Author's Note: I realized that last time I forgot to include the disclaimer, even though it's probably obvious, but just to be clear: I DO NOT own Harry Potter.
I also want to thank everyone that's left a review, followed, or favorited this story. It's mind blowing to me that there are really that amount of people who are enjoying this story :) It's very uplifting every time I get an email with a new favorite, follow, or review :D
I'm curious to know what you guys think of how I'm writing the different perspectives. Do you like seeing what different characters are thinking? Is it jarring while you're reading or does it flow nicely?
Also, I've decided to post this to AO3 as well, so don't panic if you see the same story posted there under the same username. It's me :)
Virtual high-five for you if you catch the Good Omens and AVPM references :)
Chapter 11
Monday morning found Avalynn filled with dread and anxiety. As soon as she was conscious enough to realize it was the next day, Ava bolted upright in her bed and instantly wished that she could go back to sleep and not face the students and professors in her classes. A slight sweat broke out across her forehead as she got dressed for the day, and she was just about to give up trying to put on her maroon and gold tie when Professor McGonagall knocked at the door before coming in. Looking at her aunt through the floor-length mirror she was standing in front of, Ava let out a huff of frustration before asking, "Can you please help me with this thing?" She wiped sweat from her eyebrows and upper lip and flung her arms down to her sides in defeat. Silently, the professor approached and flicked her wand, causing Ava's tie to shape itself appropriately and settle down on top of her white button-down uniform shirt.
"You look very nice, dear," McGonagall stated. She frowned slightly when she saw Ava wipe sweat off of her face once more. "Are you feeling well?" she asked with concern lacing her voice.
The young witch let out a tired sigh and explained, "I'm just nervous about it being my first day of classes when everyone else has already been here for a while, and I know it's weird for an older student to be in the younger classes."
The professor clicked her tongue while shaking her head. "You may be in an unusual situation, but no one should single you out for it." Her eyes hardened as she added, "And you let me know if they do." McGonagall quickly waved her wand and Ava felt a cool wind blow over her body. It seemed to settle around her because she could distinctly feel her body temperature drop to a more comfortable degree.
Ava gave her aunt a soft smile and questioned, "Was that a Cooling Charm?"
McGonagall nodded and she headed back out to the living area of their quarters with Ava following her. She saw that the professor was holding a chart of some sort before it was handed to her. Ava's eyes widened and she smiled slightly when she realized that she was looking at her class schedule. For this week, at least, she thought, hoping that she could master the lower classes fairly quick.
"Read over your classes for today and be sure to have the required supplies with you," McGonagall told her.
Seeing that she would have Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, and Potions that day, Ava hurriedly packed up her bag with the textbooks, as well as blank pieces of parchment, quills, and her bottle of ink. Once the young witch was ready to leave, both women headed down to the Great Hall for breakfast. Ava felt as though she was being herded towards her doom, and she began to feel anxious once again. The Cooling Charm must've worn off because she could feel her face heating up again. The closer the two witches got to the Great Hall, the more nauseous Ava felt. She couldn't even think about eating anything right now. As they descended the last few stairs to the Main Entrance, McGonagall placed her hand on Ava's shoulder and squeezed gently, reassuring her, "You'll do just fine today, Ava. I have faith in you."
Ava tried to flash her a smile, but she was fairly certain it came out as a grimace. The professor departed from Ava's side to sit at the Head Table, leaving her niece to approach the Gryffindor table on her own. As she was walking towards her house's table, Ava's gaze roamed over the hall, checking to see if everyone's eyes were on her since it felt as though they were. She let out a relieved sigh when she quickly realized the feeling was just in her head and due to her nerves. However, she was nearly to her seat when her eyes connected with a pair of gray ones from the Slytherin table. Regulus gave her a quick smile, which did little to settle her nerves since she noticed that Severus Snape, who was sitting next to Regulus, was also staring at her. He was giving Ava a blank stare and she had no idea what to make of it. Feeling self-conscious, she ducked her head and rapidly took her seat, across the table from Alice, Frank, and Lily. Even though the three Gryffindors greeted her pleasantly, Ava's stomach was roiling just thinking about how the two Slytherin boys took the news that they were to tutor her.
Noticing that Avalynn hadn't gotten any food for herself, Frank offered her the basket of toast as Lily reminded her with a friendly smile, "Just think of the drink you want, and it'll appear, remember?"
Unable to fathom eating anything at the moment, Ava just nodded and took a piece of toast as water appeared in her cup. She set the piece of toast on her plate, hoping that the others wouldn't pay close enough attention to see that she had no intention of eating it. Thankfully, just a minute later the Marauders appeared, and Ava could feel her anxiety lighten a little bit as Sirius and James took their spots on either side of her. As she looked across the table, just the sight of Remus helped douse the extreme nausea Ava was experiencing. Well, that's damn useful, she thought with an internal giggle as she likened Remus to ginger ale to help settle her stomach. After the rounds of greetings from everyone, Ava attempted to fade into the background as she slowly pulled off a tiny piece of crust from her toast.
Remus was hoping to talk more with Avalynn and get to know her a little better. However, he was distracted from that line of thinking as he noticed that she was barely even nibbling on her food. There was only a small bit of her toast missing since they had sat down almost ten minutes ago, and knowing that there were only a few more minutes of breakfast, he wanted to make sure she was able to eat enough before classes. He looked over Ava's face and was concerned to see that she was paler than usual. "Ava, are you alright?" he asked.
Ava's head snapped up to see Remus looking at her with genuine concern in his eyes, but the brief flicker of hope that his look gave her was diminished by the fact that everyone within hearing distance was now staring at her. Even students that she hadn't met yet were looking at her, and Ava could feel her face reddening. She couldn't stand having all of the attention on her most days since it made her uncomfortable, but on today of all days, this was the worst thing that she could imagine. I need to get out of here. Dropping her toast with a shaky hand, Ava snapped, "I'm fine." She quickly stood, pulling her school bag off the bench with her, and practically stomped towards the exit of the Great Hall, deciding to just wait outside her first class.
