"Cassi. Cassi, wake up! Come on Cassi, you'll miss breakfast!"
Cassi wearily opened her eyes to find Hermione shaking her awake. Hermione let go of her shoulder so she could sit up. "Cassi, you don't look so good," Hermione fretted, worry evident on her face. "Did you not sleep well again?"
Cassi shook her head tiredly. The nightmares had started. It was almost the holiday recess, which meant the school year was halfway over and soon it would be summer and time to return to her "guardian". Nightmares were a commonplace occurrence for her; no part of her home life was worth returning to. Cassi hoped, however, that she would be allowed to stay at Hogwarts over the summer recess. She was almost afraid to ask, but she had to try.
"Maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey for some sleeping potion," suggested Hermione. Cassi forced a laugh. "It would take the Draught of the Living Dead to help me," she said jokingly. Hermione laughed too, but offered, "Then maybe you should see Professor Snape, instead."
Cassi smiled, but that was exactly what she was planning to do. The Gryffindors had double Potions with the Ravenclaws today, and with summer rapidly approaching, it was time she asked for those self-defense lessons. Defense Against the Dark Arts was a fascinating class but Professor Quirrell wasn't likely to get to what she needed anytime soon, and maybe feeling more prepared for the summer would help with the nightmares.
That afternoon, after toiling through two periods of potions exploding on every side of her (she was unluckily seated next to Seamus Finnigan), Potions was finally over. Cassi had told Hermione not to wait for her after class, and every other student was so eager to get out of the classroom that it didn't take long for it to empty. Suddenly Cassi was alone with Professor Snape, who sat at his desk grading students' assignments.
"Did you need something, Miss Renner." Snape's voice cut through the silent room, cold and annoyed. However, Cassi had never been as frightened of him as many of the other non-Slytherins were.
"Yes, sir, I do have a question." She paused for a moment, but when he didn't look up, she spoke boldly. "Professor, I was wondering if you would give me defense lessons. I know you're good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, and...well, I was wondering if you could help me." She paused, not sure if he was even paying attention to her.
Snape continued as he was for a few moments, then set down his quill and folded his hands across his desk. His eyes were expressionless as he stared at her. "Are your Defense Against the Dark Arts grades suffering, Miss Renner?"
She responded quickly, "No sir, not at all-"
"Then why do you need private tutoring?"
She thought carefully about how to respond before saying, "Professor Quirrell's class...is not relevant to my needs at the moment, sir."
"Are you insinuating that perhaps Professor Quirrell is not the best teacher for that particular job?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant!"
"Then I suggest you say what you mean, Miss Renner. Vague allusions and abstract comments can easily be construed as something more...sinister than was intended."
This took Cassi aback. How could she explain without revealing every detail of her personal life? She paused. Finally she tried to explain.
"Well, sir, what I mean is that I currently have a need for some form of defensive training, and in my...particular...situation, knowing how to identify Grindylows isn't the kind of training I need. I agree that that knowledge could help me someday, and I enjoy learning it. However, there are other things that I need to know now. And I don't think Professor Quirrell is planning on covering those topics anytime soon. So if I want to learn them in time for them to help me, I need to look somewhere else. Please help me, Professor," she suddenly pleaded. "If you can't help me, I don't know what to do. I need help. Please." She hated to show her emotions so clearly, but she was desperate. I can't face going back for the whole summer without something to support me, she thought. Please, help me...
She bit her lip as she waited tensely for Snape's answer. This whole time his eyes had been staring unfeelingly into hers; they gave the impression that he didn't care the slightest bit whether her life depended on these lessons or not. After a minute of silence, he spoke.
"Miss Renner, if you really do need private lessons, I will help you." Cassi almost fainted in relief. "However - you will have to prove to either myself or Professor Dumbledore that these lessons are essential, and that you are not simply trying to cheat your way to the top of your class. Am I clear?" Cassi bit her lip again. What could she say? "Yes, Professor. I understand. I-"
Snape interrupted her. "Not now, Miss Renner. As it is, you'll be late for your next class. If memory serves, you owe me a detention this weekend." Snape let a ghost of a smile pass over his face, and Cassi blushed. Yesterday she had stirred her potion too many times, and it had exploded rather messily. It was the first time her potion hadn't come out at least tolerably, and she couldn't think why she hadn't been paying attention. "We'll discuss your lessons during detention. If you would rather explain your position to Professor Dumbledore than to me I suggest you do so before the weekend."
"Yes, sir," Cassi said quietly. "Thank you, Professor." She headed toward the door of the Potions classroom, trying to decide what to do. She closed the door softly behind her, leaving Snape alone in the classroom, and headed toward her next class.