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Mariko's pov
We were led up to the Slytherin common room and were told that the password was "Polyjuice." There was a picture of Salazar Slytherin guarding the common room entrance. Sasuke, Draco and I were trailing behind the others. When we finally arrived at the common room entrance I had a chat with Salazar.
"Hmm… I like you."
"Well, I am likeable." Salazar chuckled .
"Right, well, it is almost curfew, you three had better get inside."
"Ok, thanks Sal."
"See you tomorrow, Mari." I grabbed Draco and Sasuke and dragged them into the common room. As soon as we got inside everyone in the common room cornered us.
"Where the hell have you three been?" A girl called Pansy shouted.
"We were having a nice chat with Sal." I answered.
"Sal?"
"She means Salazar Slytherin. Apparently, she makes friends pretty easy." Draco rolled his eyes while I grabbed Sasuke's arm and pulled him through the crowd. Everyone was watching us.
"I challenge you, Sasuke Uchiha, to a game of chess." I said.
"No."
"Ok, I order you, as your superior, to play a game of chess with me."
"Fine." He grumbled. The whole Slytherin house was watching us curiously. I slowly set up the board and made my first move. I had only taken one move and on Sasuke's first move he knocked over his king.
"Spoilt sport!" I mumbled. Sasuke just shrugged and made his way to the dormitories. This year every student in Slytherin gets their own room.
"Why did he give up?" Draco asked sitting next to me.
"He knew he couldn't win. My IQ is off the charts. I reached genius level by the time I could talk… Same with Shikamaru.
"Well, if you're so smart why are you not in Ravenclaw?" Pansy asked snootily.
"Because I am an evil bitch and fit better in Slytherin, shockingly. Plus, mother was in Slytherin when she was in this school."
"What about your Father?"
"Don't know who he is… my mother graduated and moved to Japan before she found out that she was pregnant with me and she died the day I was born… amazingly convenient isn't it."
Pansy shut up then and just took a seat across from me while Draco wrapped his arm around my shoulders comfortingly. I smiled at him until the picture frame above the fireplace suddenly contained Sal.
"Hey… Mari. There are some people outside the common room asking for you."
"Who?"
"Ermm… They said their names were something like… Shikamaru… Sakura… Naruto… Kiba… Hinata… and Lee… I think."
"That's great! Can you let them in please?"
"Only for you." I smiled and Sal disappeared back into his own picture frame. When the entrance door opened and everyone piled in.
"Hey, guys."
"Hi, Mari… where is Sasuke?"
"In his room, Naru-Chan will you go get him for us please?"
"Don't call me Naru-Chan!"
"Payback for calling me Koko-Chan!" Naruto just grumbled under his breath and stormed off to find Sasuke.
"What are you guys doing here?"
"We come to get you. Dumbledore gave us permission to stay out after curfew since most of us are insomniacs anyway." Kiba explained.
"Sweet! Hey Shika… give you game of chess?"
"You're on!"
I quickly set up the board and took the first move. We were making moves really quickly, faster than the eye could see. I could hear the whispers of the Slytherins talking to the other 'transfer students' in the otherwise silent room.
"How are they playing like that?"
"They are both Super-genius'. It's scary how smart they both are."
"Check… mate!" I said with smug smirk on my face.
"Yeah… you win… but wipe that smirk off your face."
"or what..?."
"Or I'll do it for you!" With that said he leaned forward and kissed me lightly. I smiled at him.
"Erm… boss?" I heard Sakura call.
"Yeah, what's up?" I answered tearing my eyes away from Shikamaru to look at her.
"Naruto and Sasuke didn't come back." She answered. She was clearly implying that they could be up to… stuff. I heaved a sigh.
"Anyone want to go see what they're up to?" Everyone vigorously shook their head. I sighed again.
"Is Natsu and Serena here?" I asked.
"Yeah… they are over there with Malfoy." Replied Kiba.
"Hey, Draco… will you please bring the fox and the snake over here please?"
He picked up the fox and walked towards us and the snake followed, keeping a very close watch on Draco and Natsu.
"Hey, babies. Serena, Natsu… do you think you two could go find Sasuke and Naruto please?" They both went off in the direction of the boy's dorm. "Hmm… I hope Serena doesn't bite anyone… she's poisonous." Everyone chuckled quietly.
Soon enough Natsu and Serena scuttled back into the room followed by a grinning Naruto and a grumpy Sasuke.
Everyone made their way out of the common room except for me who decided to stay and search for Tora. Everyone said they would wait for me outside. A door opened into the common room and Snape came in. Apparently that door led to his office.
"Hello new students. I am professor Snape, potions master of Hogwarts and Slytherins head of house. My office is just through that door if you need me which, unless someone is dying, you shouldn't. Now, which of the Transfer students are in this house?"
"That'd be me and Sasuke, Snape."
"Miss Akane… I have been asked by Dumbledore to pass a message on to you and any of the other transfer students. You have been given permission to wander around school grounds after curfew. According to the headmaster almost all of you are insomniacs and would prefer not to be cooped up all the time."
"Thank you, Professor. By the way, have you seen a tiny little kitten anywhere. She is about the size of my palm, a grey tabby… she is called Tora… I can't find her anywhere!"
"Yes… she found her way into my office… feel free to come and collect her." He answered. I followed him into his office and he shut the door behind us. He made his way over to his desk and sat down.