The boys, especially Remus, were flummoxed about Ava's behavior, and were debating possible theories until Lily overhead them mention it being Ava's "time of the month." The red-head rolled her eyes and explained, "You're being ridiculous. She's probably just nervous about her first day of classes."
The faces of Sirius, James, and Remus all dropped once they realized that they had forgotten. Remus felt that he acted inconsiderately as someone who was trying to make Ava feel welcome at Hogwarts, even though a part of him knew that there wasn't a reason for him to feel so bereft about her departure. Sirius and James gave each other a long look and shoveled down the rest of their meals. As they stood, James told his friends, "We'll catch up with you guys before class. We're gonna check on Ava real quick." They left faster than Remus could realize that he wanted to find Ava with them. He shook his head and rationalized that he didn't know the new witch as well as James and Sirius did, and that she probably wouldn't want to see the werewolf that must've frightened her upon arrival to the school.
James and Sirius stopped abruptly outside of the Great Hall, trying to brainstorm where Ava could've gotten off to. "Probably her first class," Sirius offered. "She wouldn't want to be late."
James nodded, then frowned as he asked, "What's her first class?"
"How am I supposed to know, Prongs?" Sirius sputtered incredulously. Then he rolled his eyes. "Of course." Looking around quickly to see if anyone could overhear him, he whispered, "The map."
James scrambled to pull the map out of his bag as he and Sirius moved over to the edge of the room so that any students going in or out of the Great Hall hopefully wouldn't pay them any attention. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good," he muttered. Roving over the map as quickly as possible, his hazel eyes found Avalynn's name. "Oh, no," James breathed out.
"What?" Sirius asked worriedly, but as his own eyes located Ava's name, he didn't need James to respond. According to the map, which never lies, Severus Snape and Regulus Black were standing awfully close to Ava in an otherwise empty corridor.
Avalynn was anxiously pacing in front of the Charms classroom, muttering to herself about her behavior in the Great Hall when a throat clearing caught her attention. She looked up to see Regulus and Severus Snape standing a few feet away from her. Reluctantly, she stopped pacing to be polite as she greeted, "Hello." She walked up to the Slytherins, taking deep breaths to calm down, but her nervous energy won out, causing her hands to tremble slightly. Ava crossed her arms, tucking her hands away in an attempt to hide them.
The boys noticed, but neither of them had much of a reaction other than Regulus raising one brow and asking, "Nervous?"
Irritated, Ava condescendingly smiled at him and replied, "You think?"
He laughed good-naturedly and said, "I'm sure you'll do just fine Miss McGonagall, especially with myself and Severus as tutors."
Ava's mouth formed an "O" as she looked back and forth between the boys' faces, unable to tell how they thought about tutoring her. "Is that alright?" she asked with a slight cringe.
Regulus just laughed lightly once more and explained, "Well, I am going to be receiving extra credit in Astronomy for doing such." He then tilted his head towards his friend and added, "Merlin knows Severus here doesn't need any help in Potions, but McGonagall presented it as a challenge of his knowledge. 'If you know the material well enough Mr. Snape, then teaching it should come naturally.'" He gave Ava a smile when he finished, making her feel a little better about asking for the two Slytherins as her tutors.
"Indeed," Severus agreed with one brow raised, speaking for the first time since approaching Ava. She looked at him startled. Such a deep voice and serious expression on a seventeen-year-old was hilarious and she was trying very hard not to laugh. Her lips thinned as she pressed them together and nodded once. Taking a deep breath, both to not laugh and to try and calm down a bit, Ava told them, "Listen, I'm sorry if it's inconvenient for you, but I sort of demanded you two as my tutors, so Aunt Minerva, I mean Professor McGonagall, isn't entirely to blame."
This time, neither boy could keep their masks in place, revealing genuine surprise on their faces. Before either of them could ask Ava to clarify though, all three of their heads turned towards the end of the corridor as "Oi! Get away from her!" was shouted.
Rolling her eyes, Ava stepped out from behind Regulus and Severus and mumbled, "I am so sorry about them. They're incredibly rude," as she planted herself in front of the two Slytherins. Before James and Sirius could come any closer, Ava raised her voice and sternly said, "If either of you has your wand out, you had better put it away right now!" The two Marauders hesitated for a split second, but continued marching down the corridor. "I mean it, James Charlus Potter and Sirius Orion Black. You put your wands away before you get over here!"
Upon hearing their full names yelled at them, the Gryffindors resentfully stowed their wands away in their robes, but their expressions stayed stormy. They were nearly in front of the Charms classroom when Ava turned to the Slytherins and said, "Give me a moment, please," and flashed them a quick smile before taking a few long strides to meet James and Sirius.
"Can I help you boys?" she asked innocently.
James was frowning deeply while Sirius appeared near apoplectic, so she held up a hand. "Please, stop for a moment and think. Do they have their wands out?" The boys glanced over her shoulders to see that the Slytherins, in fact, did not have their wands out. "Do I appear to be in any sort of distress?" Ava gestured to her face and down her robes. "Nope. Now, consider one other thing," and she leaned in close to whisper, "You don't get to tell me what to do or who I can talk to." She backed up a step and added, "Next time, I'm smacking you on the head. I can take care of myself, thank you. Let me politely say goodbye to my acquaintances here, and I'll get back to you." She gave James and Sirius a look which she was hoping conveyed that she was going to be very displeased with them if they continued to stomp over to where she was standing with Regulus and Severus.
The Slytherins had unreadable looks on their faces as Ava returned, but she could detect the trace of a smile when Regulus spoke. "I don't think I've ever seen my brother actually listen to reason before, you know."
