What the Heart Desires…..…..Chapter 1
"Draco, stop it!" Annie yells as Draco continued to pour whatever he could get his hands on into the cauldron. Neville was his partner but of course he stood and cowered away from the slick blonde haired 6th year just as before. Annie though wasn't having it as she grabbed ingredients, pulling them out of reach of Draco's long fingers.
"What are you going to do about it Annie? Let me have my fun and stay out of it!" He yelled. Annie was waiting for Professor Snape to come to the rescue and stop his tomfoolery but he seemed oblivious to Draco's behavior.
"STOP IT YOU LOUSY FERRET!" Annie yelled at Draco "I'm tired of you and how you think you're hot stuff well news flash you're not! Now stop before you blow the whole school up."
"Did you just call me a ferret?" Anger sparked in Draco's cool blue gaze as he dropped the root to the table.
"I believe I did, you're nothing but a lousy, good for nothing, smelly, FERRET." Annie remembered the time when Mad Eye turned him into a ferret outside in the courtyard; everyone else knew not to say a word about it to Draco and Annie was pushing her luck. Finally Snape looked over just in time to see the cauldron go up in puff of smoke. Draco laughed as Annie and Neville coughed as the smoke filled the potions room. Severus heaved a sigh; he hated teaching such trouble makers.
"Class dismissed," he muttered, his tone dull as the over used tip of a pencil. "Neville please see me." Neville's eyes widened, even as a sixth year he was still as skittish as a cat. Though most students were when it came to Professor Snape.
"But I didn't do it!" Neville whispered to Annie and she nodded, knowing that even Snape knew it was Draco who caused the home made smoke bomb.
"Don't worry, I'll stick around," Annie said with a confident nod, her tight copper curls bouncing slightly. Neville nodded, his eyes clouded with fear. Annie sighed and walked with him to the front of the room.
"Professor I didn't do it!" Neville said with a shake of his head. This is always how it worked, Malfoy would blame Neville for whatever he did wrong and he'd always get in trouble for it.
"Not again," Snape muttered, his black eyes rolling in annoyance. Annie sighed again as she took the seat directly in front of the annoyed professor "Mr. Longbottom, when will you learn?" Of course Neville didn't answer, he just cowered with his head hung low in shame.
"Professor," Annie interjected, tapping her fingers lightly on the desk as the Potions Master turned his annoyed, dark gaze on her. Annie didn't shrink back in her chair at his heavy gaze; in fact she sat taller than ever before. "You can't blame Neville for this like you always do! As much as you'd like to deny it Draco caused this and I refuse to sit here and listen to Neville whimper at your words because you refuse to put Malfoy in detention!" Annie quips, her chocolate brown eyes sparking with the confidence Neville's lacked.
"Do you have a problem with the way I teach Ms. Hays?" Snape asked, his gaze turning hard. "10 points from Slytherin for being ignorant."
"10 points from Professor Snape for being unjust!" Annie snaps, anger sparking in the depths of her chocolate brown eyes and Severus was taken aback, none of his students had ever stood up to him before.
"Ms. Hays, that's no way to talk to a Professor!" He exclaimed, jumping back slightly on his heels at the edge in her voice.
"Professor Snape, that's no way to punish a student that did nothing wrong!"
"Ms. Hays I will not tolerate your behavior! You will join me in detention," Snape yelled and Neville sunk even more in his chair.
"Detention? Fine, I'll take my first detention that I've ever received since I've been to this school. I don't care, I'm just showing you what you're doing wrong. One of these days professor Snape you'll realize what a horrible teacher you can be!" With that Annie stormed out of the room, her anger causing the papers on his desk to take to the sky, floating back and forth all around the room until they were scattered on the ground all over around the room.
Severus, now fuming over his unorganized work space looked at Neville and said with as much venom as possible "Get out!" and without a second thought Neville was out of the potions room and down the hallway. Severus growled and sat down at his desk, cradling his head in his pale hands. He must be losing his touch.
Annie slowly walked towards Snape's office, when she thought back to what happened her anger flared up again, sparking like a flame inside her. She brought her closed fist up to the old wooden door to the potions room, slowly banging it against the door. On her third knock the door was pulled open and a dark pair of eyes glared at her as The Potions Master glared down at her. "You'll be cleaning the potions room until it's spotless," He growled, his voice bored but filled with an authority that you could feel deep inside your bones. Annie just nodded, brushing past him into the potions room she grabs a sponge and a bucket, prepping to clean the floor. Severus returned to his desk, his black gaze following the witches every move. The 6th year pulled her tight copper curls into a tight bun before getting onto her knees, dragging the wet sponge across the floor. As Severus leered over at her his mind began to wander, thinking of just a few moments ago when he was in Albus's office…
"Sir, I don't have much time. Detentions have been given out and the student will be arriving shortly," Severus said, his tone dull as usual. Albus looked up at him with cool blue eyes, calm oceans compared to Snape's ever hard black glare.
"I see," Dumbledore bellowed. "And which of your students has been ever so graciously handed your time, Severus?"
"Annie Hays," The Potions Master stated, and as he did he could see her chocolate brown eyes, cutting through like daggers.
"Annie Hays? The straight A, never tardy, Slytherin?" Dumbledore seemed genuinely surprised, though there was that knowing twinkle in his calm blue gaze.
"Yes sir," Snape answered, his dark eyes rolling as if to say "is there another?"
"What did she do? This girl has never been in detention before!"
"She needs to learn to respect her professors," Severus slightly snapped, remembering her harsh tone and well placed words.
