Now it was three in the afternoon and Svadhina was having lunch with McGonagall.
"A pretty exhausting day, Miss Haimi." McGonagall said as she offered her some pumpkin juice, but Svadhina scrunched her nose in distaste. The only thing she didn't relish was pumpkin juice. However, she tried hiding her distaste from the professor and charmed it to become water but she was caught.
"Thought you wouldn't be caught ?" The professor asked her to drink the juice saying that it had the nutrition she needed for the rest of the day.
McGonagall was indeed correct. Her next class was potions and Snape would do nothing to make the class any comfortable. McGonagall on the other hand eased her transfiguration schedule and took her classes whenever Svadhina was free and light headed given that she stayed with her all the time.
Svadhina later changed herself into teal coloured boot- cut pants with brown full sleeved shirt and brown summer boots. She felt that she should be covered as she will have to deal with potions of every kind. She then waited for McGonagall to come for side-long apparition. Unlike other professors, Snape had asked her to come to his place to complete the syllabus. She would be lying if she said she wasn't anxious for his class. He was undoubtedly an extremely knowledgeable man when it came to potions. Svadhina made sure to brush up her known knowledge of it as much as possible. But besides the fact that she was having some performance pressure there was something else she couldn't specifically point out. She was feeling excited about the prospect of seeing him as if she had been waiting for such moment. His image was crystal clear in her mind; his face, his hair, his nose, that crease in between his eyebrows that grew deeper when he was concentrating at something and especially his eyes, deep black eyes that would clearly reflect the person seeing into them. Svadhina herself was surprised to have noticed him so much.
She was brought out of her thoughts when she felt someone shaking her shoulder.
"Miss Haimi, come back. We've got to hurry." Svadhina couldn't even respond when McGonagall took hold of her hand and apparated to Spinner's End.
Spinner's End- far away from the city hustle and bustle; it looked downright gloomy. Svadhina thought this is how a dementor infested place would look like. Sunlight never seemed to brace this place; thanks to the pollution from the riverside factory.
"Never mind" she thought. She would just come to study and leave. Maybe like other men, Snape never really bothered to liven up his house as he resided here on a temporary basis. Like McGonagall he too mostly stayed at Hogwarts.
She walked to his door, rung the doorbell and stepped back. The door opened immediately but no one stood there. Svadhina turned back to Professor McGonagall who was ushering her to go in. So this is it- Snape doesn't receive people at his doorstep. She entered and the door snapped shut behind her. Svadhina felt the hairs behind her neck stand up in anticipation. It was dark but when her eyes slowly got accustomed to it she saw him and she felt a shiver run down her spine.
There he was, seated on his armchair, reading a Daily Prophet which he folded into half as he eyed her up and down for a few seconds before he kept it aside. For the very first time, Svadhina felt conscious of herself as onyx eyes scrutinized her person and then looked at her own pair of black eyes. He had a blank face all the time he kept looking at her. She realised she had no choice but to look him in the eye as well. So this is how he instilled fear in his students ? But why it made her feel different?
He smirked as he quirked his left brow up and asked her to follow him downstairs. She followed his quick strides and went downstairs as she tried to calm her racing heart. His eyes; she'll never forget those damned eyes ever in her life. They did something weird with her.
****
"So tell me Miss, did you care to read something beforehand or did you just decide to blatantly show up to me ?" He asked.
Being his student felt so different from what she had read. His real demeanor was really a dominating one. However, she stood straight and confident when she replied.
"Test for yourself, professor."
This made him raise both of his brows as if to mock her.
"Care to tell me, when do you add lionfish spines in the Wiggenwald Potion ?"
Gods this man asked little of the little details. Svadhina felt relaxed she had read the books properly. Snape seemed to enjoy how she stood clueless, while she was reminiscing in her good thoughts. She perceived his personality as a teacher way to good. She had had teachers in her muggle school that challenged their students' confidence prior to teaching them.
"Well Haimi, im thinking I shouldn't try anymore."
"Sir.. we add first 5 lionfish spines when our potion has turned red in colour. And then we add five more after the potion is heated to turn yellow." she answered and Snape's smirk faltered as she spoke the tiniest detail of the potion.
He stepped towards her as he piped in his next question.
"What role does honey water have to play in it ?"
Svadhina felt nervous as he slowly moved towards her. She tried to shift her weight from one leg to another. It was difficult to maintain his burning gaze.
"It matures the potion from orange to turquoise blue." She whispered.
He kept moving and Svadhina felt she couldn't move a step anywhere; as if she was stuck where she stood. He was getting close and stood merely a few steps away from her. She just realised how tall he was and now she had to raise her head to look at him. His asked in his low and deep, baritone voice.
"But you didn't tell me what exactly Wiggenwald Potion is ?"
Svadhina closed her eyes as his voice drifted low into her system. She didn't know why her body was presenting her with such weird sensations which had nothing to do with fear of him. She couldn't reciprocate the constant eye contact for long but even with her eyes closed she felt him staring at her. She knew he was testing her and that he wasn't satisfied with the fact that she was well learned. But then again she was not going to surrender.
