Disclaimer: I own nothing of J.K Rowling's.
A/N: bah... chap two sucketh. wouldst thou stabbeth my heart? Please? lol jk
Chapter 3: Incense Inspirations & Black Robes
Forcing my brown eyes open, I inhaled the fresh new day. The room smelled of coffee and vanilla. There was also a hint of cinnamon. Getting out of my bed, I walked curiously to my door. The aroma wasn't from anything in my room, so I wanted to find the source as badly as a detective on a murder case. I opened the door and left the room, still smelling the now stronger, candy-like fragrances.
Apparently, the scents were originating from the Potions classroom. Why would Snape want to smell so feminine? Knocking on his door, I hoped to receive an answer.
Snape pulled his door open no more than ten seconds after I knocked. He questioned me, "Why are you interrupting my morning, Miss Maguire? I thought you were'nt going to trouble me anymore in the early hours of the day."
"That smell.." A stronger rush of cinnamon pinched at my nose, "What is it? I woke up having my air smell of vanilla, cinnamon, and coffee."
"If you must know, I'm burning insense. I do this almost every morning to start my day off without the musty smell of potions. However, the scent lasts only for a short while. The coffee smell is from the cup I made for myself. Does that answer your second day's rendition of silly questions?" Nothing but anger was shown by Severus. I had royally pissed him off once again.
"Yes, Sir... .. ..Oh, maybe one more question.." I waited for Snape to cock an eyebrow to go on with my query, "Are you going to use the same fragrances every time you burn insense?"
Bewildered by my over-personal interrogation, he practically scolded me. "Is that really your business?"
Did I have to answer? "Yes," I replied sharply, "I live across from you. I can smell it. Therefore, it is my business."
"Fine...I usually use the cinnamon, but vanilla is only here or there. Are you satisfied?"
"Affirmative." With a smile, I walked back to my room and shut the door. Time to get out of my pajamas.
Changing in my usual unelaborate ensemble, I decided showers would be a nightly ritual. First of all, because I would have more time at night to take it, and secondly because I was too lazy in the morning. I realized that today was the day us E.Y.P-ers, (Yes, I love that term.) go to Hogsmeade for our robes.
On my content way to breakfast, I began to recite some poetry. This was very irrelevant to everything, but I found it amusing. I hadn't read poetry in forever, so it amazed me how much I recalled.
Breakfast time on day two of, "Operation Snake's Apprentice" began quite normally. Sat down, grabbed some grub, and chatted with my best friend. We talked of different topics, and I told her about my encounter with insense. She only laughed and warned me not to see Snape first thing every morning. She was right though, if I saw him everyday right when I woke up, I would start having nightmares! Either that or start immitating his ways from seeing him so much. That could actually happen. He'll have me as a clone not for one day, but for the year! That would kill him, or kill me depending if he notices or not. Maybe I'll just pretend to go blind every morning to save my eyes from any Snapey exposure.
Surprisingly, breakfast passed by smoothly as a pebble in rippling waters. (Except, I didn't have a pebble or rippling waters.) I hadn't even been bothered by Snake. However, he had asked me to go to his classroom after breakkie..(Breakfast.) Where else did he think I would go? China? The moon? The Netherlands? Under a rug?
"How do you think today will turn out?" Hermione asked me as we neared the dungeon stairway.
I calmly replied, "I think it'll be alright. Not just today, but everyday. I believe Snape isn't going to be a problem, as long as he doesn't intimidate me too much. If I do as he says without complaint, and don't plan on fighting, the year will be peachy. Unless of course he starts getting on my case for no reason like he did a few times before. I'm not going to pull anything funny."
"Don't sound so sure of yourself, Maguire." The almost silky voice of Snape lingered behind Mione and I.
Damn, why'd I always say styupid things at the wrong times?
We turned and faced our former professor.
"Perhaps," Snape looked down on me and continued, "I will be a problem."
I never noticed how he towered over me, and not just when I felt inferior. My words came out insanely wrong. "Don't be an ass."
Hermione shot a glance of terror at me. My beat red face explained I hadn't said what I meant to. There was no taking back the cuss word.
"Sorry...Snape...I mean.. Professor Snape! Sorry, Professor Snape!" Even my appology was screwed up.
With no patience, the towering man stated, "If I could give you detention, I would give you a month's worth right now. Maybe you should learn how to respect your authority figures a little better. How do you expect anyone to respect you in return? Do you have a malfunction in your brain, so that everytime you speak to me, it comes out as rubbish, nonsense, or insignificant drabble? ... I don't expect you to answer that, for you might actually have to think to answer. I'll see you in my room immediately. There's a load of paperwork you can help me with."
Now, as Snape stalked out of sight, Hermione and I stood speechless. In a moment, she wished me good luck and told me to run to McGonagal's room if I needed her before the Hogsmeade trip this afternoon. We then had to go our separate ways. I, deeper into the dungeons, and her, towards the Grand Staircase. The point of me not being able to see my best friend while I faced an angry Snape made me feel deperate for something to talk to. Yes, something.. What was just as wonderful to rant at as a friend? A journal! What a fantastic idea to post every detail and thought I hold throughout the day! I could keep it by my side at all times and update as the day progressed. Good...It's settled then. I just need a notebook, which I would get at Hogsmeade later on.
Potions class.. Thank the stars I didn't have to learn as a student anymiore. My abrupt entrance startled Snape, who was currently in his study. He exited it and greeted me with nothing more than a scowl. This made me feel so welcome...Not.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" I blurted unexpectedly.
