people in Slytherin are absolute idiots, and Professor Snape...
He trailed off as Professor Snape looked at him while opening the door. Celsea smiled, and even laughed a bit. She could see nothing frightening about the teacher; although she had never spent a moment in class with him, she found him more intriguing than frightening. She looked back at Ron and grinned.
I look better in green.
With that she sat down in an empty desk at the side of the classroom and looked expectantly up at the chalkboard. Professor Snape looked much more frightening in his classroom than he had when opening the door. To her surprise, Professor Snape merely put the instructions on the board and expected everyone to follow them. Well, this is their fifth year doing this...they must understand enough to follow along. Thankfully for her, the rather imposing looking teacher walked over towards her.
Well, our tutoring starts here I believe.
Celsea looked up and grinned. His voice was so deep she was surprised the room wasn't quaking. She had always loved deep voices.
I guess so.
He explained the steps to her, and then showed her which ingredients were which. The class reminded her of her Food Studies in muggle school. She tried her best to follow the directions exactly, and in the end although her result was far from perfect, it bore some resemblance to his description. She looked over to the rest of the class to see how they were doing. Hermione's looked perfect, but few others did. She felt that hers was a little lower than average. How did I manage that? Is everyone just lazy in this class? I mean...if they followed the directions they should get it.
She followed the directions of everyone else and bottled a sample of her potion, and put it on Snape's desk. He looked surprised at her result, thanked her, and told her he would see her here after lunch.
She did not notice it in class, but she had worked up a ravenous apetite. Celsea checked her timetable to see what was next. It appeared that Lunch was in 20 minutes. With a start of realization, the girl realized that she still hadn't sent her letter to Remus. She hurried down the hallway to her dorm and retrieved it, and then followed her map to the Owlery. She found her owl and then remembered that she had not thought of a name for the poor creature.
Hmm...Felaldred you'll be. Take this to Remus please.
She tied the letter to Felaldred's leg and let him out the window. After that she hurried back to the Great Hall for lunch.
The hall looked so lovely; it was tall and large, and everything was made of sculpted stone and marble. As she looked up at the ceiling, she noticed it was bewitched to show the sky. She found a place at the Slytherin table, and had almost helped herself to the dish closest to her when she remembered. What am I doing? I don't eat meat. She looked around for the nearest dish of vegetables and grabbed some bread. This could become a problem...however she would get through it. If she could do it in the muggle world, she could manage as a wizard.
After lunch, she walked back to the potions room, noting the familiar smell of bizarre ingredients filling the air.
Miss Hatwell, welcome back.
He looked mildly surprised at her again. Celsea wondered how long it would last until she became normal. But then what was ? She fiddled with her robes as she waited for him to be ready for her. Robes were fun to wear at first, but after a while they became bothersome and hot.
Well, I assume I must start from the very beginning? she laughed. I don't know anything.
Professor Snape looked mildly amused, but said nothing. He took out a dark, slender wand and then turned to face her.
We will begin with Charms. Repeat. Wingardium Leviosa'.Wingardium Leviosa.Good. Now, take your wand, and this feather He handed her a feather. And copy what I do. Wingardium Leviosa.
He flicked his wand in a particular way and the feather rose up in the air, and then he gently lowered the wand back down. Celsea watched, enraptured.
Now you try.Wing....oh what was it again?Wingardium Leviosa.Right...Wingardium Leviosa!
The feather quivered, and rose about a centimetre above the table it was resting on.
Try the wand movement again. It's more of a swish and a flick.Allright...Wingardium Leviosa!
The feather rose again, much higher this time, but soon it fell back to the desk.
When you can get the feather to rise to the ceiling and back down again, we will move on.
She tried and tried, and finally succeeded. Several times she forgot what she was supposed to be saying, and several times exploded with,
Oh I hate Charms.
Whenever this happened, Professor Snape did not say anything but looked at her with the same, mildly amused, interested expression. They tried more complicated, and more interesting spells soon after that, and Celsea progressed, although she constantly forgot the names of all the charms. Professor Snape advised her to make a list, and memorize them.
