I gathered every bit of my courage to do so. Severus spent most of his time in his classroom. I hoped to make a spell that would turn him into a toad when I got the chance. I took a deep breath and knocked on the classroom door.
No response.
I grabbed the handle and gently turned it to open the door. The room was a bit dark and gloomy. Snape wasn't around. I stepped inside and decided to take a look at my new work station. The room was large and very spacious.
A bookshelf caught my eye, and I assumed that was where all the textbooks were. I kneeled down and I realized I was correct. Fumbling through, I managed to pull one out of the stacks, and looked at it. I opened it and saw something written in the first page.
This book is the property of The Half Blood Prince
I grimaced. "Who...'half blood prince'?"
"Never stop snooping, do you?"
I gasped and got to my feet. I turned and saw Snape staring at me with his dark eyes. He had his arms folded, making me roll my eyes.
"Don't look at me like that. I'm not a child." I said, closing the book.
"You may like to think so." he said, speaking slowly again.
I held the book close, and walked towards him to exit the room. The door was right behind him and I really just wanted to leave. He moved and stood in my way.
"What are you holding?" he asked.
"A textbook." I said.
He frowned-well, he always frowned. "Give it to me."
"No, let me pass."
He didn't move. "Give. The book. To me."
"I have every right to read it. I'll be assisting you, so I might as well know what I'll be doing."
He tried to swipe it from me, but I stepped away.
"Insolent girl. Give me the book. It's...got several errors."
I smirked. "You're lying."
"Give it to me or else."
"Or what?" I asked, walking past him.
Suddenly, he gripped my arm tightly. I hissed from pain and swung my hand, holding the book, at his face. It struck him, causing us both to freeze. I gasped and he put a hand to his lips. He pulled it away and there was blood.
"I...I'm so dreadfully sorry! I never meant-"
"Get out." he hissed.
I felt just awful and reached into my pocket to pull out my handkerchief. I handed it to him, and he slapped it out of my hand.
"But, let me just-"
He grabbed my wrist and leaned into my face. His dark eyes looked into mine.
"Get...out."
He let go of my wrist and snatched the book from my hands. Then, he turned away, nearly hitting me with his cape. I walked out of the room without another word.
All I wanted was to go home. But, Hogwarts was my home now. I had no family left to go to. They had all been killed by a dark wizard who mustn't be named. He had no reason to. They were all muggles.
He had caused a fire in my village, and not many people survived. I got away because my mother helped me escape the terrible fire. I reached my room and shut myself inside.
###
A knock on my door the next morning woke me up. I got out of bed and rubbed my eyes. I opened my door and saw an older woman wearing a witch hat.
"Goody day, Miss Arabella. I'm Professor McGonagall and I've come to inform you that Dumbledore has asked me to give you anything you need. Anything at all to make you feel comfortable." she said, with a smile.
Would it be possible to send Professor Snape somewhere far away on the next train?
"I...thank you, Professor. I appreciate it very much." I said.
She adjusted her glasses and cleared her throat.
"Well, I hope you're enjoying your time here so far, dear."
"Thank you. I...I'm fine."
"Right. Well, I should be off. Have a good day."
She walked down the hall and I closed my door. I hoped all the other teachers were as kind as Professor McGonagall. She was all ease and very friendly. The complete opposite of Snape. I got dressed and decided to take a walk around the forest.
I sat under a tree and drew a few landscapes. The sound of approaching footsteps made startled me. I clutched my notebook and looked around. Suddenly, I heard a small hiss. I turned and saw a large group of eyes staring at me.
A large spider was staring right at me. I let out a large scream and leaped back.
"Whoa, sorry there, missy!" a voice said.
A large man came into view. He was enormous and had a long beard. His cheeks were red and very round.
"We didn't mean to frighten you!" he apologized.
"No, no, no. It's quite alright-Wait...'we'?"
"Aragog and me. I was just taking him out for a walk." the giant replied.
I looked back at the spider and swallowed. Its fangs were huge and it had very prickly hair on its legs. I felt a shiver go down my back.
"A walk?" I asked, getting up.
"Yeah, he can get a little feisty when he doesn't have his daily walk. Little rascal!"
"This...Aragog, was it? Is your...pet?"
"'Course he is! Rubeus Hagrid, at your service. Professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts." he replied, with a big smile.
I brushed the dirt off of my skirt and smiled. I stepped towards him, holding out my hand.
"I'm Arabella Strauss. I've come here as an assistant teacher."
He shook my hand. His hand was filthy and left mine covered in dirt. I chuckled nervously and wiped my hand.
"Are ya lost, Miss Arabella?" he asked.
"No, I was just drawing. I've been needing to be alone." I replied, showing him my notebook.
"Well, it's a rather nice day. Might I suggest that ya find your way back to the castle before nightfall. Unless, you want to meet Aragog's family."
My eyes widened. "No, no, no! I mean, thank you. I think I'll head back in now. My head is starting to ache."
"I could give you some of Aragog's saliva. Merchant told me it helps with headaches." he offered.
I rushed away, thanking him. I could hear him cooing Aragog from afar. Finally, I reached the castle and caught my breath. The halls stretched so far they seemed infinitely long. I didn't mind, though.
A pair of ghosts passed me in the hall. They smiled and gave me a small wave. I waved back, noticing that one was a very young girl. Her hair was very long, reaching to her waist. She wore a long, white nightgown.
When they passed, I quickly opened my notebook. I scribbled down the girl's form and face as best as I could. Suddenly, I felt someone staring at me. I looked up and immediately wished I had ignored the burning temptation.
Snape was standing against a wall, holding a book. I bit my lip and closed my notebook.
"Do you draw everything that meets your gaze?" he asked.
I wanted to reply rudely, but I wanted to try to be acquainted with this man. Even if he didn't, I wasn't going to be in peace knowing I hadn't tried.
"No, not really. I draw what looks interesting or seems to have a story." I replied.
"A story?"
"Yes. The young ghost girl could've had a wonderful story to tell. Or a tragic one. That's the beauty, you see? You just never know." I said, realizing I was smiling.
To my shock, he also smiled a bit. It quickly washed away and was replaced with his typical frown. I noticed his lip was a bit swollen. I recalled the incident from the other day and shook my head.
I rubbed my arm and looked into his dark eyes. "If it's not too bold to say, sir, I just want to...apologize for my outburst the other day. I never meant to strike you in the face."
He lowered his gaze and stared at the floor. We both stood in silence, until he cleared his throat.
"It's getting rather late." he said.
I nodded. "Yes. I'll see you tomorrow, then. Professor Snape."
"Miss Strauss."
And, we both went our own way.
A/N: A lotta things happen in this chapter, eh? Arabella finds the Half-Blood Prince's book, she meets Hagrid, and we get a small non-hateful scene with her and Snape. It was a huge struggle to keep the scene from being too fluffy. I probably could've done better, but I don't want these two to be friends just yet...
