Author's Note- I would like to thank my reviewer! (You know who you are! I think I love you because you reviewed. *not in a creepy way*)
CHAPTER FOUR
"There are two kinds of teachers: the kind that fill you with so much quail shot that you can't move, and the kind that just gives you a little prod behind and you jump to the skies."
— Robert Frost
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Hermione Granger was not a naturally suspicious person, just naturally intelligent, but she did become a little suspicious when David appeared in the common room wearing his pajamas and a dazed expression. Anyone was bound to wonder what that was about. It's just odd for people to wonder the school in their nightclothes, isn't it?
Well, I surely wouldn't be caught wondering about in my pajamas.
From the glassy look in his eyes and far-off expression, Hermione assumed that David wasn't very aware of his surrounding; she was proven wrong.
Without even seeming to glance in her direction in the nearly empty common room, he knew she was there. "Hello, Granger. If you'll wait a bit, I can be down in less than half an hour and I'll show you the way to the Great Hall."
Hermione nodded in response, knowing he wasn't really paying attention to her answer since he was already gone. She knew that they had plenty of time to get down to breakfast and she was in no hurry. The time was only barely 6:30 and Professor Flitwick had told them breakfast didn't end until 7:45 and their first class wouldn't start until 8.
Hermione wasn't even sure why she was awake and dressed, sitting in the common room and reading a book already, so early. She'd always been an early riser; her dad had teased plenty of times that she often awoke before the roosters could crow.
By the time David appeared by her chair, Hermione was so engrossed in her book that she'd failed to notice him. When she finally saw him, she started a bit before glancing at the clock on the wall and noticing that he'd been gone a little over twenty minutes and she'd barely noticed that five had passed.
I really need to be more aware of life around me while I read…How long has he been standing there?
"Good book?" he asked, amusement shining in his dark, emerald eyes and a small smirk on his lips.
"Yeah, I guess." Hermione answered, sheepishly.
"Do you want to go see if that other girl, I think her name was Moon, is planning to go to breakfast with us? I suppose as your mentor it's up to me to make sure the two of you make it to breakfast and classes today."
"Sure, I'll be right back."
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David watched as the girl bounced up the staircase that leads to the girls dorms. While he was showering he'd come to the realization that he was breaking his resolve not to have any sort of interest in other students. He had become too comfortable around Granger and had decided to put a bit of distance between them.
Of course, he would be sure to do his duty as a mentor and make sure the girls both knew what to expect at the castle, but he wouldn't allow himself to have any sort of actual interest in the Granger girl. He would have to start separating himself from her immediately if he wanted to avoid hurting her feelings in the long run, he knew.
And why exactly do I care if I hurt her feelings? It's not as if I should care. She means nothing to me, after all. Granger's just another first year.
It wasn't long before the bushy-haired girl came back down the staircase, a crease between her eyebrows showing that she was clearly deep in thought.
The expression struck a chord in David's memory, but he couldn't figure out why and that worried him; he'd had an impeccable memory for as long as he could remember, which happened to be quite a long time back. The fact that he couldn't place why something seemed familiar was bothersome. Of course, he didn't allow his face to show that he was bothered; that was not something he would ever allow.
"Lilith says she'll go with Padma, Terry and Cho." David wondered about the disapproval in her voice at Cho's name, but he just raised an eyebrow in question, looking strikingly similar to the dungeon-dwelling Potions Master because of the move, and shrugged before turning to the common room's exit. He didn't hear any footsteps following him, so he called to her over his shoulder "Are you still planning to walk with me or would you rather walk with them?" He didn't stop walking as he asked, mostly because he didn't really care if she thought him rude. If she stayed and waited for the others, it would help him be rid of her faster and he wouldn't have to worry about becoming interested in the girl.
David was slightly disappointed that the girl hurried to follow behind him.
"So…Is there anything in particular that I should know about anyone here? The teachers, I mean." It was a valiant attempt at starting a conversation after walking for over five minutes in a silence that was sure to be awkward for the girl.
"Since this is your first year here, you'll only be taking the basic classes that everyone takes: Potions with Professor Snape, Charms with Professor Flitwick, Transfiguration with Professor McGonagall, Defense Against the Dark Arts with Professor Quirrel, Astronomy with Professor Sinistra, Flying with Madam Hooch, and History of Magic with Professor Binns.
"Read ahead in Transfiguration and Potions, the Professors might not show it but they appreciate students being prepared. In Potions, don't ask questions until Professor Snape has finished his explanations for the day; also, don't volunteer to answer every question he asks, even if you know all the answers because he prefers giving every student a chance to demonstrate their lack of knowledge. In Charms there is no need to read ahead, because Professor Flitwick will take everything very slowly, especially at first, and you will have plenty of time to catch on to whatever he is teaching. Astronomy and Flying are the same as Charms. Both Professor Quirrel and Binns are jokes. You'll need to learn most everything for those classes independently; Quirrel stutters to such an extent that nothing he manages to say is understandable and Binns has a voice that could put an insomniac to sleep. Be sure to bring your book to every class, because you will need it."
"I thought Professor Quirrel was new here because of how the Headmaster introduced him to the school last night. How do you know he stutters?"
"He taught here three years ago, but he took a break from teaching to go travel the world. I remember how aggravating it was to try and talk with him back then, and it's only gotten worse since then. I attempted to speak with him last week and it was torture."
Granger was looking at him like he was a puzzle. "I thought you were a second year, why were you here three years ago? And for that matter, why were you here last week?"
"Do you remember my last name?"
"Snape, right?" she responded immediately, obviously wondering what that had to do with anything.
"Now, what did I tell you the Potions Professor's name was?" David had actually been expecting her to notice earlier that he and the Potions Professor shared a name, and would be seriously disappointed if she didn't put one and one together to make two rather quickly.
"Oh!" The answer to her questions had clearly just come to her. "The Potions Professor is Professor Snape! So, is he your dad?"
"Yes. I've lived at the castle for around ten years."
It was at this point in time that they arrived in the Great Hall for breakfast. Neither of them had noticed, but they'd been getting a few odd looks from the castle's other inhabitants, mostly because a majority of the students had never actually seen the son of their dreaded Potions Professor speaking with anyone besides a teacher. The students who had little else to do besides gossip were already plotting out some nasty rumors that they could spread with the sole intention of making the girl who would speak with the school's outcast have a miserable seven years at Hogwarts.
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Author's Note- Ugh, that was a miserable chapter to write. And worry not, because you will discover exactly what the Snape boys discussed in the next chapter, I think. Maybe. Eh, we'll see. Anyway, that's the plan for now.
Please review! Reviews make me happy.
21ShootingStars.
