Chapter Four: Snivellius Snape
Ermengarde joined the Marauders for dinner and laughed as Sirius gave a pitch-perfect impression of Professor McGonagall reprimanding Peter for accidentally turning his cockatiel into a desk lamp with a feather shade. It was so funny that even Peter gave a few squeaky laughs. It was such a wonderful feeling to be sitting there, surrounded by friends and feeling perfectly at ease with them. Ermengarde felt free to laugh, to talk to them, as though she'd known them forever.
"I've got to go to the library before bed," said Remus after he'd finished eating. "I'll meet you all back later."
"I'll go too," said Ermengarde. "I wanted to check out Hogwarts, a History."
Remus and Ermengarde left the others and headed briskly towards the library. Not really paying attention to where she was going, Ermengarde ran smack into someone who had just turned the corner.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!"
She held out a hand to help whoever it was she had knocked down back up. The stranger took her hand and she immediately wished he hadn't. His skin was clammy and cold and she had to fight the urge to wipe her hand on her robes after he had stood up.
"Evening, Severus," said Remus politely.
Ermengarde then snapped her eyes back onto the boy she had knocked over. There, in front of her, plain as day, was none other than the fifteen- year-old Severus Snape, the professor who made it his personal goal to make Ermengarde feel as miserable as he possibly could, making fun of her shyness and her general muteness in class, staring her down in the corridors, even going so far as to mutter just loudly enough as he passed her, "idiot girl". She resisted the temptation to curse him right then and there, knowing that there would be nothing he could do about it...
"What do you want?" snapped Snape.
"Nothing," said Remus. "Just walking."
Snape looked at Remus with shifty eyes, then turned his attention to Ermengarde. He seemed almost taken aback by her, but recovered himself quickly.
"And who is this?" he said, sneering.
"She's a new student. Her name's Ermengarde Switoviak. Ermengarde, this is Severus Snape. He's in Slytherin," said Remus, clearly wanting to continue the journey to the library as soon as possible.
"Switoviak...not a common name, is it?" Snape whispered, stepping closer to her.
"No, I suppose not," said Ermengarde.
"I've never heard of that name before...and I know all the pure- blood family names...I can only assume that you're a Muggle-born?" said Snape in a voice of deadly quiet.
"As a matter of fact, I am," said Ermengarde.
"Shame that such a pretty face has to be stained by the dirty blood...well. I'd better be going. Good night, then."
Snape let out a short chuckle, then squinted at her and pushed past, knocking her in the side as he went. Remus watched after him angrily.
"You should have said something!" he said as soon as Snape was out of earshot.
"Like what?" asked Ermengarde.
"I don't know...something...you can't let him say things like that to you!" said Remus.
"I don't care. I'm used to it by now," muttered Ermengarde.
They reached the library shortly afterwards and went off to find their separate books. Ermengarde looked over and noticed Lily sitting with a few friends, doing homework and flipping through spellbooks. After a moment's indecisiveness, she walked right up to them with all the confidence she could muster.
"Excuse me," she asked quietly. "But...may I please join you?"
The girls looked at Ermengarde with much curiosity. Lily, however, smiled warmly and moved some of the books so that Ermengarde could sit.
"Thanks," she said happily, and she took a seat.
"You must be the new girl," said Lily. "My name is Lily."
"Nice to meet you, Lily," said Ermengarde.
Lily proceeded to introduce her friends. A round-faced, friendly- looking girl was identified as Alice McGovern, a skinny blonde girl was known as Nellie Yester, and the third, a small black girl with long braids was called Luminita Spark.
"And you are?" asked Luminita.
"Ermengarde Switoviak."
"I saw you in Transfiguration," said Lily. "I suppose you saw James performing his ask-out of the day?"
"Yes, I did," said Ermengarde.
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "I know you and he are friendly, but I warn you, he's got a terrible ego. He and Sirius Black think they're the best things to walk the earth. James drives me absolutely mad."
