Celestia read the article twice and laughed along with Daphne and their usual gang of Slytherin girls. It is even funnier because she knew Harry Potter happens to be her boyfriend; Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle joined them. They were standing in a huddle outside the classroom door.
Pansy's pug-like face peered excitedly around Goyle's broad back as Harry and his approached.
Harry and Celestia's eyes locked, and Celestia winked, causing Harry to go red. His friends had their attention on Pansy as she giggled, "There they are, there they are!" The knot of Slytherins broke apart.
Harry saw that Pansy had a magazine in her hands, Witch Weekly. The moving picture on the front showed a curly-haired witch who was smiling toothily and pointing at a large sponge cake with her wand.
"You might find something to interest you in there, Granger!" Pansy said loudly, and she threw the magazine at Hermione, who caught it, looking startled. At that moment, the dungeon door opened, and Snape beckoned them all inside.
Celestia laughed again with the group of girls and headed inside, brushing her hand against Harry's.
They soon settled in their seats, Celestia along with her group of Slytherin friends watched Hermione reading the newspaper beneath the table, her eyes on Harry as he whispered talk with Hermione and something burnt in her chest. She chose to ignore it.
"Fascinating though your social life undoubtedly is, Miss Granger," said Professor Snape in an icy voice, and all three of them jumped, "I must ask you not to discuss it in my class. Ten points from Gryffindor."
The Slytherins grinned.
Snape had glided over to their desk while they were talking. The whole class was now looking around at them; Draco took the opportunity to flash POTTER STINKS across the dungeon at Harry.
"Ah...reading magazines under the table as well?" Snape added, snatching up the copy of Witch Weekly. "A further ten points from Gryffindor...oh but of course..." Snape's black eyes glittered as they fell on Rita Skeeter's article. "Potter has to keep up with his press cuttings...."
The dungeon rang with the Slytherins' laughter, and an unpleasant smile curled Snape's thin mouth. To Harry's fury, he began to read the article aloud.
"'Harry Potter's Secret Heartache dear, dear. Potter, what's ailing you now? 'A boy like no other, perhaps...'"
Harry's face was burning.
Snape was pausing at the end of every sentence to allow the Slytherins a hearty laugh. Celestia stopped laughing when Harry shot her a hurt look.
To him, the article probably sounded ten times worse when read by Snape.
"'...Harry Potter's well-wishers must hope that, next time, he bestows his heart upon a worthier candidate.' How very touching," sneered Snape, rolling up the magazine to continued gales of laughter from the Slytherins. "Well, I think I had better separate the three of you, so you can keep your minds on your potions rather than on your tangled love lives. Weasley, you stay here. Miss Granger, over there, beside Miss Parkinson. Potter - that table in front of my desk, next to Ms Malfoy. Move. Now."
Harry threw his ingredients and his bag into his cauldron and dragged it up to the front of the dungeon, to the empty seat beside Celestia who avoided his gaze.
Snape followed, sat down at his desk and watched Harry unload his cauldron. Determined not to look at Snape, Harry resumed the mashing of his scarab beetles, probably imagining each one to have Snape's face.
"All this press attention seems to have inflated your already overlarge head, Potter," said Snape quietly, once the rest of the class had settled down again. Celestia grabbed his hand tightly beneath the table. "He is trying to provoke you, keep silent," she said under her breath.
"You might be laboring under the delusion that the entire wizarding world is impressed with you," Snape went on, so quietly that no one else could hear him (Harry continued to pound his scarab beetles, even though he had already reduced them to a very fine powder), "but I don't care how many times your picture appears in the papers. To me, Potter, you are nothing but a nasty little boy who considers rules to be beneath him."
Celestia gasped. She wasn't expecting him to harbor hate towards Harry.
Harry tipped the powdered beetles into his cauldron and started cutting up his ginger roots. His hands were shaking slightly out of anger, but he kept his eyes down, as though he couldn't hear what Snape was saying to him.
"So I give you fair warning, Potter," Snape continued in a shorter and more dangerous voice, "pint-sized celebrity or not - if I catch you breaking into my office one more time -"
"I haven't been anywhere near your office!" said Harry angrily, forgetting his feigned deafness.
"Don't lie to me," Snape hissed, his fathomless black eyes boring into Harry's. "Boomslang skin. Gillyweed. Both come from my private stores, and I know who stole them."
Celestia's heart skipped a beat; she looked down guiltily.
Harry stared back at Snape, determined not to blink or to look guilty. In truth, he hadn't stolen either of these things from Snape. Harry didn't say anything.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Harry lied coldly.
