SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING I WILL POST MORE OFTEN IN THE FUTURE K THX! :D
Ari was in a bad mood for the rest of the day, still mulling over her horrible experience with Snape. She couldn't concentrate with any of her work, and the moment class was dismissed she hopped in the bathroom and took a long hot shower. But even then, her skin still felt dirty and contaminated from the places he had touched.
She didn't have much motivation to do any homework, so after dinner she just laid in bed for the rest of the night. "Today was such a bad day," Ari complained to Birdie and Puppy as they gathered around her head. "Snape was so horrible today. He tortured me during class. And then once it was over he grabbed my arms and rolled up my sleeves to see the scratches Prince made. I mean, why would he do that? What's his problem?"
"Maybe he wanted to see the scratches," Puppy suggested. "Maybe he liked seeing them, 'cause it means you're in pain. And we all know how much Snape loves watching people in pain."
"Yeah, you're probably right," Ari grumbled.
And because she was in a bad mood, she didn't know what else to say and ended her conversation with Birdie and Puppy there. As Ari laid on her bed, she scratched absently at her arms, and had a weird feeling. A feeling that she should be doing something important right now. But she just couldn't remember what. Homework, maybe?… No, it wasn't due for another few days. Maybe she needed to write a letter back to Dad? But then she remembered that she had just sent one yesterday and was still waiting for his reply.
Right on cue, she heard a pecking on her window, and she bolted up in bed. She saw an owl perched on her window, a letter tied around its leg. Her heart leapt and she scurried over to the window, eager to read the letter her dad had sent her. Only, when she took the letter and opened it up, she realized that it wasn't from Dad! The parchment was filled with a horrible spiky handwriting… a handwriting she would recognize anywhere!
Dunderhead,
In case you've already forgotten, which I predict is the case given that pea brain of yours, you must apply the Essence of Dittany to your wounds before you go to bed tonight. Starting tomorrow, you will apply it once in the morning and once in the evening, one drop per scratch. Do not forget to do this.
You also have a detention tomorrow at five o'clock sharp in my room. Do not be late. During that time I will make sure you have used the Essence of Dittany as prescribed. Do not give me another reason to slight you.
Professor Snape
At once it hit her like a truck. Ah, yes, that was right! She had to apply the Dittany thing! That was what she had been wanting to do!
But her momentary feeling of eureka was quickly replaced by annoyance. She didn't like that Snape had to send a letter to specifically remind her to apply the Dittany. Even when she had so confidently bragged to him that she'd do it. Okay, yes, it looked like she had forgotten about what she'd bragged about — but still, she didn't appreciate Snape rubbing it in her face with his patronizing message. And his unwanted letter just gave her traumatizing flashbacks to the beginning of the year when he had badgered her with owls and ruined her entire weekend of sleep.
The more Ari thought about the injustice, the more disgruntled she felt, and she couldn't contain herself anymore. In her agitated state, she quickly grabbed her quill and scrawled a message underneath Snape's signature.
I know! I've already applied the Dittany, so don't bother me anymore! Don't send me any more letters from now on. Especially in the morning when I'm sleeping. And yes, I know I have a detention tomorrow! You don't need to remind me!
Oh and don't call me dunderhead. It's annoying!
She folded the parchment up and tied it to the owl's leg. Much to her relief, this owl was much more cooperative than Prince, and didn't try to rip her face off. Once she tied the letter real nice and tight to its leg, she instructed the nice owl to deliver the letter to the mean toad. The owl gave a low hoot of understanding before taking off into the night.
Once the owl was gone, Ari rummaged through the pockets of her robes she had shed off earlier, and extracted the bottle of Dittany. She screwed it open and took a sniff. It had a sharp, herby smell that made her nose wrinkle. There was a dropper on the tip, which she used to squeeze onto her wounds. The moment the liquid hit her arms, there was a hissing sound and green smoke came poofing off her arm. And what was more, the stinging and discomfort went away at once, and her cuts closed up a bit. Despite herself, she couldn't help but feel impressed. Wow! Looked like this Dittany stuff actually worked!
She had just finished squeezing the Dittany over her left arm, however, when she was badly startled by the same barn owl pecking at her window. There was another letter attached to its leg, and she scowled. What in the — what did he want now?!
She let the owl in and removed the parchment from its leg. She noticed that underneath her original message, Snape had put another scathing remark.
I will call you whatever I want, dunderhead. As your teacher, I make the rules here, not you. That means I also reserve the right to check in on you when I deem it necessary. It is not within your power to argue with me.
She read his letter and wanted to scream. What an annoying little dingbat! He just thought he was so high and mighty by preaching all these stupid rules and flaunting his power, huh? As if he hadn't been enough of a nuisance today! In a rage, she grabbed her quill again and scribbled another furious message underneath Snape's writing, just to get even with that big bat!