"She is in the basket in the corner." He told me. He was watching me rather closely as if he expected me to burst into flames and start tap-dancing on the ceiling… which technically I could do.
"Thanks… Hi, baby… what are you doing in here?"
Hey hey hey, Mariko-nee-Chan, he has a magic signature like yours. I thought he was you at first, until I saw him… He isn't you.
"No, he's not me. Sorry you got confused. Maybe you should focus on my chakra signature instead of my magic one… then it will be harder for you to get confused, ok baby?"
OK!
"Are you talking to your cat?" Snape asked, looking quite confused.
"Yes, I am. If you connect properly with your familiar then they can talk back too." I smiled at him while scooping the little kitten into my arms. "Do you have a familiar yet?"
"No. I don't have one."
"Everyone has a familiar… you just have to find it. How about you come to Diagon alley with us in the next break. We'll see if we can find it for you."
"I don't-"
"I am not taking no for an answer. You're coming. That is that." He smiled slightly.
"You are far too much like your mother." He knew my mother? I took a seat across from him. It was a comfortable armchair in front of his desk.
"Can you tell me about her? I never knew her."
"Ok. Well… We were best friends. Three of us. Ai Akane, Lily Evans and me. The tree of us spent all our time together. Lily was in Gryffindor whereas me and Ai were in Slytherin but we still got along well. Until, we started to fall apart. Lilly started to spent more time with her fellow Gryffindor's, especially The Maruaders. Moony-Remus Lupin, Padfoot-Sirius Black, Wormtail- Peter Pettigrew and Prongs-James Potter. James especially didn't like me at all. He hated me. He was always playing pranks on me and one would've even killed me if Sirius hadn't stepped in. I'm not entirely sure what Potter had against me but… he really hated me. He would always threaten about making my life a living hell, and I would do the same, but he was the one that won in the end. He got Lilly, which left me and Ai alone and broken-hearted. After Lilly started dating him, we rarely saw her. And she never spoke to us. We still loved her but she forgot about us… That was in fourth year… after that it was just me and her. Your mother was a great woman and a very powerful witch. She was pretty amazing. I loved her to bits. I can't believe she is dead."
I reached over the desk and took his hand. He was shocked it seemed as his head instantly snapped up to stare at me.
"You have your mothers' eyes."
"I do?"
"Yes." He opened a desk draw and pulled out a photo frame. In the frame was a moving picture of a younger Snape and a blonde haired blue eyed girl. I stared at the picture.
"That's me and your mother." I looked up into his eyes quickly and looked back down at the picture. My mother had shoulder length platinum blonde hair, bright crystal blue eyes and tanned skin. She was beautiful. Snape, on the other hand, looked like her opposite in every way. He had pale white skin, dark brown eyes and long dark brown almost black hair.
The picture was replaying a short scene over and over again. I am guessing that it is charmed to hold a memory. It started off with Snape scowling at everything around him while my mother was smiling, laughing and practically bouncing around the scene. They were both wrapped up in woolly hats and scarfs and it was snowing. A blanket of white covered the ground around them. Snape stayed scowling for a while until my mother threw a snowball at him. He shook it off and threw one back. It started a major snowball war. They ran around for a while until Snape started chasing her around. She ran from him and they were both laughing and joking around. Eventually he caught her by wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling them both to the ground. They landed, laying next to each other in the show. They were smiling and laughing. That's how it ended. Then it re-started.
"A fond memory?" I asked. I was still watching the picture with unblinking eyes. I couldn't tear my eyes away. I smiled slightly as a snowball hit Snape in the face inside the frame.
"How did you know?"
"I assumed that if you were going to charm a picture to replay a memory it would be one you are rather fond of and would not like to forget." I felt tears welling up in my eyes so I tore my gaze away from the picture and took a deep breath, trying to blink the tears away. Snape was watching me closely, so he probably caught the single tear that escaped my eye.
"Thank you." I whispered.
"For what?"
"Speaking to me about her… and showing me this. Thank you." He just smiled and nodded.
"Keep it if you like."
"B-but it's yours! I couldn't take it from you." I was shaking my head but he just put the picture in my hands.
"Don't worry about it. I have more. Maybe I'll show you some more another time." I smiled and nodded.
"I'd like that… thank you… again… and… Professor? If you don't mind me asking… what was so special about this snowball fight?" I tilted my head to the side in a small show of confusion.
"Ai used to do that too." He chuckled slightly, gesturing to what I was doing. "And… that was the day… she fixed me. I was still broken-hearted that Lilly had left us, and the day before the marauders had almost played that prank that could've gotten me killed and I was kind of… depressed. Ai, she cheered me up… she fixed me."
I smiled at him, clutching the photo to my chest.
"Then maybe I shouldn't take this photo."
"Why not?"
"Because it is a very special memory… and it will give you strength when you are down."
He smiled and nodded.
"Ok… but I will give you one… I promise." I smiled widely and nodded.
"Thank you." He nodded and shooed me out of his office wishing me a goodnight. I scooped Tora into my arms and walked out of the common room, joining my friends in the hall. They smiled and I just went and attached myself to Shika's hip. We decided that tonight we would just take a quick look around the grounds and then go back to our rooms. All through the walk around the grounds I was just thinking about the picture I had seen and the small story I had heard from Snape…
I couldn't help but thing that they looked like more than friends…
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