Shadows || A Severus Snape Fanfiction

Chapter 10 - The Black Book

Severus had theorised before that Albus was withholding abnormal information about his perfect little Hufflepuff. Even the last few hours with her had deepened his suspicions. Asha Winters was clever when it came to concealing her true nature and capabilities, but not clever enough. Especially in her unexpectedly unstable state, she was letting slip little pieces of herself that she wouldn't usually reveal.

So for the present moment, it was almost like Severus was keeping her here for observation, like she was the subject of his own little investigation. Albus orchestrated countless of these large scale games. Why couldn't Severus indulge in a little one of his own, just for a few more hours.

*

After her shower, Asha pulled on a pair of secondhand cargo pants and a fitted black T-shirt. She instinctively went to dry her hair with her wand before remembering magic was off-limits and instead manually bundled it up into a damp mess on top of her head. She then opened her window and inhaled the fresh country air. The desire to use magic was bubbling within her and she needed a distraction. She wanted to ask Snape if she could go for a walk around the village but didn't want to provoke him into sending her away sooner than she could help it. Plus, she had a strong premonition that the answer would be no.

Instead, she pulled the third year herbology textbook out of her trunk and settled herself in the frame of the window, one leg dangling off the outside ledge. This was the only one of her textbooks she hadn't read in its entirety. She had been very interested in the sections on identifying magical flora and their properties and uses, however that only made up one-third of the book. The rest was all focused on growing the plants - their lifecycle, cultivation methods, required environmental conditions, etcetera. Asha found this information exceedingly dull, and as a result, had not done very well in that section of the class.

Half an hour later, after accidentally re-reading the same paragraph about five times, Asha threw the book aside in defeat. She hopped down from the window and began pacing the room. She was itching to pick up her wand, which lay tempting her on the oak dresser. Of course, she had experienced the urge to do magic during previous holidays, but nothing this severe. This year she had spent any free moment absent-mindedly transfiguring quills, casting various charms on books or firing hexes into thin air. Now, it was like her whole body was yearning for the flow of magic, craving the satisfaction of control and manipulation. The pacing seemed to be helping though. Maybe she'd eventually tire herself out...

"Do you plan on stomping back and forth all afternoon?" growled a voice from the doorway. Having been staring determinately at her own feet to avoid looking at her wand, Asha hadn't even noticed Snape appear. "I am trying to work and it's rather difficult when it sounds like a Hippogriff is rampaging through my house!" He had his arms crossed and was leaning against the door frame, staring daggers.

"Sorry," Asha mumbled and sat on the bed. But, a second later, she shot back up again and resumed pacing, fidgeting with her hands now too. "I can't stop - I've got this... sort of itch... to do magic. It's like I'm an addict with withdrawal symptoms. I need to distract myself". A troubled look flashed across Snape's face so fast Asha wondered if she had seen it at all.

"Perhaps returning to your Foster Home will provide an adequate distraction," he quipped cooly. Asha's chest lurched and she stared at him. Perhaps he saw a hint of fear on her face because he sighed and said, "Fine. You may select some books to read".

He led her into the living room.

"You may choose from this shelf only. Nothing from over there." He indicated the shelf that housed the mysterious, snake-embossed book.