STOP! Just STOP! Stop showing off how big and powerful you are already. I don't care. And I don't care what you say, but I am NOT a dunderhead either! Now leave me alone! I don't want you to see another one of your stupid letters! EVER!
And she drew in a big fat angry face at the end of her message. There! That little pictogram would surely convey the true magnitude of her feelings to Snape!
Once she delivered that message, she picked up the bottle of Dittany again and began applying it over her right arm. This time, however, she barely got through half her arm when the owl returned to her windowsill.
This time, she really did scream. What in the world?! Another letter? Couldn't he ever leave her alone?! She slammed down the bottle, opened up the window, and untied the letter from the owl's leg. To continue on with the chain, Snape had scrawled another nice lovely message underneath her own:
Funny how you claim you dislike my letters so much, yet you care enough to keep replying to them. If you're going to complain, dunderhead, at least make it make sense.
Ari could almost picture Snape's sneaky smirk as he wrote those words, and her face turned hot. She felt thoroughly exposed, not to mention incredibly irritated. Okay, fine! She was resolved to just ignore Snape's letters from now on — right after she sent out one last message to get the feelings off her chest. And then she would ignore him. She swore it!
FINE THEN! This is my last time I'm sending this letter to you! I'm not going to reply back ever again! Because I DON'T like your letters, I DON'T! I mean it! NOW GO AWAY OR ELSE!
And then she tied up the letter to the owl and let it fly away. She didn't bother closing the window this time, because knowing Snape, he would just ignore her orders and send another owl two seconds later.
But to her surprise, she didn't get another owl, not even when she finally finished applying the Dittany over her arms. She frowned and peered out the window, and even waited for a few more minutes, but there was no owl anywhere in sight. Huh. Looked like Snape had actually listened to her and stopped sending her letters. That was a first. Maybe that threatening cap-locks order had finally knocked some sense into his bat brain.
Feeling quite pleased with herself, Ari climbed into bed, drew the covers up her chin, and cushioned Birdie and Puppy around her head. She was feeling pretty tired, so she fell into dreamland at once. She was just in the middle of a good dream where she was making pancakes as big as her house and her dad was patting her head and telling her what a good job she was doing. She smiled along with him. Ahh, it sure felt good to be praised by her dad again, instead of that mean Snape who criticized everything about her, down to the very air she breathed!
Without warning though, Dad's words were interrupted by incessant rapping sounds. It got so distracting it was hard to hear what he was saying. The sound got so loud that it pulled Ari out of her dream and back awake in her four poster. Only, even then, the tapping sound didn't stop. In fact, she could just hear it even more clearly now — it was coming right outside her drapes!
And then oh no oh no, all her insides flooded with icy dread as she remembered the owl she'd sent Snape yesterday, and she put two and two together. No! Not this stupid thing again! She had explicitly and threateningly told Snape yesterday to not send her another letter, and especially not while she was sleeping and having a good dream about making pancakes! And if he had been stupid enough to ignore that warning — well, she'd definitely make him pay for that!
In an act of rebellion, Ari tossed the covers back up her head, squeezed up her eyes, and tried to tune out the sound of the stupid owl. There! That would show that little toad! He'd try to mess with her, but she'd just ignore him!
But barely two minutes passed before she heard a low, grumbling human voice on the other end. "Ughhh! Just what is that sound?" There were some rustling sounds, and then silence again. "Huh? It's an owl. Is this someone's letter?"
Ari's eyes flung open and her insides flooded with dread again, only this time, it was for another reason. She leapt out of bed and pushed open the drapes so hard they almost collapsed.
The window in front of Ari's bed was open. One of her roommates, Lavender, was standing there, and she was holding a piece of parchment up to her face! Ari's heart just totally dropped!
Quick as lightning, Ari darted up to Lavender and snatched the letter away. "Give that here!" Ari shrieked so forcefully she felt her hair do a Hermione spring. Lavender jumped and backed away from Ari like she was a rabid dog who'd escaped from the pound. "That's my letter!"
"Well, sor-ree!" Lavender exclaimed. She crossed her arms and glared at Ari. "You could've just asked for it, you know, instead of grabbing it like that! Don't you have any manners?"
But Ari didn't even listen to a word Lavender said, too busy reading what the toad had written for her today. Underneath her message from yesterday, he had scrawled a lovely greeting to start her day:
Rise and shine, dunderhead. If you really thought you could scare me away with your ultimatum last night, then you were very much mistaken. I will not be cowed by anyone, much less a blathering toddler who can't control what comes out from either end. I am here to stay, and that is final.
With that said, I am here to remind a certain amnesiac that it is time to apply the Dittany again. Do so before you head down to breakfast. I will see that you have applied it as instructed during detention tonight. Again, you have a detention tonight in my classroom at five o'clock. Be there on time or I will finish what your owl started.
"Who's dunderhead?" As Ari was in the middle of reading the letter, Lavender's voice sounded dangerously close to her. Ari jumped and whizzed around. Her insides lurched when she realized Lavender had suddenly come up right up to her and was reading the letter over her shoulder!