Ava smiled and explained, "They just need to learn some manners."
"Good luck with that," Severus sneered.
Deciding to ignore that comment, Ava said, "I wanted to tell you thank you for accepting the tutoring positions and that I'm excited to start learning."
Regulus seemed to be waiting for Severus to say something, but he just pursed his lips and then informed Ava, "I don't think it's on your timetable, but I'll be meeting with you tomorrow and Severus will be meeting with you this afternoon in the library, it's probably listed as a free period for you. I'll owl you about a time and place for our tutoring session later."
Ava smiled in excitement. I'm going to be learning magic! she thought. "Thank you!" she replied a little loudly.
"See you later, Miss McGonagall," Regulus told her with a small smile before grabbing a hold of Severus' arm and turning him towards the end of the corridor opposite James and Sirius.
As soon as the Slytherins disappeared around the corner, Ava's vision was filled with the reddened faces of James and Sirius and their angry words. She tuned out both boys as she massaged her temples and muttered, "I can't deal with this right now."
The boys quieted and then James asked, "Deal with what?"
Ava looked at the genuine confusion on their faces and rolled her eyes. "Boys, I'm talking about you." She laughed at their affronted expressions and explained, "I'm the new kid guys. The only new kid. And I don't know magic." Her voice dropped a little as she said, "I'm nervous and actually a little scared. What if I can't do it? What if I blow someone up or something?" Laughter caused Ava to whip her head up. Both James and Sirius were laughing at her. She reached out and smacked them both as hard as she could on the arms.
The resulting "Ouch!" and "Hey!" were enough to make Ava feel better. She smiled and said, "And that's what you get. Do I need to send Mrs. Potter a letter about her boys not taking good care of me?" Ava was just joking, but she felt guilty creep in as their expressions dropped. "I'm only kidding, guys."
Sirius put his hands on both of Ava's shoulders and shook his head. "No, you're right Ava. We're here for you, and you're going to do great. Don't worry about it."
James placed his hands atop of Sirius' on her shoulders and echoed, "Yeah, Ava. Whatever you need."
Unable to keep from smiling, she responded in a playful tone, "Anything?"
James took his hands from her shoulders and placed them over his heart as he bent down on one knee and exclaimed, "Anything for you, Queen Ava."
Joining in, Sirius released Ava's shoulders and grasped one hand between both of his as he also bent down to the floor. "Indeed, your Majesty. Name it! And Sir Padfoot and Sir Prongs will find it!"
The boys were able to maintain their composure, but Ava couldn't hold in her laughter, causing James and Sirius to let out theirs as well. The young girl pulled up her long-haired knight and wrapped him up in a tight hug. After a quick release, she launched herself at James and gave him the same treatment. "Thank you, guys. I needed that laugh." She walked over to the closed Charms classroom door and picked up her satchel that was on the floor.
Much more calmly than before, James asked, "So what were those two snakes talking to you about, Ava?"
The young witch sighed, knowing that the boys would react poorly. "They're going to be two of my tutors," she muttered quickly before closing her eyes and feeling her whole body tense in anticipation. Not hearing anything, Ava slowly peeked her eyes open to see James and Sirius furiously whispering to each other. They glanced at her briefly before turning back to one another. She huffed and crossed her arms. "So, what's the verdict boys?" she questioned in an annoyed tone.
The two Marauders faced Ava and James explained, "We accept them as your tutors as long as you allow us to accompany you."
Ava's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?" she hissed angrily.
James took a step back, but Sirius stood his ground. "You might not like it, Ava, but we're trying to protect you. It's for your own good."
Her eyes flashed as she turned her glare on the other boy. "I happen to know what's for my own good, Sirius Black. That's twice in one day that you guys have tried to tell me what to do. Regulus and Snape are going to be my tutors and I'll be attending those sessions alone. We'll be in the library anyhow. It's not like either of them would try anything," she told the boys.
Sirius scoffed. "You may know some things, Ava, but we grew up with those twats. Good thing the library is open to all students that would like to study, eh, James?" he asked confidently with his arms crossed.
Ava pouted at him and stomped over to the wall to wait by the Charms classroom door. She was pointedly looking away from Sirius and James for the next minute as second year students began to arrive. She could hear whispers around her wondering about her presence, so she tried to block them out by reciting second year charms in her head. Thankfully, James and Sirius quickly gave up on trying to get her attention since they needed to get to class themselves. Ava huffed out an annoyed sigh and tried to dispel all angry thoughts from her head. You're about to go into Charms class, Ava. A MAGICAL class! she thought with a smile. You already know the material, this is just review. Soon enough, Professor Flitwick opened the door and the students piled into the classroom. Ava stopped at the door to greet her teacher. "Hi, Professor Flitwick, I'm Ava McGonagall."
"It's great to meet you, Miss McGonagall. Your aunt has told me that you've already mastered second year charms, but that you'll be attending class the next few days with the second year students," the short professor replied. Ava nodded and Flitwick motioned for her to take one of the empty seats. Fortunately for Ava, the professor captured the attention of the class and immediately moved onto the lesson for the day. She was worried that everyone's attention would be drawn to her, but since they were more focused on accomplishing the new spell, they paid her little attention. The only time that Ava felt self-conscious was while Flitwick was making his rounds around the classroom to see if any students needed individual help. She was lazily tossing her rubber ball into the air and casting Immobulus when the professor loudly exclaimed his praise for her and awarded her house points. Her class was made up of Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, so she got smiles and approving looks from at least half of the class. As Flitwick moved on, Ava could hear one of the Hufflepuffs attempting to quietly ask her neighbor, "Why is she in here? Shouldn't she be with the other seventh years?" The girl's friend scolded her for being so nosy and gasped softly when she looked up to see that Ava had overheard their conversation.
