Author's Notes: Aww, I got some reviews! Thanks, you made my day!
Disclaimer: Harry Potter characters and settings belong to J.K. Rowling.
Chapter Seven: The Fight
When Ellie got up the following day, she wasn't nearly as enthusiastic as she had been the morning before. Memories of the detention with Snape plagued her as she put on her robes and went down to the common room to meet Jamie.
Again, Jamie was already there, eager to hear how her detention had gone. They went over to a secluded corner by a window and sat down.
"Well?" Jamie asked.
"It was awful," Ellie replied. "He asked me about my grandfather, he knew him or something, and then I had to clean that cauldron from yesterday. It took ages. He made out again that what happened was our fault. I wanted to hit him!"
Jamie looked at her, worried but also with respect.
"You didn't actually hit him, did you?" he asked, sounding hopeful.
Ellie laughed at the expression on his face.
"Of course I didn't! Do you really think I'd be sitting here this morning if I did? He'd probably turn me into a toad and put me into one of his jars," Ellie said, shuddering at the last part.
Jamie looked confused at what she had said, so Ellie explained about the strange jars Snape kept in his office. Jamie shuddered too as Ellie described them.
"Ugh! Figures he'd be into stuff like that though," said Jamie.
"He said something else too, about my mother," Ellie said.
Ellie had told Jamie that her mother was dead on the train journey to Hogwarts. Jamie had felt awful when she told him. Imagine not having a mother. It seemed terrible to him.
"He said that I should behave in his class, because my mother would be upset to know I'd got a detention on my first day. It was the way he said it though, like it was a personal insult, not just a comment."
Jamie began to fume.
"You said he asked about your granddad, yeah?" Jamie asked. Ellie nodded.
"I bet he knew then, about your mum, and he just wanted to upset you!" Jamie exclaimed, anger rising steadily inside him.
"I wondered that too," admitted Ellie, the urge to cry suddenly hitting him again.
Jamie noticed that there were tears forming in Ellie's eyes. This made him angrier than ever on the inside, but he tried to calm down in front of Ellie. He put his arm around her.
"Don't let that…" Jamie began, pausing to find the appropriate words.
"… that lousy stupid idiotic git get to you. That's just what he wants," said Jamie. Ellie sobbed and brushed a stray tear from her eye.
"I know you're right, but he just makes me so angry! What did I ever do to him?" Ellie said, another sob escaping from her throat.
Jamie thought about it for a moment, and then an intriguing idea suddenly occurred to him. He sat up straight and faced Ellie.
"You said you looked a bit like your mum, right?" he asked.
"Yeah," Ellie answered slowly, confused.
"I bet Snape knew her and he asked her out or something, and she told him to jump off a cliff!" Jamie said triumphantly. Ellie looked at him, horrified at the thought of Snape asking her mum out. Jamie's wide grin began to fade.
"Well, I just mean you can imagine someone as greasy and slimy as Snape fancying someone like your mum. She must have been a right looker if she looked like you," Jamie explained, and then suddenly went red as he realised exactly what he had said.
"Well, what I mean is, um, your mum right, she was probably a nice person and…" Jamie began in an agitated voice, but he couldn't think of a way to finish his sentence without making it worse.
Ellie was blushing furiously. Had Jamie really just revealed that he thought she was pretty? She felt as embarrassed as he looked. His desperate attempts to cover up what he inadvertently revealed however made her laugh.
"Just forget it," she said, breaking out into a big grin. Jamie shot her one of his cheeky looking grins back and they both laughed.
"Let's just go and get some breakfast. I'm starving!" said Jamie.
When they reached the Great Hall and went inside Ellie found herself automatically looking up to the staff table to see if Snape was there. She spotted him sitting at the end of the table. Just like yesterday, he seemed to sense when she had come into the room and looked up at her, but this time he quickly looked back down at his food. Ellie was confused by this action, but at least he wasn't smirking at her again.
The rest of the day went well, almost. Ellie enjoyed her classes and received a lot of praise from her teachers. The Gryffindors had some classes with the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs and everyone seemed to get along quite well. Occasionally the Slytherins would be mentioned, and it seemed the Ravenclaws and the Hufflepuffs disliked them as much as the Gryffindors did.
The last class of the day was double potions with the Slytherins. Thomas and Alex had returned from the hospital wing at lunchtime as good as new. Chris brought up the subject again of paying the Slytherins back for their prank the previous day.
"We can't let them just get away with it!" said Chris.
"But we'll be the ones who get into trouble if we try something in potions!" protested Amy.
Jamie spoke up.
"Amy's right. I want to get back at them too, but you know what Snape's like. We'll have to wait for some other opportunity. Snape's just itching to take points off Gryffindors."
