Professor Black: A Reader Insert

16. Disasters and Goodish News

(y/n) stood with her arms crossed as she leaned against the stage that Lockhart had set up for the club, frankly it was there so he could show off for some reason that made little sense to her.  She watched as students walked in and coalesced in their groups, whispers playing about the room like dust before Gilderoy and Severus made their way in. She was asked a few questions by a student she's never met before as the time for the club's beginning neared.

Lockhart and Severus swooped out onto the stage, granted Gilderoy more sashayed than swaggered as Severus had. The faint thought of a bird of paradise came to mind as she observed the two men. Where Lockhart was flashy and downright silly in his incapability Severus was reserved and steady. Oh god, she's actually weighing the two like prized chickens. She shook out of her thoughts quick enough to see Lockhart getting launched off the stage and quietly cheering along with the Slytherins as he slid down the wall and sprawled on the floor. She calmly walked amongst the students as they were paired off making a note that some of them would benefit from more one-on-one lessons as she watched them. (y/n) continued walking around the room until the students were told to face their partners observing, landing right beside Harry and Draco. Ah yes, schoolyard rivalry at its finest, that is until Severus cast finite incantatem which caused the mayhem to cease.

She caught a glimpse of Severus' expression looking like he was pleased with how bad this was going for Lockhart as he spoke asking Neville and Justin up before he was stopped by Severus.

"A bad idea, Professor Lockhart," Severus glided over to the man standing in the midst of the students like a large inky owl as he spoke. "Longbottom causes devastation with the simplest spells. We'll be sending whatever's left of Finch-Fletchley up to the hospital wing in a matchbox. How about Malfoy and Potter?"

She had a bad feeling stepping closer to the boys as the two men each told them something from their different places. She found herself next to Finch-Fletchley as Draco immediately summoned a snake. Her eyes were glued to the snake pulling the children beside her behind her after Lockhart launched the thing in the air like a fool and the snake neared angrier than before.

"Leave him alone!" Harry hissed at the snake causing it to slump docilely like a limp garden hose.

Harry relaxed until he watched (y/n) pick up the snake and quietly hiss at it too. 

"What do you think you are playing at?" Justin glared at the bespeckled boy before storming out of the great hall.

 "Mr. Potter only told her to leave him alone." (y/n) spoke up clarifying the air for the murmuring students who were all now staring at the boy. "It's safe to send her back where she came from by the way."  

She set the snake back down in the ground where she coiled and looked expectantly at Severus, ignoring how the students were now looking at her in a mix of fear and confusion as Ron steered Harry out of the room.

The club finished up for the evening shortly after that Lockhart stopped her from leaving to interrogate her.

"I didn't know you were a Parselmouth." Lockhart looked vaguely infuriated by this but honestly, she didn't care.

"You would be too if it was the only thing your children spoke for three years." She brushed him off and went to leave instead stopped by Severus this time who offered to walk her to her quarters for the night.

They were silent until they were outside the entrance of her quarters.

"You know how the wizards here view Parseltongue, so why did you do that?"

"It's precisely because I know how they think of it that I had to."

"(y/n)-" She cut him off.

"Severus if I were older I would've done the same for you if I could. Some hardships are unnecessary and one such hardship is so."