We'll try Potions again now. From my observations you are rather good at them. Have you ever taken a potions class before?Er...No, I haven't. I've...I've taken Food Studies in muggle school...and that's kind of similar. I don't know...it seems to me that if you pay attention to the directions, and follow them, you'll do reasonably well...right?Food and nutritions studies and things like that.Interesting. You are right about Potions. I seem to be cursed with fools who constantly misread segments, or all of the instructions. I do not think they take Potions seriously, and are only there because they have to be.That's the way it always is with school.
Again, he looked at her as if he found her amusing, but the look soon changed as they moved on to creating potions. Celsea found that Potions was something she enjoyed much more than Charms. With Potions, the instructions and directions were all there, and all one had to do was follow them carefully, and you would achieve what you wanted. Snape seemed very satisfied with her Potions work, and she beamed with joy when he said,
I think that as long as you make an effort to study, and ask me whenever you do not understand something, you could continue without a problem in Fifth Year Potions. You, at least seem to have some sense about them.
She remained smiling as they moved onto Defence Against the Dark Arts.
We have a new teacher for Defence Against the Dark Arts this year, and I do not know how she is as a teacher. Personally...well I will leave my opinion out of it.
Celsea looked at him, intrigued. What had he been about to say?
Anyhow, Defence Against the Dark Arts is a very useful subject for any wizard, for the time may be coming when you will need to use the skills you learn in this class.
He looked at her interested expression.
Do not tell the new Defence teacher what I said, but make sure you learn everything possible in that class.
Celsea's face shone with the proposition of keeping a secret from an adult. This must be really important if he's hinting at it so obviously. The girl longed to ask for more about what the Professor was hinting at, but she stopped herself. If he's told me this much, he'll probably tell me more in his own time. Whatever he's said he's probably got a good reason for it, and a good reason for keeping it secret I'll wager. I wonder if this new teacher is really an evil evil person? She was interested in Defence Against the Dark Arts, and her intrest only grew as time went by. She had to hold her fantasies at bay now, for it took concentration for her to learn. By the end of this lesson, she had learned some minor jinxes and standard defence spells.
I think that Professor Sprout would be the best equiped to help you in Herbology, so I have already arranged that after your Herbology class on Thursday she will help you get caught up there, and Professor McGonagall is the best this school has for Transfiguration, so she has agreed to help you there.Are you sure? I quite enjoy learning from you.
He looked genuinly surprised at that statement.
Thank you, but I think you will be better equiped to move easily into Fifth Year if they are teaching you.Thank you very much for helping me. I'll see you again tomorrow?Yes, and make sure to bring your notes from your classes and I wil help you with those.Again, thank you very much.
With that, she left the dungeons, and walked around Hogwarts, trying to familiarize herself with the place. She walked to all her other classes, and tried to remember where they all were. She was ambling down one corridor, where she heard some boys speaking. Celsea was not an eavesdropper by nature, however she could not help but stop when she heard her name mentioned.
I thought she was in first year.Yeah, and did you see her potion?
They laughed amongst themselves.
Better than Neville's anyway.That's true, but does anyone know where she came from? She could be a mudblood for all we know.Nah, that can't be...she made it into Slytherin, so her parents must have been born of wizards.But then...so was Neville.
The group all laughed amongst themselves. Celsea did not feel particularly angry at them for her own sake, as she knew that people would be naturally curious about her, and where she came from, but poor Neville...whoever her was.
Anyway, I heard that Weasley fancies her.I thought even Weasley wouldn't stoop so low. Even he could set his sights much higher.
Celsea did not know which they meant, as she knew many, but her eyes were now hot with tears.
Don't mind them dearie...
A painting said lazily as she ran past. She could not go to the Common Room, because more of them would be there anyway. Where could she go to be alone? In the end she settled for a remote corner in the dungeons that was covered in dust. It looked like no one had walked that passageway in a hundred years. Despearatly hoping there were no spiders, she sat down and leaned against the wall. It was dark, and she tried to make as little sound as possible, especially as she heard footsteps coming down the corridor. She didn't chance to see who was coming, but she hid her face in her arms, and froze.
There was light in the corridor now, and she knew she was seen, as the person was not walking anymore. She chanced looking upwards, and found herself staring into the face of Professor Snape. He looked confused, and she thought she saw a glimmer of concern behind the darkness in his eyes.
What are you doing here, Hatwell?
