𝒯𝑜 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝐵𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈

September 9th, 1993

...

The opening of the Potions door seemed to come at the relief of the boy, seeing as he immediately strode inside. Leaving behind his unwanted shadow.

Theodore sat at a back table and was digging around in his bag when Iris entered the room. Glancing around the dark space, she grimaced before turning to make her way towards Theodore. However, Iris only made it two steps before a voice called from behind.

Iris turned to meet the grey eyes of Sally-Ann Perks. The girl had a wide grin and radiated mischief, "Hey, Iris, would you sit with me."

Face still, Iris simply tilted her head and shrugged, "Sure, Nott could use a break from me anyways." Sitting down, she quickly took out her notebook and pen, zoning out.

Smile somehow growing wider, Sally took the empty seat and called out to someone else, "Jane." The blonde raised an eyebrow as she looked at the caller. "How about you sit with Valeria." Sally-Ann's head tilted towards the table behind her and Iris, where Valeria had situated herself.

Jane Yaxley furrowed her eyebrows for a moment before glancing at where Iris was sat. Smiling, the blonde shook her head, "You two are so mean to her." Despite this, however, she moved to take the seat next to Valeria.

The three girls spoke between themselves, only pausing when a flustered Tracey walked into the room; luckily, the Professor hadn't arrived just yet. All three eyed her, failing to hide their smirks.

The girl lowered her head, her brunette hair falling and creating a defensive wall from any stares. Her blue eyes ran across the room until she spotted the giggling figures of her two roommates. Horror filled her eyes as she first looked to Valeria's right, and as her eyes trailed to the left of Sally-Ann, any hope was gone.

Her eyes desperately roamed the room, deliberately skipping over a particular back table. Coming up short, she locked eyes with her friends once more, silently pleading from where she stood frozen at the door. However, the girls just giggled more, Sally-Ann even tilting her head in the direction of the last seat.

The fun of the moment was cut short by the arrival of the Professor, "Miss. Davis, must someone escort you to your seat, or are you not entirely incompetent."

Head still down, Tracey now dropped her eyes and muttered, "Sorry, Professor Snape," before rushing off to her seat.

The interaction had caught everyone's attention, including Iris, who, as watching Tracey walk towards Theodore Nott, caught sight of Valeria's still ever-present grin. Glancing between a red-faced Tracey and the uninterested boy she approached, Iris's eyes grew bright as something clicked inside her head.

Brushing away the interaction, Iris carried her eyes toward her teacher. Severus Snape had a particular reputation that was known by all. He was a nasty man who showed favoritism for his own house, Slytherin, and prejudices against the Gryffindors. A majority of the school despised his class.

And based on the first introductions alone, he fit the role as the villain many made him out to be. His hair, a greasy black and shoulder-length, curtained around his face. His sharp eyes were near black, making it difficult to discern the pupil from the iris. To top it all off, he wore flowing black robes.

As he spoke, one could see yellow, uneven teeth hiding behind his curled lips. His sallow skin adding another mark to the villain checklist.

And to finish it off for the time being, Professor Snape's voice was low, cold, and drawling.

Yes, it was as if he was trying to be the villain.

He skipped the first-day speech and instead just started the class with a potion, a shrinking solution. Iris, being new, was Professor Snape's first victim of the day. His approaching figure pushed Sally-Ann off toward the cupboards containing ingredients, the pale girl avoiding being in direct contact with her teacher.