Hello. Just a warning, if you aren't into creepy Hogwarts professors...stop reading XD cos there's a lot of that a-comin'. Enjoy :)
"Sleep well?" Luna asked at breakfast the next morning. She sipped her glass of orange juice.
"Um…not as well as I'd have liked. I guess I'm just nervous..."
"Well, maybe we'll have some classes together?" Luna tried to cheer me up. Her squeaky Irish accent was starting to grow on me.
"My first class is potions with Slytherin professor Severus Snape…" I read out loud from my schedule.
"Ooh." Parvarti Patil gave me a sympathetic look.
"…What? Is that bad?"
"Anything involving Snape is bad…"
"Well…just...stay clear of Draco Malfoy…" Hermione warned me, "I saw you bump into him last night. He's one of the reasons why Slytherin is so dastardly. His father was a prefect of Slytherin back in the day. The Malfoys only believe in "pure-bloods", so they don't take too kindly to muggle witches like you and me." There was that word again. Muggle.
Luna put a hand on my shoulder and smiled, "You'll be fine. Trust me."
As I made my way to potions, I could feel my hands shaking under the cauldron and potion ingredients I was carrying. I was so nervous. I felt like a phony compared to the pure and half bloods. I reached the classroom a few seconds after class had started and struggled to open the door, as I had no free hands to grab with. As soon as my hand touched the doorknob, it opened, and there stood in front of me was that same professor from the Sorting Ceremony. I gasped and nearly dropped my things. He towered over me at nearly 6'2", and his black eyes stared down at me, menacingly. I froze like a frightened rabbit. Then he said very slowly and deeply, "You're late…."
"I-I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."
"…Let's hope so…" He stepped aside and let me into the classroom. Once I was past the professor, I rushed to the empty seat next to Harry Potter, relieved that I wasn't in any sort of trouble. Harry acknowledged me with a small smile. I looked over at the chalkboard where a name was written. Professor Snape. A few minutes after I had arrived, the door crashed open again, and Ron came running in like a lunatic. Snape didn't look up from his textbook; he didn't even lift a finger. In fact, he looked like he was quite used to it. "Ronald Weasley…" The red haired boy's icy blue eyes opened wide and his mouth curled into a frown as he waited for his scolding. "Sit…down…" Ron stood there, shocked that the professor hadn't smacked him over the head with his book or thrown the chalkboard eraser at him. "SIT DOWN." Ron scurried over to the seat next to Hermione, and class officially began. "Turn to page 394…" Snape told us.
As we were all reading quietly to ourselves, I looked up and gasped when I saw the professor stood in front of me. "A muggle…" He looked me over with his mysterious black eyes, "seventeen years old...a first year student...Tell me, have you any knowledge on the art that is potion making?"
"…No, sir..."
"...Any knowledge on magic at all?"
"...N-no, sir, but, um, I can speak...'Parsel...tongue', I believe?...which is a language of magic..." Harry looked up from his book at me with wide eyes, as did Snape. I didn't realize that telling my professor that piece of information would be the worst mistake of my life.
"...See me after class, Woodcroft." I stared at where Snape had stood moments ago, not knowing what to think or expect.
"…You speak parseltongue!?" Harry whispered. I nodded, not knowing what to say. I could speak the language ever since I was seven years old. On a cold night in January, a large snake had slithered in through the window into my room. Instead of screaming and running away like any normal person would have done, I sat there and spoke to it. I didn't feel like telling Harry this, though. I then felt something hit me in the back of the head and fall to the floor. I picked up the crumpled piece of paper and read the message scribbled inside:
You're dead, mudblood.
I turned around to see Draco Malfoy smiling wickedly at me, but then bit my lip trying not to laugh when Professor Snape struck him across the back of his head with a book.
When class ended 50 minutes later, I approached the professor at his desk. He didn't look up from his papers. "Sir?" The last of the few remaining students in the room left, and we were alone. "...S-sir?" The professor bounded up from his chair and rammed me against the wall, his face only a few inches away from mine. He smelled of crisp paper, various potion ingredients, and ink. Scared, I tried to push my head back away from him, but the stone wall kept me from doing so. Snape placed his hands above my head on the wall, trapping me. I couldn't get any words out. I couldn't even compute what was going on.
"I know what you are, Woodcroft…You're not just an orphan muggle…You're much more than that, aren't you?"
"…Sir?"
What the fuck is going on?!
"Don't play games with me, Woodcroft. Anyone who can speak Parseltongue is a descendant of Salazar Slytherin...with the exception of Potter, of course…" He snarled, "There's something you're hiding from everyone, and if you don't tell me, I will not hesitate to make your first year here a living hell. You and Potter can't hide your secrets from me forever…" After a short moment, the professor let me go, and I dashed out of the room.
As soon as Herbology ended that day, I ran straight to the bathroom and locked myself in one of the stalls. I was still in shock from what had happened after potions class. I sat on the floor of the stall, my eyes staring straight forward. I hadn't a clue what my professor was talking about, especially this 'secret' involving me and Harry.
I have a secret I myself don't even know about…
"Fay?" A voice called. It sounded like Luna. "Are you okay?" She walked up to the stall, and I opened it and pulled her inside.
"Professor Snape." I said, "He…he…"
"What? He what?"
I struggled to get any words out, just stuttering noises. After we both sat down on the floor, Luna stroking one of my hands comfortingly, I managed to tell her everything. We didn't even go to lunch. I asked her about Salazar Slytherin, and I told her about my ability to speak Parseltongue. Luna was certain neither Harry nor I were related to Salazar, but that we both possessed strange, unspeakable powers. We discussed Snape's shocking actions, but Luna wasn't as surprised as I was. Apparently it was the norm for him to scare the living shit out of students. Still, she thought justice should be served. "You should report him to Dumbledore."
"No. No way..." I shook my head, "I can't. Snape would kill me…" Luna sighed and looked down at her watch. It was time for class, which cut the conversation short. I got up and placed a hand on my forehead, sensing an oncoming headache, "I've got to go to Transfiguration." I opened the stall door, "I'll see you at dinner..."