She sniffed, and wiped her eyes. She gave him a sheepish glance, and then returned her eyes to the floor.
From who?I don't know. I just heard them talking about me...that's all.Do you know where you are?Not a clue.
This fresh realization was enough to bring half a grin to her face.
Come to my office and I'll give you something to calm you down.
Had Celsea known Professor Snape's character, she would have been very surprised at this offer. However, she was blissfully unaware at how unusual this fit of concern was, and followed him to his office. The place was becoming very familliar to her now, and she took a deep breath in of the unusual smell. Although the dark room held unpleasant memories for most in the school, she found the strange smells, and the dark comforted her.
Snape gave her a chair to sit in, and set about measuring a potion out for her. He did not spoke, and she took her cue from his silence to remain so herself. She took the potion from his long, pale fingers, and drank it quickly. It had a very strange taste, but immediatly after she drank it, she felt much better.
Thank you.Miss Hatwell, if you say thank you' one more time I think I am going to go quite mad.
He looked amusedly at her, and she smiled.
Why should I not express my thanks to someone who has helped me so much?
He sat down, and a strange expression grew over his face. He doesn't get thanked much...he's not used to it, and he thought I was just being polite.
Miss Hatwell, you are indeed a different person than most in this school.
She nodded. She had figured that out already.
They're predjudiced...and childlike. None have grown up yet really.And you think you've grown up?I've had to.
She didn't really want to spew out her entire life story at the moment, and she was glad that he left it at that. Perhaps he saw something there in her face that told him he shouldn't press matters. I'll tell him someday, just not today. It's too soon.
Do you miss your life before Hogwarts.
That question was unexpected. She thought about it for a while, and decided that yes, she did miss it.
I suppose I do. I mean...not all of it...I don't miss my uncle, but I miss well, it's hard really to describe. More like, the feeling of living that way. I was well...a bit of an island on my own, and I was tired of that, and I thought that maybe coming to Hogwarts would help with that, but I see now that I will never fit in anywhere. I'm too different from everyone else for that. First my uncle drove all my friends away...and now I drive them away with my personality...
She trailed off and looked at the floor. She had never really thought about it before, but she had hoped to gain some friends in coming here. She had felt that being around wizards would magically make her fit in, but she was wrong. Perhaps Hermione would be her friend, but it was hard to find time to see her, as everything was so house focused.
Why were you sorted into Slytherin house?I don't know. It think the Hat was really stuck between Slytherin and Gryffindor. I tend to weasel my way out of things a lot, that must be why.So you think we're all blame-shifting weasels?Not everyone...well, I think most of the students are, but I don't think you're like that.
She blushed and hoped she had not gone too far with such a personal statement.
And how do you think I am?I think...well...I think you're...you're just different. I...I think you're like me.
At his raised eyebrow, she blushed and fidgeted with her hands, but when he looked questioningly at her, she continued.
I think...we both don't fit anywhere really. We're both kind of outsiders wherever we go.
She sat and waited for his reaction. She had never spoken so intimately with anyone before, and almost expected him to react like her uncle would at such speculations of character. But he's not like Uncle Horatio. He's different.
I think you are gifted with very clear discernment of character, Miss. Hatwell. That was indeed....close to the mark.
Her clear green eyes looked up at his dark ones in surprise. She had not expected him to compliment her on anything. She looked down again and brushed a stubborn lock of sandy hair out of her face. Had she looked up, she would have seen Professor Snape with a hint of a smile resting in the corner of his mouth.
I think we are very alike, Miss. Hatwell. But it is time for Dinner. You must be hungry.
She nodded, and took her leave of him. Back to the Slytherins. She wasn't exactly overjoyed to be forced so soon into regular company, but she had no choice. People would be very curious, and speculative if she did not show up.
Approaching the table, she greeted Hermione with a grin and sat down to her food. Delightfully, there were several non-meat options for her to choose from this time. She should talk to Dumbledore about getting in some tofu.
A/N: Well? How did you like that? Interesting no? Haha well I realize that Snape is slightly out of character...but hey...might he not be if he saw something in someone that reminded him of himself? No one really knows much about him anyway...we're all just speculating.
Please tell me if you think this is getting a little dodgy...take that how you will...haha. Just give me suggestions, tips, comments, etc. I'd love to hear from you all!
