"What is your mother's name?" Snape questioned as Margaret panted, bracing herself on the edge of a table. Sweat dripped down her temple.
"Stop," Margaret gasped, and her mentor crossed his arms, looking unimpressed.
"Do you think the Dark Lord will have any mercy should he find you worthy of his suspicion?" he asked slowly. "This is the perfect time to get any information he wants. So, what is your mother's name?"
"O-oreana," Margaret gasped before he plunged into her mind and Margaret scrambled. Her fatigued mind an open book, but she managed to pull her mother to the back of her mind, placing decoy memories to buffer any further attempts at the true answer.
"Adequate," Snape said as he pulled back. From Snape, that was a compliment. "Take a rest. Legilimency is also fatiguing on the caster. You simply need to hold out longer than them." Margaret nodded.
"Thank you," she breathed, looking at him as he sat behind his desk, hiding his own fatigue. "Potter says you've been training him in occlumency."
"You're friends with Potter?" Snape questioned, though he didn't seem to be surprised.
"No, more of... acquaintances. We have similar goals," Margaret explained.
"He's never going to master occlumency," he said practically. "A Gryffindor's very nature is opposite to the art." He looked her up and down as though surveying her. He didn't need legilimency to understand everything. "You need to be more careful."
"Your meaning, sir?" Margaret questioned.
"This school is no longer safe," Snape said, sitting forward. "The Dark Lord has returned, and you go prancing about the castle halls at night with Potter and his friends."
"I'm not prancing about," Margaret snapped, straightening, hoping her hair wasn't too out of place.
"Don't think I don't know about Potter's club," Snape said. "If you get caught, Umbridge will be the least of your worries."
"If what you say is true and there is a war coming, Umbridge isn't doing anyone any favours," Margaret said throwing her hands up.
"I'm teaching you what you need to know," Snape said standing, bracing himself with his hands flat against his wooden desk.
"Only half of what I need to know! I'm going to be dead before I even get on the battlefield, killed by my own cousin just to get me out of the way," Margaret countered before taking in a steadying breath. "I won't get caught. As for the others, I cannot speak for them."
"Don't say I didn't warn you," Snape said lowly before returning to his seat.
"Tell Draco to stop being such a teacher's pet and I'll be fine," Margaret said, and Snape shook his head.
"That boy has his own set of challenges," he muttered.
"He's Umbridge's puppet is what he is," Margaret said. "And he's becoming a real pain in my arse."
"Your language has gotten worse over your years here," Snape said disapprovingly. Margaret scoffed, gathering her books and new potions for this week.
"I'll see you next week," she muttered before stopping at the threshold of the doorway. "By the way, my patronus is a fox. If you ever see it, you'll know its me." Margaret didn't wait for a reply before she slipped into the hallway.
~*~
At lunch Margaret found Harry sitting at her usual spot. She looked around the Great Hall seeing Draco glaring in Potter's direction. She took in a deep breath, sitting down across from him.
YOU ARE READING
Rules of The Game: Hogwarts Years
Fanfiction*Updates every Sunday* Draco Malfoy x Female OC 1988-1998 "Margaret Ravens was always told she was special. Her mother said she was a blessing. Her father said she was lucky. And everyone around her praised her when she was good and quiet and polite...
