One year later
I rolled onto my back slowly so as not to upset any of the jars or books which were located on the top of the bookshelf, where I was lying in a square of sunlight. Gently dooking I relaxed once more.
"Enjoying yourself?" asked my Master, sarcasm shining through once more. Well the only way to fight fire is with fire.
"Immensely," I replied, "it really is a shame that you weren't given this post before, you don't get streams of sunlight in the dungeons, in fact I was starting to wonder if you even knew what the sun was!"
Growling to himself, Severus went back to marking 2nd year essays the scratch of his quill still noticeable despite the fact that I was located 6 foot behind him at the top of a large bookcase. They really must have been bad essays. Eventually the sound ceased and my Master stood and stretched his back and neck. I winced at the array of clicking sounds that came from such a movement.
"You really need to relax a bit more Severus," I muttered clambering onto my feet and hanging my nose over the edge of the bookcase to see him better. He glanced up at me briefly and sighed.
"There is no time for that Sophie," he replied briskly collecting a pile of essays from the same bookcase that I was situated on, "I have 6th year Gryffindor and Slytherins next, which basically means me trying to keep Potter and Malfoy from killing each other for a whole hour oh and I have to put up with the know-it-all," He grumbled banging the essays down onto student's desks.
Smirking I sat up "you and I both know that you don't hate Granger, Severus, you've told me enough times how brilliant she is, go on just admit that you have a soft spot for the girl" he muttered something about insane talking ferrets and carried on with his task. Smirking I followed his movements, I wasn't the only one to spot his apparent appreciation of the know-it-all Fawkes had told me that the Headmaster was well aware of it as well. If only he wasn't so blind to his own feelings, I thought shaking my head, they were well suited to each other, whether as friends or something more, both extremely intelligent, both having a passion for potions, and both not afraid to fight for what they believe in. I knew that they would both get along splendidly if they only talked, but Severus had to maintain a constant façade of indifference, which seemed to be entreating more and more into his personal time. Something was weighing heavily on my Master's mind, he wouldn't tell me, but I would find out, I had been a familiar to this man since he was 14 years old and I would continue to stand by him no matter what.
So lost was I in my musings that I did not notice that his class was slowly beginning to file in, quickly I noted that Granger had spotted me and was smiling. I drew back into the shadows and settled myself comfortably to see what this class had in store.
"Do stop grinning like a simpleton Miss Granger" drawled Severus as the girl hurriedly took her seat "Wands out! This is Defence against the dark arts class not a student soiree!"
Sighing I laid my head in my paws, just another day.