There were murmurs of agreement and Chris grudgingly backed down.
"Fine, but we have to get them back some time," he said, and Jamie nodded to him.
When the Gryffindors reached Snape's classroom Devin was waiting outside with some of his Slytherin cronies. He marched up to Ellie.
"How was your detention?" he asked, a smug grin on his face.
"Shut up Farley!" Jamie said. Devin turned to Jamie.
"Defending your girlfriend, Logan?" he sneered.
Despite all Jamie's talk about waiting for the right opportunity, he snapped.
He shoved Devin away, into the group of Slytherins. Devin immediately struck out and punched Jamie in the mouth, causing his lip to bleed.
Jamie automatically raised his fist, but as he was about to strike Devin back, a strong hand grabbed his arm. Annoyed, Jamie turned to tell whomever it was to get off, but was horrified to see it was Snape.
The other students had not seen or heard Snape approaching, they were so engrossed with the fight between Devin and Jamie. The Gryffindors shared Jamie's horror struck expression when they saw him. The Slytherins couldn't believe their luck.
"20 points from Gryffindor for fighting in the corridors," said Snape coolly, letting go of Jamie's arm. He then began to walk into the classroom, his robes swishing around him. Ellie couldn't believe it. He was letting the Slytherins get away with it again, after another Gryffindor student had been injured. Ellie felt this injustice more personally than the previous day's however, as Jamie had been sticking up for her. Just as Jamie had done a moment ago, she snapped.
"Are you joking?" she shouted at him. Snape stopped, paused a moment and then whirled around and stalked right up to her.
"Excuse me?" he hissed, fixing his cold eyes on hers. She didn't flinch, but looked straight back with her own fiery stare.
"Look at him!" she yelled, gesturing to Jamie's lip, which had begun to bleed profusely. "How do you think he got like that? Don't pretend you didn't see what happened! You grabbed Jamie just after that weasel (she pointed at Devin) punched him in the face! You're not honestly gonna let him get away with that are you, just because he's in Slytherin? You always turn a blind eye to whatever trouble Slytherins cause because they're in your house. It's not fair! "
Snape suddenly wished he could turn Ellie into a fly so he could swat her, hard. He had had hotheaded and insolent students before, but no student had ever had the guts to accuse him like this and glare at him with such contempt before. He swallowed slowly, angry to find she was yet again making him feel uncomfortable. Seeing those eyes looking at him so venomously felt like a knife through his chest. Suddenly he found himself hating this child intensely for stirring up such raw feelings again. He glanced away, knowing that if he kept up this staring contest he would end up doing something he would regret later.
"50 points from Gryffindor for such appalling insolence Miss Winterbourne," he snarled, and then turned to Jamie.
"Go to the hospital wing," he spat, and then stormed into the classroom. The Slytherins followed, some turning to grin smugly at the Gryffindors before entering the classroom. The Gryffindors stood outside, unsure. Blood was spilling out of Jamie's lip and dribbling down his chin on to his robes. Ellie was standing rooted to the spot, shaking with anger. 70 points. Gryffindor had just lost 70 points while Slytherin continued to do whatever they liked.
"Get into the classroom!" Snape barked from inside.
"Go on," Jamie said to his friends. "I'll meet you later in the common room."
"I'll go with you," said Ellie.
"But Ellie, Snape didn't say you could!" cried Helen.
"I don't care. I'll end up losing us more points if I have to sit in front of that slimy git for the next two hours," Ellie replied.
The others shrugged their shoulders and went into the classroom, hoping Snape wouldn't come down hard on them. Jamie looked at Ellie and shook his head.
"How are we supposed to last seven years with the likes of Devin Farley and Snape? This is only our second day!" he said, somewhat unclear because of his bleeding lip.
"Come on, let's go find this hospital wing," Ellie said, taking Jamie's arm.
When the Gryffindor first years got back to their common room, they found Ellie and Jamie waiting for them.
"Snape asked where you were," Amy told Ellie. "He looked dead annoyed when Helen said you'd gone with Jamie to the hospital wing."
"Did he take off any more points?" asked Ellie.
"No, thank goodness. Can you believe it? 70 points!" said Alex.
Ellie felt very guilty. 50 of those points were because of her.
"I'm sorry for losing my temper," she said. The others protested immediately.
"Are you kidding? The look on Snape's face when you talked back to him! It was well worth it!" said Thomas.
Ellie chuckled as she remembered the shocked look in Snape's eyes when he had whirled around to face her after she shouted at him.
"Well, I hope the others see it that way," she said.
The first years soon found out exactly what the other Gryffindors thought.
"Is it true you called Snape on always favouring the Slytherins?" a fifth year Gryffindor asked Ellie as soon as he came through the portrait entrance with some of his classmates.