The two little witches looked petrified, so Ava gave them a quick smile and said, "It's alright. I know it's different. You know that I'm Professor McGonagall's niece?" When the two girls nodded, she continued, "Well, I grew up in the Muggle world, so I've got to catch up on learning magic."
Both of the girls nodded as if that made all the sense in the world and Ava could see that some of the other students around them were listening in. The curious Hufflepuff girl furrowed her brows before asking, "Why'd Professor McGonagall have to adopt you?"
At the Hufflepuff's question, the girl beside her smacked her arm and whisper shouted, "Quit being so nosy, Sarah Cunningham." She then turned to Ava with an apologetic expression.
Ava chuckled at the girls and quickly glanced around to see that she still had the attention of the others, even though they were trying their hardest to look uninterested. She figured that the school would eventually find out about her story anyway, so she might as well tell the truth. Or some variation of it, she added to herself. "My aunt needed to adopt me since my parents have passed away," she started to explain. She noticed the regretful look on the two girls' faces, so she quickly continued, "It's okay, you didn't know. My father died several years ago, and my mother within the past few months. My mother was a Muggle and didn't want me to grow up with magic, so that's why I'm just now attending Hogwarts."
To the other side of her, Ava could hear a Gryffindor boy scoff and mutter, "Stupid Muggles," under his breath.
She whipped her head around to glare at him. She could not let her cover story cause more prejudice against Muggles. "Young man, what's your name?" Ava asked sternly.
The boy hesitantly replied, "Matthew McLaggen."
Ava had to keep herself from laughing. Of course, the cocky little jerk would be related to McLaggen. "Well, Matthew, I want to make it clear. My mother was a good woman, but was too afraid to let me experience magic. It's that simple. She was afraid. Everyone feels fear at some point in their lives, both wizards and Muggles. Also, there's no reason to hold an entire race of people responsible for the actions of one. Did all of the Muggles keep me from attending Hogwarts?" She didn't wait for him to answer. "No. Just my mother. You shouldn't call all Muggles 'stupid' because I highly doubt that you've met every single one of them to know if that's true. Would it be fair of me to assume that all Hufflepuffs are too curious for their own good like Sarah over here? No offense, Sarah. Or would it be fair of me to assume that all Gryffindors speak without thinking such as yourself?"
The boys face turned red in embarrassment, but he boldly responded, "No, that wouldn't be fair."
Ava looked from him to the other students to see if they were still listening and she realized that the attention of the entire class, including Professor Flitwick, was on the conversation between herself and the boy. She was flustered and quickly apologized for interrupting the class, causing Flitwick to chuckle and award Gryffindor five points for "an insightful class discussion."
Ava let out a breath and took a peek at the students sitting closest to her. Sarah and her friend were smiling at her, while the boy, Matthew, seemed to be pouting. After a second of deliberation, he gave Ava a nod. She assumed it was to signal that he understood the point of the conversation and wasn't going to hold it against her. The rest of Charms class passed without any more questions from her classmates, so Ava had the chance to review some for Defense before heading to that class next. As Ava hurried through the corridors and up staircases to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, she passed the Marauders. She briefly made eye contact with James and Sirius before squaring her shoulders and plowing on through the crowd of students.
Once Ava arrived at the classroom, she could see that this first year class was made up of Slytherins and Gryffindors. Unlike Professor Flitwick, Professor Fell had no qualms about making Ava stand up in front of the class and introduce herself. Just to make things easier, Ava added in that she was in a class with first years because she was only just now able to learn about magic. Thankfully, Professor Fell wouldn't allow the students to ask her any personal questions and motioned for her to take a seat before continuing with a lesson on Expelliarmus. Ava was truly enjoying herself during the practical portion of the class when the students were paired off to practice casting on one another. Ava couldn't cast properly her first go around, but neither could her Slytherin partner. On the third try, Ava could see the Slytherin's wand twitch in his hand, and on the fourth try, she successfully cast the spell, causing his wand to launch into her hand. Not wanting to seem like she was gloating, Ava quickly walked over to give the boy back his wand. This time, she felt her wand wobble in her hand. "You almost got it!" she yelled excitedly. The boy was trying to hide his smile, but couldn't any longer when Ava told him to try again and he successfully caught her wand midair. When he handed her Blackthorn back, Ava held up her hand for a high-five. The little Slytherin boy looked at her hand confusedly and flicked his gaze to hers. She wasn't sure if this was a cultural misstep or if it was a house thing. She softly asked, "Do you know what a high-five is?" The boy nodded, but still looked confused. Ah, so it's a house thing. "Well, go on then," she encouraged him. "You earned it." He looked around the room briefly before smacking her hand so fast that Ava wasn't sure it had happened. She laughed quietly to herself as they repositioned themselves to continue practicing. Both Ava and the boy were able to disarm each other a handful of more times, and each time, Ava gave the kid a high-five. By the end of the lesson, he was grinning and enthusiastically jumping into the high-five. She quickly asked the kid his name before he ran off to rejoin his Slytherin friends when the class was over. "Benedict Smith," he told her. To be honest, Avalynn was quite relieved to not recognize his name.
Finally! Ava thought as she dropped into her seat at the Gryffindor table. Since she skimped out on breakfast, she was absolutely famished. Her nerves had completely gone away after telling some of her story in Charms and then dueling in Defense. Although, she didn't really think it was fair to call it dueling when the pairs just took turns disarming each other. Looking over her class schedule, Ava saw that she had a free period after Potions that afternoon, so she assumed that would be when she should meet up with Snape in the library. She hurriedly ate a sandwich and was working on some potato chips and chocolate covered pretzels when the seventh years arrived to the table. Ava could feel James and Sirius hovering behind her, debating whether or not they should sit down. Taking pity on them, she wordlessly grabbed their robes and tugged them downward. However, determined to still give them the silent treatment, she ignored their whispers and continued to eat until Lily asked her how the classes went. She briefly discussed how Flitwick seemed fairly enthusiastic while Professor Fell appeared more reserved. Frank laughed lightly and said, "You just wait until to get to the upper years' classes. She loves dueling. She's probably like that for the younger students because they can't do much yet." Ava merely nodded and continued eating for a couple minutes while James and Sirius took turns attempting to gain her attention by clearing their throats or accidentally brushing against her. When it became too much, she stood saying, "Well, I've got Potions and then tutoring later. See you guys." She looked at Sirius and James pointedly while she mentioned her tutoring session, hoping it would drill into their brains that she didn't need them there as "protection" or whatever else they would claim.
