Hallway Whispers (snape x reader)

1 - Grades

Your brain was running a hundred miles per minute. If Mom finds out Professor Snape called you into his office in between classes, she'd be hounding you non-stop. Really it was only one grade! Your footsteps echo down the quiet hallway. It was your study period and everyone else seemed to be in class. You reach the dungeon and your gut dropped. There was no turning back now. You approach Professor Snape's classroom to see that his door was propped open. His dark hair draped in front of his face as his quill moved furiously. You knock on the open door as you enter.

"Hello Miss McGonagall. Please shut your door on your way in." Snape's monotone voice bounced off the walls of the empty classroom. You obey keeping your eyes downward. "Take a seat." You look up long enough to see him gesture to a chair across from his. His eyes never once leave the papers at his desk. As you get closer you notice the paper in front of him has red marks skewed all over. You try to get a peek at who's paper it is hoping that it was one of the Weasley Twins so you'd have something to tease them with.

The Weasley boys always had one thing or another to tease you about. Whether it was your favorite candy, to your growing figure, or your perfect scores in Quidditch, it really seemed they'd take advantage of your situations no matter what it happened to be. Especially once you'd grown fond of someone in a crush sort of way as you did with a few older boys who had long since graduated.

Snape caught you looking at his papers and quickly set down his quill. "Problem, Miss McGonagall?" He questioned you.

"No sir, not at all. May I ask, what you wished to see me about?" You asked even though you already knew why you were in his office. A few days prior you were sitting in class fidgeting with your ring, mind lost in the upcoming quidditch match against Slytherin. You always had a deep grudge against there team ever since you had found out that's the reason your mom never continued playing. she had fallen from her broom stick in a heated match and when she landed had a serious concussion and several broken ribs. In your early years she had instilled this lifelong desire to see Slytherins crushed in quidditch.

"Your grade in my class has recently drop from your normal B+ down to a C-. Now I can only pinpoint this fall to a recent test I had handed out that you scored a remarkably low score on. Throughout that class period though I noticed you were very lacking in... shall we say, attention span. Care to explain?" The pit in your stomach only grew to this question. Everyone knew that Minerva McGonagall was hard on you to succeed at everything academic and athletic but very few people knew the extent to that.

Long hard nights, studying and practicing. Any break from school used to practice within the confines of your home. Without magic of course. The few times you ever did get breaks was when mom allowed you to visit your parents in the cemetery. You'd spend hours sitting in between their graves or against the old oak tree a little whiles away drawing and painting beautiful images until the sun set and mom came to bring you home.

"I'm very sorry about that Professor." You paused, careful not to wait too long so that he could interrupt you. "I was under a fair amount of stress and couldn't manage to focus worth a dime. Is there any chance I could make the test up, or maybe get some extra credit. If not that's fine." He saw how your hands shook slightly as you talked. His mind reeled. 'Did she always act this way around me?'

"You know as good as anyone, I don't give out extra credit. Your grade is final. However, I know this year has started off stressful with all the new curriculum you have been receiving and no doubt Professor McGonagall has been under mounds of pressure to keep up" He was proud of himself. Thinking that bringing your mother into the situation would help it only seemed to make thing worse. He noticed how your shaking hands only seemed to get worse at the mention of your mother. "I'm willing to let you retake this test. And only this test. Don't believe that this will happen again because I promise it won't. Along with this you'll be receiving extra lessons during this period for the next few weeks starting Monday. Hopefully this will be the motivation you'll need to get that grade up to an A."

You exhaled not realizing you had begun to hold your breath. "Thank you professor. I won't forget this kindness." At those words his eyes seemed to narrow. He never did show any of his students that he wasn't just a 'Dungeon Bat' or all the other awful nicknames people called him behind his back. "When will I be retaking the test?"

"Tomorrow after lunch. If I remember correctly you have another study period then?" You nodded. "Very well then. You'll come in slightly earlier than my class of 4th years and sit in the back." He pointed out the seat that you'll be using before continuing. "You will not make a sound nor listen to music or have anything out to distract you. My 4th years are continuing a potion from today so they hopefully won't be too rowdy." Again you nodded. "You're dismissed." He stated flatly before continuing on his grading.

You exit his room swiftly before he can change his mind about being so generous. Being Minerva's adoptive daughter had it's perks but you never knew it could be used to soften the dungeon bat.