He inched closer to me, "I'm looking at you the way you deserve to be looked at. I have very thin patience today-"
"I can tell.." My interruption was obviously uncalled for.
Very unexpectedly, Snape said nothing and went to his desk. I stood dumbfoundedly, waiting for something.. Anything to happen. Still nothing, but I stayed in place. I swear five minutes crawled by with a deathly silence. If I had to stand here for hours, I would, only to show Snape I wasn't a coward and wouldn't hide away any longer. But why was he so silent? I was just waiting for a bomb to drop on my head or a curse to be placed upon my very soul. But nothing.
Alas! Movement! The Snake peeked his head up from some papers and stared at me.
"I...appologize..?" My appology sounded more like a question, so I repeated it firmly. "I appologize."
Then he caught me off guard, "Why do you enjoy pestering and annoying me?"
"I...I.." My face was again burning with a red tint, "I don't mean to. I don't enjoy it, anyways."
He changed the subject, "Help me sort these papers by date. Month by month. Quickly."
"Fine." I pulled a chair close to his desk, right next to the Serpent, ready to help him in his request.
And I helped. No words spoken. For at least two hours. I felt guilty for some reason. I saw him act as he never did before.. Actually staying quiet through a whole seating near me. Something else was there.. A sort of unspoken understanding resided, mending the broken ties. Paper after paper, I glanced at the mysterious snake from the corner of my eyes. His lips drew my attention, as they were pursed from a deep concentration. My slight staring started to scare me, so I tore my eyes away. I hoped he didn't notice my over-curious self. I bit my lip as I looked again at my professor...err ..former professor. Some invisible force was making me glare at him, and some invisible force made him notice.
"Now, why are you looking at me like that?" He asked in almost a whisper.
I only shook my head and said, "I wasn't." I went back to looking at the papers.
Before I could get any further, Hermione burst through the doors with Ron, Draco, and Gwen by her side. She excused herself to be polite when Snape witnesed there loud arrival.
"Can Maranda be dismissed? We are going to Hogsmeade now. Filch came around telling all of us to get ready and meet outside." Hermione's not so persuasive voice worried me.
Nodding twice, Severus declared to me, "Go, Miss Maguire. I expect to see you on your return, so you may finish helping me. Understand?"
"Yes, sir," I stated in an overzealous manner. It only took me three seconds to run towards my friends.
Hogsmeade wasn't too packed with customers on this beautiful autumn day. I with my friends, my friends with I...uhh..with me.. Who could ask for a better chance to bond? After all, I wouldn't see any of them very often. The first stoor all of us visited was the candy shop. We all agreed of our desire for intense sugar rushes. And indeed, we would have intense sugar rushes..
Where's the chocolate?
"Try this," Draco grinned and shoved a chocolate frog in my face.
I took a bite and instantly felt bad for eating a frog, "This isn't a real, live, frog, is it?"
"What does it matter? You already bit into it." Teasingly, he mumbled, "You bet it's alive."
Ron ran over to me and laughed, "No, don't eat him! That was my friend, you wench!"
We three laughed as Gwen and Mione came over. Gwen had her pet, King Fredrick Monopoly Watson Lionel Gregory the Third, on her shoulder. He was sleeping peacefully. This made me jealous. A lizard got more sleep than I did? How dare he! Hahaha.
Our group moved on to a clothing store. We found the teacher robes section and started viciously searching for the ones we wanted. My destination leaned towards a darker color. Like maybe black or ...black. I didn't really enjoy wearing the other colors they had in stock, which included red, brown, green, orange, blue, canary yellow, navy, lime gree, and pink. Not much to choose from for girls. Guys seemed to have the same colors, but more shades. What was the deal? I say the store was sexist, but I can't jump to conclusions.
Then I saw the perfect set of robes for moi. They were black, sort of like Snape's, but with a peasant top shirt and a long, sparkly black skirt, which ended at my ankles. Also, the best part, there were little rose colored stars scattered around on the shirt and skirt bottom. The robes that overlayed were detachable, which was definitely a positive. They were mine! Mwahahaha! I grabbed them before anyone else did, not like there was anyone but the gang and I in the store.
After a couple of hours, Gwen, Draco, Hermione, Ron, and I went into the Leaky Cauldron for ten minutes. We wanted to spend a few minutes relaxing with each other to catch up on the last day of excitement. Unfortunately, my previous day wasn't too great. I explained, and everyone sympathized.
Except for Ron.
"He loves you," Red-head bluntly stated.
My stern face didn't give Ron a good feeling. I defended myself, "Snape does not love me, nor does he even like me. So, Ron, take your head out of your ass and stop being a bitch!" I had never spoke to him like that before, but it felt right. I needed to show Ron I wasn't kidding when I told him not to tease me anymore last year..and the year before.
"Eh..Sorry, Manic Mara," Ron frowned, "I just find it amusing to tease you. I will try not to anymore."
I obviously knew he would fail at any attempt to stop being an annoying person, but I let it go this time. We all finished our drinks and headed back to Hogwarts for the remainder of our day. The fun was gone, time was out, and we wouldn't see each other until supper. That was at least three hours away.
Upon reaching Hogwarts, I bade farewell to my friends, including Draco, and sulkily stalked to Potions class with my new robes and journal in hand. I planned to drop my stuff off in my room and then go into Snape's room to obey every command of work he would hand out to me. Not complaining sort of backfired in his face. There he was, ready to give me a mountain of work at any second, and here I was ready to take it all and treat it not as a mountain, but as a foothill. How ironic.
"Well," I told myself after putting my new things on my bed, "time to face Snape with another wordless work session."