"Eeek!" Ari squealed, hiding the letter against her chest. "Go away!"
"Hey, I'm just curious what it says, that's all!" Lavender giggled. "But isn't dunderhead what Snape calls us all the time?"
"No!" Ari snapped, feeling a sudden surge of indignation. "That's what he calls me."
"Oh, really?" Lavender said, widening her eyes. "So, wait — did Snape write that letter to you?"
"What? No! He didn't!" Ari sputtered, feeling her face turn hot. She felt so horrified all of a sudden, though she couldn't have said why.
Lavender smirked, as if she could see right through Ari's feeble attempts at playing dumb. "Oh, puh-lease," Lavender said. "Don't lie. That was so his handwriting."
"No, it wasn't!"
"Yes, it was," Lavender retorted. "He writes all the time on the board, it's the exact same handwriting. So c'mon, fess up. Why'd Snape write a letter to you? What did he have to say to you?"
"It's none of your business!" Ari snarled. She felt her face turning progressively hotter, all while she cursed Lavender heartily in her head. What a sneaking snoop she was, stealing Ari's letter and then reading it without her permission! And now she really had the nerve to butt in and ask all these personal questions and make Ari look like an idiot! Ohh, this was just so mortifying! Ari just wanted to erase the last five minutes, dive back into bed, and start this day all over again.
Unable to withstand Lavender's stupid giggles and intrusive questions a moment longer, Ari raced out of the dormitory and into the hallway. Out here, it was quiet and empty and free of snooping sneaks, so she could finally calm down and read her letter in peace.
Ari carefully smoothed out the letter and brought it to her face. Then, she did her appropriate scowls and mutterings at Snape's snide remarks, feeling more and more annoyed as she read it. How insulting! Did he seriously think she was two years old or something?! The degradation just never ended with him! She should've known that his silence yesterday had been too good to be true!
But then Ari read the last paragraph, and she gasped. Oh, right! The Dittany! She'd almost forgotten to apply it again! In a rush, she raced back into her dormitory and snatched the bottle of Dittany off her nightstand. She was just rolling up her sleeves, though, when she noticed Lavender and her friend, Parvati. They were whispering and giggling with each other, all while looking at Ari in such a way it made her guts turn hot and twisted.
"What are you looking at?" Ari snapped at the giggling girls.
Parvati smirked. "Lavender said you got a letter from Snape this morning."
"So what?" Ari demanded, feeling sweaty and prickly under their probing looks.
The girls giggled at each other again. "We were just curious about what it said, that's all," Lavender said.
Ari scowled. "It's none of your business!"
And just to prove it, she leapt back into her four-poster and pulled the drapes up before either of them could respond. In the privacy of the darkness, she quickly spread the Dittany over her arms and hands — all while listening to Lavender and Parvati's conversation on the other end.
"She's acting really dodgy, huh?" Parvati muttered. "I wonder what Snape could've written to her."
"I just read the first few lines," Lavender muttered back. "He was asking her to apply something called Essence of Dittany."
"What's that?" Parvati asked.
"Who knows," Lavender said. "Maybe it's a potion that makes your brain bigger."
"Lavender!" Parvati said in a scandalized voice.
"But it's true, isn't it?" Lavender giggled. "We all know how she is. I bet Snape got tired of her always messing up her potions and tried to do something about it."
"Maybe you're right," Parvati giggled back. "I guess we'll see for ourselves during our next class."
"Exactly," Lavender said. "Now c'mon, let's go down to breakfast already. I'm starving."
And in a flurry of giggles and footsteps, they left the dormitory and swung the door shut behind them.
Once they were gone, Ari sat there in stunned silence for several moments. She could feel a hot, horrible fire burning in the pit of her stomach. Oh, this was just so mortifying! She couldn't believe those girls had the nerve to just diss her like that right within earshot! Who did they think they were, making fun of her for her small brain and nonexistent potion skills when they weren't any better! Ari was so mad she could just… scream!
And she did, opening up her mouth real big and letting out all her pent-up rage and frustration ring through the empty dormitory. Once Ari had screamed her throat hoarse, she was feeling miserably tired again, so she flopped back down into her bed and drew up the drapes. She just wanted to stay in bed all day and continue sleeping. So she did. At least for the morning, because that was their History of Magic lecture and Binns wouldn't have noticed nor cared if she was absent.
So while the rest of her classmates were slumped over at desks and being bored to death by the rambling ghost, Ari stayed in bed with the covers pulled up her head. But even though Ari wanted to sleep, she was feeling too agitated to. Instead, she spent most of the time just sulking and replaying the interaction she had with Lavender and Parvati. She cursed them heartily in her mind, and then she cursed Snape, too, because he was the one who had sent his stupid owl and caused all this madness in the first place. Just why could he never mind his own stinking business for once?!