A/N: I had some trouble with this chapter but let me know what you think!
Angelina was apprehensive. Her brown eyes were wide as she traveled deeper and deeper into the bowels of the castle. The suits of armor down here were neglected, tarnished, and their faces seemed more ominous than the brilliantly silver suits above. Strange echoes could be heard occasionally. Not distinct speech, but not abstract sound either. Angelina shivered and forced herself to look strictly ahead. She had been listening when Dumbledore had given her instructions to Snape's office, but she could not help but doubt her own sense of direction down here. Touching her hand lightly to the dank stone wall, she made a sharp right and found herself directly in front of a large wooden door. Ancient dark iron bands crisscrossed the warped wood. She raised her slightly shaking hand and gave it two solid knocks.
"Enter." A firm voice sounded from within. Angelina gave the door a light push and it creaked open inwardly. She walked in slowly and was surprised to see what Snape's office had to offer. It was very simple and neat. The only adornment was a large green Slytherin banner that hung alongside the hearth. She noticed uncomfortably that the green of the banner matched her blouse almost perfectly. So much for house loyalty, she thought to herself. She turned herself back to scrutinizing the office. There was a fire burning in the small fireplace that illuminated the dark stone walls. Snape was seated at his desk, which was situated along the far wall.
"Good Evening, Johnson. I trust you did not have much trouble finding your way down here?" She could feel him starting at her intently, trying to figure her out.
"I actually did get quite turned around, but I'm here now. Your office is...nice." She realized too late that her voice contained noticeable amounts of disbelief.
"That is typically the reaction I get. People seem to think that my office should be filled with torture equipment." Even though he did not smile, Angelina did not feel as though he was being hostile. He was making a friendly attempt at being humorous. Moving the thoughts of disbelief out of her mind she flashed him a smile and moved to sit in the armchair on the other side of his desk.
He had decided to begin with a simple calming potion. After years and years of dealing with incompetent students, he'd decided long ago to underestimate everyone but Dumbledore and himself when it came to potion making. Angelina had seemed a bit peeved at this.
"Honestly, I could brew this up in my sleep. I remember you teaching us this in my third year." She kept her voice calm and light but she was quite annoyed. One of her pet peeves was when she felt as though she was being underrated. Snape didn't know how to react to this opposition.
"We can go over the basic recipes then. We don't have time to try a more advanced potion today." Snape improvised slowly. He had planned on having her brew him a calming potion and then having her leave. Spontaneity did not work well with him, but if she wanted a challenge, he would give her one. There was a hint of a tease about her lips. Noticing that hint was a mistake though because Snape found himself staring at her lips. They were soft and full and…
"Oh Snape. I know all of the basic recipes perfectly. Try me." She could not help but add a slight taunt to her response. Something about him made her want to dissent.
"Coagulant."
"One cup of fresh water, base. Two drops of dittany. Three counterclockwise stirs. One clockwise stir. Simmer for 47 minutes exactly. One drop of dragon blood. Ten clockwise stirs. Use the incantation Sanare with a wide sweep of your wand over the surface of the cauldron." Her response was fast, without a moment's hesitation. He hid his surprise and continued.
"Antipyretic."
"Pinch of black pepper. Burn at the bottom of cauldron for five minutes. Add one part almond oil. Three clockwise stirs. Add one unicorn hair. Use the incantation Febris with a sharp prodding motion with your wand."
"Analgesic."
"Five parts olive oil. 2 counterclockwise stirs. Three twigs of Fey Kapab. One drop of dittany. One sprig of chamomile. Use the incantation Dolor. Again, a wide sweep of your wand over the surface of the cauldron." Snape immediately found a mistake.
"I don't remember chamomile being a part of this potion." His eyes gleamed mockingly as he corrected her quietly. She looked up at him slyly.
"Ah, but I've found that in my dealings with distressed patients that a sprig of chamomile acts as a calming agent. So instead of having to utilize both an analgesic and a calming potion, I only have to use the analgesic. Saves time and resources."
Altering potions successfully? He had never met anyone besides Dumbledore and himself that was capable of doing that effectively. Severus had no idea what to make of this woman. By rights, anyone that chose to banter with him in this way would be properly scorned and insulted. However, this quick back and forth with her did not anger him at all. It did nothing but make his heart race and give him the strangest urge. The urge to smile.
He gave in and looked down at her with a small smile. The smile that she returned made his heart soar above the trees.