Remus had heard from his friends about Ava's tutors, and it was clear that she was still upset about their reactions to the news. He had planned on trying to talk with her some during lunch since they didn't have any classes together, but he definitely didn't want to draw her ire. He resolved to speak to Ava another day with an internal sigh as she got fed up with James and Sirius' feeble attempts to catch her attention.
Amidst her internal frustration with Sirius and James, Ava realized that she hadn't packed herself a pain potion that morning, just in case she needed one. Thinking now would be better than never, she quickly darted up to her quarters, having gotten the password from McGonagall that morning: Maine Coon. She rushed into her aunt's bedroom and swiped another glass vial of the pain potion from the few that were left. By the time she reached the dungeons, Ava was nearly out of breath from power walking to get to class on time. Taking a look around the Potions' classroom, she saw that it was the same group of first-year Gryffindors and Slytherins from her Defense class. Her eyes quickly scanned the work tables to see if the kid, Benedict Smith, needed a partner. She saw that he was indeed sitting alone, but chatting animatedly to the Slytherins sitting behind him. Ava realized that she couldn't just cling to the first "friends" she made, so she started to seat herself at a table with a lone Gryffindor when Benedict caught her eye. He gave her a subtle smile and raised his eyebrows before looking pointedly at the empty seat besides himself. Ava chuckled before approaching his table.
"Hello, again, Benedict," she greeted politely. She turned to the others sitting behind him and asked, "Who are your friends here?"
Poor Benedict looked startled at forgetting his manners and quickly gave introductions between the two first year Slytherins, whom Ava also didn't recognize, and the mixed-matched older Gryffindor. Before Ava could explain how she wasn't really in a particular year per se, Slughorn called the class to attention. Of course, Ava should've known that Slughorn would make her stand in front of the class to introduce herself, which she fortunately got out of by mentioning it was the same set of students as her Defense class before lunch, but he also added some pressure to her nagging worry about her academic performance since she was a McGonagall. "Great with Transfiguration and Charms, those McGonagalls!"
The class was fairly uneventful since they hadn't started brewing anything yet. Ava found out that they had already covered the material that she had previously read, like the different types of cauldrons or the twelve uses for dragon's blood, but they were going to start learning how to properly prepare the potion ingredients they were going to use that year. All the lesson consisted of was taking notes on how precisely to cut, grind, slice, etc. each ingredient. Needless to say, Ava was disappointed even though she understood that the students needed to have knowledge of everything that would go into a potion before they would begin brewing potions. She quickly noticed that Benedict took a little longer to write out his notes, so he was frequently caught off guard when Slughorn would flick his wand, erasing the board and posting up the next set of notes. Ava slyly scooted her parchment towards the boy so that he could catch up each time. He looked bewildered by the gesture the first time, but didn't say anything as his eyes darted back and forth between the papers to be sure that his notes were complete. At the end of class, he flashed her a bright smile and whispered, "Thank you," as he packed up his school bag. Ava merely returned his smile with a nod before departing the dungeons.
As Avalynn made her way to the library, her mind wandered, thinking about little Benedict and how if he were older, he could've been approached by Death Eaters. She knew that there was a chance that she could talk through things with Regulus and Snape eventually, but she really didn't know if there were any other Death Eaters that really didn't want to be one. It also crossed her mind that it wouldn't necessarily be safe to approach any others since she didn't have enough information to justify the risk. Ava couldn't help but think of Draco Malfoy and how scared he must've been. What if there are others like him? she thought, causing her internal conflict to worsen. With her thoughts running a mile an hour, Ava hadn't noticed the familiar pressure in her chest returning until she was approaching the doors to the library. Deciding to take the potion sooner rather than later, she paused and dug through her satchel to locate the glass vial. Quickly, she pulled out the stopper and downed the liquid. As she was placing the bottle back into her bag, Snape startled her with a brusque, "McGonagall."
"Shit, Snape!" she exclaimed softly, holding a hand to her chest.
He simply raised a brow at her language and gestured towards the library. "Shall we?" Ava could see his eyes lingering on her hand that had returned the potion vial to her satchel, but she didn't offer up any explanation. Silently, Snape held the door open for Ava and then stalked ahead of her, seeming to have a particular destination in mind. However, she was busy taking in the library for the first time. Slowly trailing behind the Slytherin, Ava saw groups of multiple tables in the center of the room, surrounded by what looked like infinite rows of books. She truly couldn't see the far wall of the room. She even squinted trying to find it, but was interrupted by a sharp poke to her arm. "Ouch!" she cried with a pout. Rubbing the sore spot, she looked up to see Snape standing several yards away from her with an expectant look on his face and his wand in hand. Sighing, Ava hurried over to him through what appeared to be a pathway through the shelves and quietly explained, "I haven't been in here yet."
"Surely, you understand what a library is?" he mocked as he lead Ava to a table on the other side of the shelves that was part of a small grouping near large windows, allowing for natural lighting. She smiled, prompting Snape to ask in a low voice, "Something humorous, McGonagall?"
She turned to him, still smiling, and merely replied, "No. I just like reading in natural light." She settled down at the table as her tutor did and brightly added, "I think I've found a new reading spot."
Snape grimaced. "Oh, joy."
