Disclaimer: I own nothing here but the plot and the main character, Mina. The rest belongs to none other than JK Rowling.
Chapter 5Mina rushed into the Hogstail. She was flushed and out of breath. Snape was sitting down at a table in the front. His arms were crossed and he was tapping his foot.
"You're late, you know that?"
"Somebody's impatient," Mina replied while taking a seat next to him. He smirked.
"Here," Snape handed Mina a single red rose. Mina remembered Snape saying red was his favourite colour. A red rose signified love, and yet the colour red meant so much more. Being red in the face meant embarrassment, seeing red meant anger, and, of course, red was the colour of blood. It described Snape's personality perfectly. He was an embarrassed, angry, bloodthirsty person. And he was in love.
"Wow... uh, thanks," Mina said, searching for the right words. She took the rose.
"Mina, what exactly is our relationship?" he asked, taking her hands in his own. Mina's eyes widened. What was he doing?
"What do you mean, Sev? We're just friends, of course," she said. Snape sighed.
"Why did you come here today? Do you feel anything for me? Mina, do you know that I love you?" he asked. Mina's eyes grew even wider, until they were practically bulging out of their sockets. She pulled her hands away and set them on her lap.
"Sev, I think love is the wrong word here," she said.
"You're right. I'm crazy for you. I didn't think I could admit it, but it's really been driving me daft, lately."
Mina hesitated to speak. What could she say? She couldn't tell him that he disgusted her.
"Sev, I like you as a friend and nothing more. I understand you have feelings for me, but let me tell you, it's not love you're feeling," she said. Snape grinned mischievously.
"You don't get it, you can't understand the way I feel about you. Maybe you never will. But that won't stop me from trying," he said.
"Whatever." Mina didn't really feel like arguing at the moment. She would let Snape do and think whatever he pleased; it was not her choice whether or not he liked her.
"You smell like butterbeer," he said after a while.
"I-I... well, I just, er, stopped at the 3 broomsticks before I came to get a quick drink," Mina stammered. Snape nodded at her.
"So... what's new?" she asked.
"Nothing, love, just sitting here and having a conversation with you," he said.
"Really? Nothing interesting has happened to you?"
"Nothing of yet. Well, actually, now that you mention it," he looked around to make sure nobody was watching, "Something big has happened a while ago. I have been hiding this for quite some time, but I think now is the best time to let you know." He took Mina's hand and laid it on his left arm, pulling up the sleeve a little. Mina saw something underneath, and her eyes widened in shock when she realized what it was. Her parents both had the same thing on their arms: the dark mark.
"Sev! You're only 15 years old! How could you do that? Are you insane? Do you want to get killed? What are you trying to do?" Mina shot out those questions so fast and didn't even give Snape a chance to answer her.
"You don't know what you're getting yourself into! You tried to hide this from me, didn't you?" She asked. She was angry now.
"For your protection, of course, and mine. I didn't think I could ever tell you, but I knew that if I didn't soon, you would find out, and that would've been much worse. The Dark Lord was recruiting new death eaters at the time, and although I was young, he took me in. I'm willing to work for him, and I'm getting information," said Snape.
"What do you mean by information?" asked Mina.
"I know all of the Dark Lord's plans. I've managed to outsmart him. You see, Dumbledore knows about this. I'm a double agent." Snape expected Mina to relax at this, but it only made her more furious.
"You can't outsmart the Dark Lord! You'll get yourself killed!" said Mina.
"I know what I'm doing, Mina. I can handle it," he said.
"No you can't! I don't want to see you become the next of You-Know-Who's victims," she said.
"So you do have feelings for me. You don't want me dead," Snape said with a smile.
"STOP TOYING WITH MY EMOTIONS, DAMMIT!" The two people besides them who were in the café were now staring at Mina and Snape. Mina stormed out of the café, furious at what she just learned.
She didn't know what to do. Snape would wind up getting himself killed if he didn't stop messing around. How could Dumbledore be in on this? It couldn't have been his idea. Mina knew Snape was weird, but not crazy.
Mina broke out into a run now, eager to get back to the castle. She didn't have feelings for Snape, but she felt that if he died, somehow it would be her fault. She felt that everyone would blame her and she would have to live her life in shame. Her parents would laugh at her. Her friends wouldn't speak to her.
NO! It's not my fault! It didn't even happen, and it's not going to! I won't let it!
Mina then ran into someone, knocking them over.
"Omigod, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you and I-" She stopped when she saw it was Remus who she bumped into.
"That's ok, Mina," he said, smiling.
"Yeah, um, hi, Remus," she said, rubbing her head. She wasn't sure what she should say to him.
"Are you going back to the castle?" he asked her. She nodded. "I'll walk back with you, then" he said.
They walked in silence for the first few minutes. Mina wasn't quite sure what to say after what happened with Snape.
"So how was your date?" asked Remus.
"Date? Oh, it was not a date, I was- we were just... It really wasn't a date at all," she said.
"Sorry. You don't like Severus?" he asked.
"Not as anything but a friend, thank god," said Mina. Remus smiled at this. They kept walking.
"You're an interesting person, Mina. I'd like to get to know you a little better," he said after a while.
"Really?" Mina blushed, "Okay."
"Okay? Well, if you don't mind I would like to ask you to be my girlfriend," he said.
"You want to be my boyfriend?" Mina said, almost laughing.
"You don't like me, do you?" he asked.
"I- no! I mean yes, I do like you. I just thought it was funny that you, a Gryffindor, want to date me, a Slytherin," she said.
"I told you before, you're not like the others. You're special," he said. Mina smiled. She slipped her hand into his and they walked all the way back like that. Finally, when they got to the castle, she spoke.
"I would be honored to be your girlfriend, Remus Lupin," she smiled.
"Then it's settled. What day is it today?"
"Saturday the 12th of October," said Mina.
"Mark that date in your calendar, Ms. Gray, because we are officially going out," he said. He took her hand and kissed it before saying goodbye and going to his common room.
Mina went back to the Slytherin dorms and jumped on her bed, laughing. She was happy; Remus Lupin made her happy, and no guy, especially not Snape, could ever do that for her.