"He is quite good-looking, though," said Alice fairly. "And he's a great Quidditch player. And he's a brilliant student. And—"
"Fine, you go out with him," said Lily with a grin on her face.
"That Sirius is a dish, isn't he? What do you think of him? Is he nice, or is he as arrogant as James?" asked Nellie keenly.
"He's – he's all right," said Ermengarde. "I quite prefer Remus, though."
"Oh, he's pleasant enough," said Nellie. "He's actually the nicest one."
"Yes, why doesn't he ask you out, Lily?" teased Luminita. "You'd say yes to a nice boy, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, I guess so," said Lily off-handedly. She was now copying down the definition of a chimera.
"Ermengarde?" said Remus from behind her.
"Hello, Remus!" said Lily brightly.
"Hello," said Remus. "Ermengarde, d'you want me to wait for you so you won't get lost on your way back?"
"Oh," said Ermengarde. "Oh – that's all right, really. I think I'll be fine. Thanks, though," she added as his face fell slightly.
"Well," he said, quickly recovering a smile. "See you later, then."
Remus left, and as soon as he was far enough away, all the girls burst into furious giggles. Ermengarde faced them again.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Are you blind?" squealed Alice. "He wanted to escort you. He fancies you!"
"Oh, I don't think he does," said Ermengarde quickly.
"She is blind," said Nellie.
"Oh, let her alone," said Lily, though she, too, was giggling a bit. "Listen, Ermengarde, if you want to join us for O.W.L. study groups, we're meeting here every night this week. Since the exams are next week, you know..."
"I'd love to!" said Ermengarde. No one had ever asked her to be part of any group before, and she rather liked how it felt.
"All right, then. Tomorrow night, we'll be here right after dinner," said Lily.
"Excellent," said Ermengarde, and Lily smiled at her.
"Come on, I'll walk with you back to Gryffindor Tower."
Ermengarde joined the Marauders for dinner and laughed as Sirius gave a pitch-perfect impression of Professor McGonagall reprimanding Peter for accidentally turning his cockatiel into a desk lamp with a feather shade. It was so funny that even Peter gave a few squeaky laughs. It was such a wonderful feeling to be sitting there, surrounded by friends and feeling perfectly at ease with them. Ermengarde felt free to laugh, to talk to them, as though she'd known them forever.
"I've got to go to the library before bed," said Remus after he'd finished eating. "I'll meet you all back later."
"I'll go too," said Ermengarde. "I wanted to check out Hogwarts, a History."
Remus and Ermengarde left the others and headed briskly towards the library. Not really paying attention to where she was going, Ermengarde ran smack into someone who had just turned the corner.
"Oh!" she exclaimed. "I'm so sorry!"
She held out a hand to help whoever it was she had knocked down back up. The stranger took her hand and she immediately wished he hadn't. His skin was clammy and cold and she had to fight the urge to wipe her hand on her robes after he had stood up.
"Evening, Severus," said Remus politely.
Ermengarde then snapped her eyes back onto the boy she had knocked over. There, in front of her, plain as day, was none other than the fifteen- year-old Severus Snape, the professor who made it his personal goal to make Ermengarde feel as miserable as he possibly could, making fun of her shyness and her general muteness in class, staring her down in the corridors, even going so far as to mutter just loudly enough as he passed her, "idiot girl". She resisted the temptation to curse him right then and there, knowing that there would be nothing he could do about it...
"What do you want?" snapped Snape.
"Nothing," said Remus. "Just walking."
Snape looked at Remus with shifty eyes, then turned his attention to Ermengarde. He seemed almost taken aback by her, but recovered himself quickly.
"And who is this?" he said, sneering.
"She's a new student. Her name's Ermengarde Switoviak. Ermengarde, this is Severus Snape. He's in Slytherin," said Remus, clearly wanting to continue the journey to the library as soon as possible.