Frowning with realization, Ava told him, "I won't come here if you want to keep this place to yourself. I'm sure there are other spots in the library or castle with good natural lighting."
Taken aback by the genuine concern that she was going to upset him by sitting in a particular area of the library, Severus Snape mumbled, "It's fine." Not wanting to linger on personal topics of conversation, he stated, "My understanding is that you currently have no knowledge of Potions."
The young witch cringed and nodded before explaining, "Well, I know all the different cauldrons and tools for brewing, the twelve uses of Dragon's blood, and I know a bunch of potions and what they're supposed to do. Today, I had a Potions class and we went over how to prepare different ingredients." She went on to list the handful of ingredients they had covered that day and how to carefully prepare each.
Snape nodded with each topic she mentioned, only speaking once she had finished. "Forget nearly everything you learned today," he said firmly. Ava nodded and got out a blank sheet of parchment and dipped her quill, ready to take notes without hesitating. This girl was testing his ability to keep his cool, indifferent mask in place. He was actually expecting some resistance from her and was pleasantly surprised when she accepted his demand without blinking. He was about to begin his lecture on how to most effectively prepare the ingredients she had learned about today when his eye caught movement from behind Ava. Those blasted Marauders, he internally sneered as the four boys planted themselves at a table only a few over from where he and Ava were sitting.
Ava noticed that Snape's eyes were focused over her shoulder, so she slowly turned to see what had grabbed his attention. As soon as she caught sight of Sirius and James, she could feel her face reddening in anger. They made eye contact with her and waved innocently, but she knew exactly what they were doing. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw Remus, but she shook her head and turned back around to face her tutor. "Those fucking idiots," she growled under her breath.
Severus Snape was rather startled by the venom lacing her voice, speaking of her supposed friends that way. "I thought they were your friends?" he asked curiously. Once again, he was thrown by the flashing righteous indignation her glare showed. Well, she can certainly get angry, he thought, hoping she wouldn't turn on him just for asking.
Ava softened her glare once she recognized that Snape was unsettled by her palpable anger. "They are, I guess. But they think I need some sort of protection from you and Regulus," she informed him. She scoffed. "As if."
Snape peered at her curiously. "You aren't afraid of the big, bad Slytherins that delve in dark magic?" he asked in a mocking voice. But truth be told, he assumed that's partially why Lily stopped being friends with him.
Ava almost laughed, but could detect a trace of hurt in Snape's questioning expression. She merely shrugged and responded with, "What are you gonna do? Murder me in the middle of the library in broad daylight? I don't think so. Besides, isn't magic only dark if your intentions are dark?" Snape's jaw slackened at her retort, but he wasn't given much time to ponder on it because she quickly added, "Can we please just keep talking about Potions?" Snape narrowed his eyes at the girl in front of him. He had no idea what to think of her. "I really do want to learn. I'm so far behind everyone else," she pleaded, causing him to suppress his questions and relent.
After only a couple minutes of Snape detailing how to properly prepare certain ingredients and Ava hastily writing down the information, a small paper airplane landed on her parchment. Frowning, she slowly picked it up and glanced up at Snape to see him sneering at the object. "It's a note," he muttered irritably. "Probably from your 'friends'."
She carefully unfolded the plane and read the message: Are you doing alright? Need us to come over with an excuse and get you away from the greasy git? Ava aggressively crumpled the paper in her fist. "Those assholes," she grounded out between clenched teeth. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she thought aloud to herself, "I'm not going to lose my shit. I'm not going to lose my shit in the library, and get kicked out." Hearing a muffled chuckle, she opened her eyes to see Snape smirking with amusement dancing in his dark eyes. "Something funny, Snape?" she asked in a slightly annoyed tone.
He merely said, "Indeed," with his smirk still in place. He found her frustration with the Marauders quite amusing. This witch might not know a lot of magic yet, but when she does, I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of her anger, he thought.
Ava couldn't help but grin at his deep "Indeed." She thought for a moment and leaned forward, whispering, "Could you set the note on fire?" Unsure of what Ava was getting at, he nodded slowly. "Good, could we make it look like I did it though?" His smirk returned full force as he understood what she was thinking. Ava let lose a maniacal grin of her own.
About twenty feet or so away from the Potions tutor and his student, Remus Lupin was attempting to complete his Ancient Runes homework. Attempting, being the key word. James and Sirius just couldn't let the fact that Ava was unbothered by Snape go. Since they couldn't stand him, they expected everyone else to not be able to either. Honestly, he just wanted to put the whole unpleasantness of first through fifth year behind him. Ever since Lily stopped hanging out with Snape, James toned down the desire to bully him, but it's obvious he hasn't let go of his negative feelings towards the Slytherin. Sirius and Peter just egg him on too, he thought with an internal sigh. He peeked up from his textbook to see how Avalynn would react to the flying note that Sirius decided to send over. While the young witch was faced away from them, Remus could've sworn that she was fuming mad. She leaned forward to speak to Snape briefly and then suddenly turned around to face them with the paper airplane in the palm of her hand. At first, he was confused by her bright, wide smile, but it was all rather clear once she gently tossed the note into the air and it instantaneously burst into flames as she maintained her grin while staring Sirius and James down. He shook his head and concealed his smile. Ava certain had flair, that's for sure. His two relentless friends gave audible gulps and Sirius whispered, "Well, that went down like a lead balloon." Remus frowned, confused as to how Sirius would even know what a balloon was, or lead. But before he could ask, he heard the tell-tale sound of Madame Pince approaching their section of the library. Not wanting to get thrown out of the library before Halloween even, Remus quickly told his friends to pack up and vacate the area before the strict librarian found them. When James and Sirius began to grumble protests, he hurriedly whisper shouted, "She obviously doesn't need us here, guys. She'll be fine. I'm leaving." Muttering complaints under their breath, the other boys rapidly collected their things and rushed to the exit.