"Yeah," replied Ellie, surprised. "How did you know?"
"Two girls from Ravenclaw were down in the dungeons getting some stuff out of the student stores for McGonagall and they heard shouting. They came along in time to hear you telling Snape off! So it's really true then?"
Ellie nodded.
"Bloody brilliant!" the fifth year said, and smacked her on the back, grinning. The other fifth years offered similar praise.
"But I lost Gryffindor 50 points!" Ellie said, stunned that they were taking it so well.
The fifth year group seemed to sober up at this. Another boy grinned suddenly and said, "Well, I guess some of us will just have to be extra good for the next few days to make up for it. I guess it won't kill me to actually hand up my Charms homework on time for once!"
As more Gryffindors streamed into the common room Ellie found herself being called on to tell the story of what happened with Snape, with the help of Jamie and some of the other first years now and then. The Gryffindors roared with laughter as Ellie and Jamie role-played the scene, with Jamie in the role of Snape. Jamie hammed it up for all he was worth, swishing his robes about and giving everyone long, piercing stares. By the time everyone left the common room for dinner, most of the Gryffindors felt Snape's telling off was well worth 50 points.
The Gryffindors walked en-masse into Great Hall for dinner. Several pointed at Snape sitting up at the staff table and sniggered. Some playfully swished their robes as Jamie had done during his imitation of Snape. Snape noticed this behaviour and his eyes narrowed. He was almost positive the Gryffindor students were making fun of him. He searched the stream of students and quickly found who he was looking for – Ellie. He saw that she and her little associate seemed to be the centre of attention, with many Gryffindors slapping her on the back before sitting down. Students from Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff even got up to speak to her for a few moments.
"Lap it up now Winterbourne," Snape thought to himself, "Because you won't be so happy when I'm done with you."
After dinner, Ellie left the Great Hall with Jamie. As soon as they stepped out of the hall, Snape stepped out in front of them. They both started in surprise.
"I'd like a word with you Miss Winterbourne, alone," he said, glaring at Jamie as he emphasised the word "alone".
Jamie looked helplessly at Ellie, but she nodded to him to signal it was okay.
"I'll see you back at the common room," he told her, and walked off, sticking out his tongue at Snape's back as he left, causing Ellie to stifle a giggle.
"Follow me," Snape told Ellie, and began to walk away quickly. Ellie almost had to jog to keep up with him. She stayed about two paces behind him. She realised that Snape was leading her to his office. Just what she needed; those creepy jars again.
When they got to Snape's office Snape told her to take a seat, and then sat at his desk, just as he had done the previous evening during detention.
"Miss Winterbourne," Snape began, staring at her coldly, "may I ask why you were not in my potions class this afternoon?"
Ellie let out a sigh. She knew she was in the wrong as far as that was concerned. She just hoped he wouldn't take any more points off Gryffindor.
"I wasn't there because I went with Jamie to the hospital wing," she replied in an even tone.
Snape raised his eyebrows.
"I see. Did I give you permission to accompany Mr. Logan?" he asked slowly.
"No," Ellie admitted. Snape's lips curled into a small smile.
"No?" he repeated.
"He needed someone to go with him," Ellie stated.
"Then why did you not ask for my permission?" Snape asked.
Ellie considered this for a moment.
"If I had asked, would you have granted me permission?" she asked, a tone that said they both knew what the answer to that question was.
Snape paused, half-smiling to himself at this question. He didn't bother answering and moved on.
"I am afraid I shall have to punish you for your truancy Miss Winterbourne," he told her, expecting another sudden outburst. He was surprised when she sat still and looked calmly at him.
"I shall inform my last potions class of each day that until the end of term, they do not have to clean up after themselves. Every day after dinner, you are to report to the potions classroom and clean it up, without magic. Perhaps after spending so much time in the classroom, you will remember to turn up for your lessons in future," he said.
"Okay," Ellie said. Again, Snape was surprised at her calm demeanour.
"It may also teach you not to make such a mess, the next time you do manage to show up for my lessons," he added, smirking. He noticed it immediately. Ellie gripped the edge of her chair and an angry glint flashed in her eyes, but she didn't lose her temper, she merely took a deep breath, which seemed to calm her down.
"Yes sir," she replied.
Snape looked at her for a moment longer and then dismissed her. As Ellie got up and left the room, Snape was forced to acknowledge a grudging respect for how she had handled the meeting. He was prepared to take more points off Gryffindor if she had thrown another tantrum. As she walked out of the room, her shoulders back and her head held high, he couldn't help but think to himself that the brat certainly seemed to be her mother's daughter. That made him both respect her and detest her even more.