"You were out of bed on the night my office was broken into!" Snape hissed. "I know it. Potter! Now, Mad-Eye Moody might have joined your fan club, but I will not tolerate your behavior! One more nighttime stroll into my office, Potter, and you will pay!"
"Right," said Harry coolly, turning back to his ginger roots. "I'll bear that in mind if I ever get the urge to go in there."
Celestia stiffened, trying hard not to laugh. She kept her eyes on the task at hand.
Snape's eyes flashed. He plunged a hand into the inside of his black robes. For one wild moment, Harry thought Snape was about to pull out his wand and curse him - then he saw that Snape had drawn out a small crystal bottle of a completely clear potion. Harry stared at it.
Veritaserum.
"Do you know what this is, Potter?" Snape said, his eyes glittering dangerously again.
"No," said Harry, with complete honesty this time.
"It is Veritaserum - a Truth Potion so powerful that three drops would have you spilling your innermost secrets for this entire class to hear," said Snape viciously. "Now, the use of this potion is controlled by very strict Ministry guidelines. But unless you watch your step, you might just find that my hand slips" - he shook the crystal bottle slightly - "right over your evening pumpkin juice. And then, Potter... then we'll find out whether you've been in my office or not."
"That's illegal, Professor," said Celestia quietly. Snape turned to her dangerously. "Your hand slips in anything, so does my mouth," she retorted defiantly. "I'll be spilling all your threats in the next Hogwarts board meeting. You'll lose your job before you can say 'slip'."
Harry said nothing, staring at Celestia as if she had grown another head.
Snape's face changed colors faster than Celestia could have imagined being possible.
"I want you to see me after dinner, Ms. Malfoy," said Snape in an icy voice. "I won't be spoken to like that."
Celestia cursed under her breath, nodding as she looked down.
"Looks like Potter is rubbing off on you," Snape hissed, banging his hands on her desk. "Go sit in the back," he barked.
Celestia nodded silently, gathering her belongings. Without looking at Harry, she left the seat.
There was a knock on the dungeon door. "Enter," said Snape in his usual voice.
The class looked around as the door opened. Professor Karkaroff came in. Everyone watched him as he walked up toward Snape's desk. He was twisting his finger around his goatee and looking agitated.
He talked with Snape in a low voice, Snape seeming to ignore him, but Celestia guessed Harry could hear them.
As the class dismissed, Celestia hurriedly gathered her belongings, her mind racing with thoughts of the encounter with Snape. She glanced around the room, ensuring none of her Slytherin companions were paying attention to her. Spotting an opportunity, she slipped out of the dungeon, fabricating a quick excuse about needing to retrieve a forgotten book from her dormitory. Meanwhile, Harry discreetly made his way out, feigning a sudden urge to visit the toilet.
Once outside the dungeon, Celestia and Harry exchanged a furtive glance, confirming their unspoken agreement to meet in secret. They navigated through the corridors, dodging students and teachers alike, until they reached a secluded alcove hidden from prying eyes.
"So," Celestia began, her voice tinged with amusement as she leaned against the stone wall, "care to explain what that was all about in class?"
Harry sighed, running a hand through his unruly hair. "Snape just loves to make my life difficult," he muttered, frustration evident in his tone.
Celestia chuckled softly, stepping closer to him. "Well, at least he keeps things interesting," she quipped, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "I might be in trouble through, he'll probably just tell my father, and he'll... Probably cut my spendings -"
Their banter was interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. With a quick exchange of panicked looks, they ducked behind a suit of armor just in time to evade detection.
Once the coast was clear, Celestia and Harry resumed their conversation, their voices low and conspiratorial. They discussed their recent encounter with the snake in the Forbidden Forest after curfew, recounting the adrenaline rush of facing such a formidable creature together.
"And then," Celestia continued, her eyes sparkling with excitement, "you summoned the courage to speak Parseltongue and command the snake to leave us alone. It was incredible, Harry."
Harry grinned, feeling a surge of pride at the memory. "Well, what can I say?" He teased, nudging her playfully. "I've always had a way with serpents."
Their laughter echoed through the empty corridor, mingling with the soft glow of dimly lit fire. In that moment, surrounded by the warmth of their shared camaraderie, Harry felt a surge of affection for Celestia.
Unable to resist the magnetic pull between them any longer, Harry reached out, cupping Celestia's face in his hands. Their eyes locked, the air crackling with anticipation as their lips drew closer and closer...
Suddenly, the sound of approaching footsteps shattered the moment, prompting Celestia and Harry to hastily break apart. With a shared glance filled with longing, they silently vowed to continue their clandestine rendezvous another time.
As they went their separate ways, Celestia couldn't help but smile, her heart fluttering with the promise of more secret meetings and stolen kisses in the future.