The looks that overcame James and Sirius' faces would keep Avalynn laughing for days to come. The utter shock and fright was clear as day to read through their expressions. A quick glance to Remus caused a flash of warmth to spread throughout her body. He seemed to be impressed and amused by her choice. His sandy head perked up and they all left in a hurry, to her great confusion. Shaking the divergent thoughts from her head, she swiveled back around to face Snape.
"That was quite amusing, I must admit," Snape said quietly with the corners of his mouth twitching afterwards.
"Amusing?" the young witch asked in a surprised tone. "That was awesome!" she clarified. "Did you see their faces? Oh my God." She chuckled and shook her head when Snape gave her a genuine smile. "Can we keep going?" she asked brightly.
The Slytherin put on a show of being put-out, but he really didn't mind talking about Potions and it seemed that Ava was earnest in her pursuit of magical knowledge. Merlin knows he would be if he hadn't found out he was a wizard until he was sixteen. His mind briefly flashed to his mother, thinking of how she had to stop using magic because of his piss poor excuse of a father. He couldn't help but notice the similarities between Ava McGonagall and his mother. Both kept from magic by Muggles and desperate to use it. However, as the years went by, it became more clear that his mother would never return to the magical world. But Ava, she had her whole life in front of her and was just dying to take it all in. A pleasant feeling overcame him when he thought about imparting his knowledge to someone like Ava, who needed it and wanted it. He was going to be part of her magical upbringing, of sorts, he mused to himself. Snape cleared his throat and continued where he and Ava had left off just a few minutes ago.
Once Ava had essentially rewritten her notes from Potions class that day, Snape had her take another two pages of notes for the ingredients that they were more than likely going to cover in the next few classes. Ava pouted at one point that she wanted to begin brewing potions, and Snape shook his head at her amusedly. He informed her that brewing wouldn't take place in her first year class for maybe another month or so. He rolled his eyes at her antics when she let out a frustrated groan and dropped her head to the table. The Slytherin nearly offered for her to accompany him when he used the potions workroom for his own projects so she could have at least some experiencing observing how to brew properly. He frowned and shook the outrageous thought from his head and instructed Ava to read over the chapters on brewing the Cure for Boils and the Herbicide Potion. While she was reading, he would work on his Transfiguration essay and then quiz her once he was finished. The witch surprised him once again when she flashed him a quick smile and immediately got to reading.
About an hour later, they were once more interrupted, but this time it was by a tapping sound on the nearest window. Snape huff a sigh when he realized that Ava hadn't yet noticed the owl and was still engrossed in her textbook. He stood up to let the bloody bird in to whomever to was supposed to deliver its message to. As he was standing by to relatch the window, Snape was startled beyond belief by a shriek coming from behind him. Drawing his wand, he twisted around to find Ava crouched into a ball with her hands over her head, under their table with the owl sitting on top.
"Is it gone?" she hissed with wide eyes and the most bewildered look upon her face.
His jaw dropped for a mere second before he strided over to the table and promptly took the letter from the owl's talons before shooing it towards the window. The envelope was addressed to Ava, though he recognized the handwriting. Once it became obvious that the owl was gone and Snape closed the window, Ava crawled out from beneath the table and straighten her clothes and ponytail. He let out a low chuckle at the sight she made at the appearance of a mere owl and laughed a little harder when she scowled at him. Ava stomped over to where the Slytherin was standing and smacked him hard on the arm before returning to her seat. The hit to his arm did nothing to dissuade Snape from laughing at her expense. Taking his seat, the wizard saw her scowl deepen, so he explained, "I'm only laughing so hard, McGonagall, because you just looked so shocked, like you'd never seen an owl before."
Avalynn leveled a heated glare at Snape. "That's because it was my first owl, you jerk," she whispered angrily as she forcefully opened her textbook and turned the pages to resume her reading.
Oh, no. Now he felt like an idiot. He had heard that she grew up in the Muggle world, but he assumed that she must've stayed in contact with her magical relatives, like Professor McGonagall. "My apologies," he muttered quickly.
Ava's head snapped up at his comment. She hadn't expected him to actually apologize considering, well, who he was. She nodded once before opening the envelope and scanning the message quickly. She smiled and announced, "It's from Regulus. He wants me to meet him in the Astronomy Tower tonight at ten o'clock." Snape didn't feel the need to reply, so he continued working on his essay as Ava finished the chapter on the Herbicide Potion.
After a momentary silence, Snape nonchalantly asked, "McGonagall, why did you request me as a tutor?" At her confused look, he expounded, "I understand that you're new to Hogwarts, but surely your aunt, Professor McGonagall, explained the house rivalries. It's no secret that Slytherins and Gryffindors openly loathe each other."
Avalynn thought this might come up with Snape or Regulus, so she figured that she'd just tell them the same thing she told her aunt. "Well, I heard that you were the best when it came to Potions and I know that I have a lot to catch up on, so I figured why not start with the best foundation I can? The houses don't matter much to me anyway," she told him with a wave of her hand. He raised an expectant brow at this statement, so she elaborated, "I'm not going to judge anyone by their house. Whether you're a Gryffindor or Slytherin doesn't mean you're good or evil. Merlin was a Slytherin, did you know that?" Not waiting for a response, she continued, "I'm sure there are some Gryffindors that aren't all good either. I think that people should be judged by their words and actions, not where they were sorted, and Professor McGonagall feels the same way. Don't you think that's how we should determine if someone is 'good' or 'bad'?"
To say that Severus Snape was flummoxed would be an understatement. He never thought in a million years that a rational, nonjudgmental Gryffindor would exist.
Ava laughed lightly. "Besides, Benedict Smith is way too cute to be one hundred percent evil."