"You mean she needs to learn to be afraid of you like every other student is?" Severus didn't have an answer to that and now as he watched Annie run the soppy sponge across the tile he realized Dumbledore was right. But it wasn't that he didn't like it… he wasn't used to it… no not at all used to it. Severus continued to watch the girl with those dark pits, his face set in its usual scowl. Annie moved on from the floor to cleaning cauldrons and Severus couldn't help but ask himself why isn't she afraid? As he thought this he felt himself reaching toward her-with his mind of course- using Legilimens to peer inside the depths of her mind. Suddenly Severus saw the cauldron Annie was scrubbing and heard the soft melody of a song:
Cause if you jump I will jump too
We will fall together
From the buildings ledge never looking back at
What we've done
We'll say it was love
Cause I would die for you
On skyway avenue
The singer spun the words in her head and she moved her hips to the beat as Severus continued to listen to the song in her head, feeling the words flow through him. Suddenly the music stopped and Annie looked back at the Potions Master who seemed to be zoned out at his desk though little did she know he was looking through her eyes at himself. So strange, Severus thought, Seeing himself through another's eyes, his dark eyes looked lost in thought as they stared blankly forward. Severus continued to stare at himself through her eyes, wondering what words she'd think of for him. Hatred was one he thought he'd surely hear from her. But what he felt and heard from her was respect, admiration. Her thoughts echoed in his head I'm sure under all that anger is a great person… waiting to be discovered. What happened that made him so cold? Of course Severus was taken aback by this as he pulled out of her head and found himself back at his desk. He shook himself out of his trance as he lifted his gaze to meet hers. She stared at him with warm, caring chocolate brown eyes framed by thick lashes. He continued to get lost in her chocolate gaze until she turned away and continued to scrub at the cauldron in front of her.
Severus looked down at the papers he was grading only to see her name gracing the name box. He didn't even bother checking it and put an O for outstanding on her paper. Annie started cleaning up her supplies and put them back in the closet as Snape continued to slowly grade papers. Once everything was put away Annie slowly walked up to his desk, her anger gone now replaced with a longing that wasn't easily explained. Finally he looked up from the jumble of papers on his desk and up into her chocolate brown eyes. Snape gasped slightly at their intensity but something that he saw in them… the sadness that suddenly overcame them was even more than he could bear. He looked away from her melted chocolate gaze and looked at the tip of her nose before looking behind her at the spotless potions room.
"You may leave," He said with a nod, not even glaring at her like he planned to. Annie stood there for a few extra seconds, just watching him grade papers before she slowly turned to leave. "Is there something else you need Ms. Hays?" the Potions Master grumbled, causing Annie to stop her pursuit to the door. She looked at him and opened her mouth as if to let everything run out of her mouth, out of her brain, and into the world but she just sighed.
"No sir," she whispered before slowly walking out of the room. Snape sighed as he watched her retreating figure. He sat at his desk and slowly placed his head in his hands as his thoughts swirled around him. Something was strange about her… for one thing Severus couldn't get her deep chocolate brown eyes out of his head.
Annie peeked her head out of the door, her tight copper curls flowing like a fiery waterfall over her shoulder. After confirming the coast was clear she darted down the hallway before taking out her wand and whispering "Lumos." The tip of her wand sparked into light and she continued darting across the halls. Finally she reaches her destination; stepping in front of the mirror of erised she watched her heart's desire come true in front of her eyes. From the moment she discovered this mirror she began coming here every night, just to stare blankly at the glass. For once in her life she was given a small glimmer of happiness in her heart, watching what she wanted come true even if it wasn't real.
Severus was also looming around the castle on patrol as usual. Soon he'd be off to bed for his only slice of relaxation. Suddenly Severus saw a flash of light emanating from a wand along with a silhouette dashing across the hallway. Some excitement! Severus thought dully. Which one of his unruly students was sneaking out at this hour? The Potions Master was determined to find out. He followed the bobbing light from further behind, and then suddenly it disappeared. Snape stopped and lit the tip of his own wand before pointing it in front of him as he continued on. He found himself at the mirror of erised, hearing soft barely there sobs.
"Nox," He whispered, causing the light on his wand to flicker out. He walks toward the crumpled student and recognizes the student instantly as Annie, her tight copper curls giving her away as she sobs silently, staring into the mirror. Snape couldn't bear to look at it, knowing what it would show… Lily wrapped around his arm happily, her green eyes staring deeply into his black, kissing him passionately… what the heart desires and what the heart could never have. The Potions master used Legilimens to peer into her head, to see what she sees. There he-err Annie- was staring into the mirror, seeing a woman looking at Annie with pure pride sparkling on her face as she holds papers with 100's on them with her name on them while a man is hugging and kissing her cheeks proudly stating that this is his daughter and he is proud that she is.
They'll never be proud of me… Annie's thoughts whispered in his head Johnny is the only one their proud of… the star quidditch player, perfect grades, perfect looks… I'll never get anyone's love… Severus was taken aback by this. Annie was his best student; Dumbledore admired her for her cunning attitude and problem solving. She's not your normal Slytherin like person, not stuck up like most are. He pulled out of her mind and continued to watch her for a few moments, unsure of what to do.
Finally he spoke "Annie," was all he said, causing the sobbing 6th year to jump, startled by his presence. She looked back at him, tears flowing freely down her pale cheeks.
"I know," She whispers. "I'm in trouble," was all that left her lips as sobs continued to shake her violently though she tried to stop and wipe the tears from her face though more just took their place. Severus looked at her broken form as she held her knees to her chest, shaking with sobs. He understood the feelings raging inside her, the same feelings he had when Lily wouldn't accept his apologies when he called her a mudblood out of anger. Now looking at this girl in front of him; looking expectantly at him waiting punishment. Severus took a deep breath and shook his head while a look of surprise crossed Annie's face. He offered her his hand and she took it.