"Switoviak...not a common name, is it?" Snape whispered, stepping closer to her.
"No, I suppose not," said Ermengarde.
"I've never heard of that name before...and I know all the pure- blood family names...I can only assume that you're a Muggle-born?" said Snape in a voice of deadly quiet.
"As a matter of fact, I am," said Ermengarde.
"Shame that such a pretty face has to be stained by the dirty blood...well. I'd better be going. Good night, then."
Snape let out a short chuckle, then squinted at her and pushed past, knocking her in the side as he went. Remus watched after him angrily.
"You should have said something!" he said as soon as Snape was out of earshot.
"Like what?" asked Ermengarde.
"I don't know...something...you can't let him say things like that to you!" said Remus.
"I don't care. I'm used to it by now," muttered Ermengarde.
They reached the library shortly afterwards and went off to find their separate books. Ermengarde looked over and noticed Lily sitting with a few friends, doing homework and flipping through spellbooks. After a moment's indecisiveness, she walked right up to them with all the confidence she could muster.
"Excuse me," she asked quietly. "But...may I please join you?"
The girls looked at Ermengarde with much curiosity. Lily, however, smiled warmly and moved some of the books so that Ermengarde could sit.
"Thanks," she said happily, and she took a seat.
"You must be the new girl," said Lily. "My name is Lily."
"Nice to meet you, Lily," said Ermengarde.
Lily proceeded to introduce her friends. A round-faced, friendly- looking girl was identified as Alice McGovern, a skinny blonde girl was known as Nellie Yester, and the third, a small black girl with long braids was called Luminita Spark.
"And you are?" asked Luminita.
"Ermengarde Switoviak."
"I saw you in Transfiguration," said Lily. "I suppose you saw James performing his ask-out of the day?"
"Yes, I did," said Ermengarde.
Lily sighed and rolled her eyes. "I know you and he are friendly, but I warn you, he's got a terrible ego. He and Sirius Black think they're the best things to walk the earth. James drives me absolutely mad."
"He is quite good-looking, though," said Alice fairly. "And he's a great Quidditch player. And he's a brilliant student. And—"
"Fine, you go out with him," said Lily with a grin on her face.
"That Sirius is a dish, isn't he? What do you think of him? Is he nice, or is he as arrogant as James?" asked Nellie keenly.
"He's – he's all right," said Ermengarde. "I quite prefer Remus, though."
"Oh, he's pleasant enough," said Nellie. "He's actually the nicest one."
"Yes, why doesn't he ask you out, Lily?" teased Luminita. "You'd say yes to a nice boy, wouldn't you?"
"Oh, I guess so," said Lily off-handedly. She was now copying down the definition of a chimera.
"Ermengarde?" said Remus from behind her.
"Hello, Remus!" said Lily brightly.
"Hello," said Remus. "Ermengarde, d'you want me to wait for you so you won't get lost on your way back?"
"Oh," said Ermengarde. "Oh – that's all right, really. I think I'll be fine. Thanks, though," she added as his face fell slightly.
"Well," he said, quickly recovering a smile. "See you later, then."
Remus left, and as soon as he was far enough away, all the girls burst into furious giggles. Ermengarde faced them again.
"What's so funny?" she asked.
"Are you blind?" squealed Alice. "He wanted to escort you. He fancies you!"
"Oh, I don't think he does," said Ermengarde quickly.
"She is blind," said Nellie.
"Oh, let her alone," said Lily, though she, too, was giggling a bit. "Listen, Ermengarde, if you want to join us for O.W.L. study groups, we're meeting here every night this week. Since the exams are next week, you know..."
"I'd love to!" said Ermengarde. No one had ever asked her to be part of any group before, and she rather liked how it felt.
"All right, then. Tomorrow night, we'll be here right after dinner," said Lily.
"Excellent," said Ermengarde, and Lily smiled at her.
"Come on, I'll walk with you back to Gryffindor Tower."