Well, maybe not rational, Snape thought to himself, amused with her notion that cuteness equated to goodness. For a while longer, Ava reread the chapters as he finished up his Transfiguration essay. Afterwards, he did quiz her, and he begrudgingly informed her that she passed his questions. Before she got too full of herself, he quickly reminded Ava that answering questions about the potion and how to brew it is not the same as actually brewing it. The witch nodded solemnly. He began to pack up his belongings when Ava quickly asked, "Where are you going?"
He rolled his eyes and replied, "McGonagall, we've been at this for hours. Dinner's nearly over, in fact."
Ava huffed, but decided to relent since she felt bad about him missing dinner because of her. Thinking quickly, she tilted her head and curiously asked, "Have you ever tickled a portrait of a pear?"
Snape threw her an incredulous look, so she hastily added, "I promise it'll be a good meal." She began to pack up her things as well, hoping to persuade Snape to join her in the Kitchens.
Though he would never admit it, Ava had piqued his curiosity. "And where exactly is this meal?" he asked with his brows raised, forming what Ava had started to call his "What the Devil is going on here?" Professor face.
She merely smiled and grabbed his arm, pulling him towards the exit of the library. For the first few minutes of their trek towards the Kitchens, Ava regaled Snape with the story of her first day of classes. She further wormed her way into his good graces with the recount of the discussion between herself and the McLaggen boy, as well as her sharing of the class notes with the first-year Slytherin. However naive Ava appeared to be, she seemed to be a suspiciously, but genuinely nice person.
"How much further?" he asked as his stomach grumbled.
"Not much," she quipped as her walking pace sped up and she stopped in front of a large portrait of a bowl with fruit.
"Isn't this near the Hufflepuff common room?" he inquired.
Ava nodded absentmindedly and quietly said, "Now, I've never actually done this before, but I'm fairly positive it'll work."
The caution and worry in her voice triggered the paranoia within him and his mind started spinning. A Gryffindor like Ava was too good to be true. The whole airplane note on fire in front of the Marauders was probably just for show earlier. He harshly grabbed her arm and yanked her towards him. Ignoring her noise of pain, he got in her face and furiously whispered, "Never done what before, McGonagall? Is this some sort of set up? Some prank those imbeciles have waiting for me?"
Ava stared up at his dark eyes, flashing in anger, with confusion written all over her face. What on earth is he talking about? she thought. She replayed his words in her mind as he gripped her tightly again and demanded answers, when it suddenly dawned on her. Prank. He thought she was part of a prank that the Marauders were pulling on him. "No, Snape. It's not a prank, nothing like that. Can you let me go please?"
He briefly considered trying to rattle her more to procure a confession, but she sounded more irritated than worried about being caught. He released her arm and she immediately rubbed the spot, trying to soothe the pain from his grasp. She huffed and looked him directly in the eyes. "I would never knowingly lead you into a trap like that, Snape. I don't know all of the history between you guys, but I've caught enough to know that I don't approve of how they generally treat you. Besides, I'm not happy with them either, right now, remember?"
At her pointed look, he felt a little sheepish. He did forget that she was currently staying clear of those menaces, just as he usually does. Her behavior thus far hadn't shown any indication that she would condone their vindictive style of pranks either. "I'm not apologizing," he stated firmly.
Ava nodded. "I don't expect you to. Now, let's get some food." She turned back around and glanced over the portrait to find the pear. Once she did, she cautiously reached out and seemed to sort of scratch the image of the pear. With a delighted squeal, the pear jumped up and a door swung open in front of them. Ava turned to him with a smile and bounced excitedly before walking down a short flight of stairs and disappearing from view.
Snape grumbled to himself, "I can't believe I'm following a foolish Gryffindor into an unknown part of the castle," as he descended the staircase. His mouth was hanging open once he realized that they were truly in the Kitchens of Hogwarts. It looked like the back of a massive restaurant. Bustling activity of house elves all over the giant room, food being cooked on stoves, in ovens, dishes being cleaned, food being prepped for the next day by seemingly invisible hands. But mostly, it was dishes being cleaned since dinner in the Great Hall was drawing to a close. The open space that Snape was standing in had a couple of small tables and bar stools at a short bar for people to sit at. Ava's voice calling out, "Flopsy!" drew the wizard's attention. He looked over to see her sitting at one of the tables as a house elf popped into sight beside her. Jumping a little at Flopsy's sudden appearance, Ava politely asked, "Is there anything in particular that you'd like Snape?" He mutely shook his head. "Well, then, Flopsy, can we have a big plate full of everything that was served in the Great Hall tonight? We were studying for a little too long."
The tiny elf nodded. "Of course, Missus McGonagall," she replied before popping away.
Snape slowly approached the table and let out a breath. "I never knew this existed," he told her, still in slight awe, as he looked around the Kitchens again.
Ava just shrugged, knowing that she couldn't really tell him how she knew. Thankfully, before Snape even had time to ask, Flopsy reappeared with plates loaded with roasted chicken and various side dishes. Noting the mac and cheese, Ava let out a hungry grunt and dug into her food. Based on her initial reaction to the food, Snape assumed that the witch would have poor table manners, but it just seemed she was very hungry. They consumed their meal in a comfortable silence until Ava asked Snape what it was about Potions that he enjoyed so much. After that, they spent the next thirty minutes discussing potions and the magic behind it. At one point, the Slytherin got caught up in a current idea of his that he'd like to experiment with, but he had far surpassed Ava's ability to understand, so she just let him prattle on, working his way through his thoughts aloud. Eventually, he stopped speaking mid-sentence, and looking slightly embarrassed, asked heatedly, "Why didn't you tell me I was droning on?"
Ava just shrugged and said, "It helps me to think aloud sometimes too, and even though I couldn't understand half of what you were talking about, it seemed that you worked your way through that problem with the temperature, didn't you?" She flashed him a friendly smile, showing that she wasn't mocking him in any way.
Severus Snape gave her a true smile in return and thought, I think I quite enjoy her company.