She opened her eyes and found him looking straight into her. This time she stepped forward towards him such that their chests were inches apart. She lowered her voice and spoke.
"That's because you didn't aske me Professor...." Snape's eyes widened at her changed demeanor but kept his gaze on her. .." But since you've so kindly pointed out, Wiggenwald Potion is the cure to the Draught of the Living Death. It awakens a person from magically induced sleep. " She answered him straight to the point.
Did he listen for he kept gazing her. His eyes shifting from one eye of her to another. Svadhina didn't realise how long they were like this. All she could feel was his breath on her forehead. Her eyes locked with his own transmuted everything around her. She seemed to be falling in those black depths. She suddenly came back from her strange euphoria. She stepped away and brought back the professional distance between them. Snape however, stood where he was; calm with a blank face. He noticed how the girl now hesitated to look at him now. Just moments before it felt that she was drinking in his person. He felt amused at the notion of recognising her weak point.
Now satisfied, Snape asked her to retrieve her potions equipments from the corner and gave her the instructions to brew the Cure for Boils.
Svadhina knew the procedure but worked cautiously still recovering from what happened before. She knew Snape was too vigilant and very hard to please.
The potions master kept himself busy with some reading. So he kept reading all the time. That's why his knowledge is so brushed up; Svadhina thought to herself. He read silently to himself mostly as she did her work. But sometimes she would find him looking at her from the corner of her eye. Definitely he was analysing her work from far.
This was exactly what he was doing. He found that the girl was efficient and a quick learner. He realised that where other students would flinch away in fear of him, she dealt with him confidently and with ease in her profile. As if he didn't intimidate her a little. Even if it was her pretence, she was good at it.
He observed how her hands deftly handled the ingredients, precisely chopped and crushed them. She was careful of every detail; something he got to know after their little discussion. For instance, she knew that she had to put the cauldron off the fire before adding the porcupine quills. Moreover, he found himself feeling amused at her skills much to his annoyance. She was nothing but a student like Granger who had memorised the notes like a parrot.
On the other hand, Svadhina was now all calm and relaxed. She was working with the potion quite quick. She noticed a pink smoke rising from the potion which meant her brew was a success.
She felt Snape's presence beside her. He knew that the potion was ready and came to examine it.
"Hmm satisfactory work, Haimi." She looked up at him with slight irritation oh her face.
"That's it ?"
"So what, do you need appraisal for every little thing you do like a child ? Tch tch I thought you to be different Miss." He berated her with his low voice as he looked at her, amused while he stood beside her.
Svadhina just looked away from him; a spark of lightening shown in her black hair.
"No sir."
" Now go and fill the phials, label them and place them on the shelf pro-per-ly."
Svadhina was right in her perception of him. He was hard to please. But then she thought she shouldn't mind. She was positive about her brew. Infact she was proud that she understood his behaviour as a teacher. Now she would work exactly the way he wanted. She went to fill the phials and placed them on his shelf.
"I'm done professor."
"Well, that's all for now. Go and prepare an essay on the uses of dragon blood which will be due the day after tomorrow."
That meant she was dismissed but then she realised that her trolleys were still with him.
"Uhm Professor?" Snape looked at her with clear irritation on his face.
"What ?"
"It so happens that my travel bags are with you. You see I can't manage with transfigured clothes for long. So can I have them back ?"
He scowled and accioed the trolleys to her. They were in woolen covers which were dark blue in colour.
"Saw something new ?" Snape asked suddenly.
"Yes...uhm I mean I don't remember covering them."
"Ofcourse you don't for those are not covers but remnants of my coat. It slipped from my mind that I was still in posession of these inconvenience of yours. When the shrinking charm faltered with time, they grew back to their size along with my coat." He snapped at her.
An "Oh ..." was all she could manage.
"My apologies sir."
She then looked up and moved towards him with something in her hands. She handed him an envelope which was sealed with a moon dew flower.
He looked up at her with his brows drawn together and he asked.
"Now what's this ?"
"I actually thought to return the galleons with which you bought my school supplies. I had noticed that my money pouch was with Professor McGonagall all the time soo..."
He snatched the envelope from her.
"Thank you Miss Haimi- for your sw-eet consideration. Now leave ."
She thanked him by keeping her eyes at his chest. She quickly took her trolleys and walked up the stairs to his living room without glancing back at him. She didn't know why she felt a little hurt. It's not that he was kind and gentle but still....
Her mind was a complete jungle right now. She couldn't point what to make of this man. At one point he made her sway in desire. And now he had asked her to practically "Get Out".
She took the floo powder from her pouch; threw into the fireplace and left his house facing her back. So she didn't realise how Snape had stealthily followed her up to his living room, seeing her leave with a hurt expression on her face.
That had struck him. For the first time he felt sorry for his rude behaviour. Afterall she had been kind enough to clear the debts.
But then he was Severus Snape. A man hard to change.
*****
Here is this one, first potions class leaving the two with mixed feelings.
I hope you're enjoying the chapters. Please give your suggestions if any. They're always welcome.
Until then......bye bye lovelies