When All is Lost, One is Found
Author: Rinoaebastel
Chapter 33: Shaky Duel
Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter and gain no profit from this fanfiction other than writing practice. Harry Potter is owned by JK Rowling.
AN: This story may contain scenes taken from the Harry Potter movies and books, but it's not exact dialogue, just rewording of dialogue or omission. It is not marked.
September 1996
The first and the last days of the school week were always the worst. Today was Friday so the kids were louder and thought they could get away with more for some reason. Perhaps they could with other professors but not with him. He was the same no matter what day of the week it was.
Granger got up from the table. She was alone again and he noticed she hadn't touched much of her food. The whole week had been the same. She ate a little while sitting at the corner of the table, focused on her book almost the entire time, and then left with no one following.
His eyes searched the table until he found Weasley and Potter together. They looked like they didn't have problems. As if the girl never existed in their lives.
He rose from his seat with quiet elegancy and followed Granger. He had a class to teach and he was going to enjoy it immensely.
With quick steps, he reached her in the corridor that went to his classroom. He felt her eyes on him and his steps became slower against his will, matching her pace. The look she offered to him was strange. Gratitude and respect.
"Good morning, professor."
He only replied with a bow and forced his steps to go faster, breaking any kind of contact. After a small walk, he opened the door.
A smirk crossed his lips as he saw some startled students. He continued his walk until he reached the teacher's desk. Granger came in a minute later, taking a seat in the last row. Another strange behaviour that peaked his curiosity.
He looked at her and saw a brief smile as she put the book on her table. What in Merlin's name was wrong with her? He refused to accept more gratitude from her.
He turned around, not wanting to deal with that right now.
Thankfully, the classroom started to fill and the chatting stopped. He didn't have much patience today. Not when the groups he was teaching were Slytherins and Gryffindors.
"All of your classes in this subject have been mediocre and taught by unsuitable professors. In taking this course with me you will learn the reality of the Defense against the Dark Arts." He moved his hand, uncovering the multiple pictures with grotesque images in movement. "All these are curses and their effects. You need to look at them so you can learn the consequences of using these curses. It will teach you to respect these arts and fear them. It will give you pause when you think about using them in unwarranted situations. Also, in knowing everything about them, you will have a chance of protecting yourself against them."
He paused for a moment and studied his students. The reactions were as expected. Very few students were calm. Some looked horrified at the pictures, while others looked as if they were going to vomit. And Potter was infuriatingly controlled. Not even cowering in disgust. The boy was just defying him with his eyes.
With another movement, his wand appeared in his hand.
"Keep your books in your bags. You have already wasted five precious years looking at the theory. We will start practicing, and you will look at the theories by yourselves." A rustle filled the room. When all was silent, he crossed his arms. "We will start with non-verbal spells. Can anyone tell me what they are and why they are important?"
No one raised their hand, not even Granger. His lips twitched at the abnormality. He was sure she knew. She always did. Instead, she cowered at his glance, hiding from him, from getting attention. Respect was one thing, but hiding knowledge and not participating was completely different. This was out of character for her. She had always wanted to prove herself and raised her hand until she became irritating, but now she was literally hiding.
"Miss Granger, I require your memory to teach these brainless classmates what they should already know." She tensed. She definitely didn't want attention.
"Yes, sir." She straightened her posture a bit. She wasn't a coward when challenged, and he almost smiled at that. "This type of magic consists of forming spells without speaking out loud. Also it gives the spell caster an advantage if the opponent doesn't know what he is going to be hit with."
"Correct, Miss Granger. Thank you for your superior intellect, but is still too straight to the book." He heard Malfoy laughing and tried not to roll his eyes. But she had a small smile. She knew he'd just given her a compliment and constructive criticism. Merlin, his student's brains were totally disastrous if only she had noticed.
Today, she was a mirror of him when he was sitting in that class, in that same place, and he let himself feel a kinship with her for a moment.
"Pair up and start practicing simple enchantments and hexes non-verbally." He knew this was going to take months. They were too behind in this.
As he saw the students moving, he found her again. She was trying to find a partner, but she only received negations, until she found Neville. The boy was an idiot in things, but at least he didn't hold a grudge against her. Though why the students were treating her the way they were was still a mystery.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, she would be the first to master this way of fighting.
Like he had in his younger days.
With a wave of his wand, the tables moved around until they were situated around the walls along with the chairs. Some of the students that were still sitting fell on the floor. After a minute, all students were in pairs and waiting for his instructions.
"Begin," he ordered and the voices rose. All of them failing at the first attempt. "I said non-verbal, Potter!"
The kid stopped to look at him with an annoying look. "What? I wasn't the only one that—"
"Shut up and ten points from Gryffindor. Next time keep your shouts lower, I heard you over everyone else. Or better yet follow my instructions and cast non-verbal. That way you might not get loved ones killed."
He saw the boy gritting his teeth and in a fast movement, his wand lifted to point at him. How easy it was to bait him. His short temper would put him at risk.
"Don't say things you don't know, bastard!"
The class went quiet.
Severus wanted to kill him. Hypocritical teen. Judging him without knowing a thing. He looked at him with murderous eyes. How he wished he could punish him with more than just removing his free time.
"Detention, Mister Potter. For a month with Mister Filch," he said sternly. "Continue practicing."
The class obeyed him as their fear was rejuvenated with this exchange. He moved around, observing his students. All of them were failing at the magic call. He went around correcting them. Then he found Neville and Granger. She didn't have her arm raised at all. She wasn't making efforts to defend herself. He couldn't blame her of course. She was paired with Neville after all.
"Don't let your guard down even if your opponent is incompetent, Granger!" he barked and after a brief look to him, she nodded.
"Right, sir. Sorry, sir," she replied, this time focused on what she had to do.
But then, he saw her hand trembling uncontrollably. Was she scared? Something like this shouldn't have scared her after all she'd been through.
He looked at her with confusion, trying to see the duel from the shadows of the corner he was in. No spells came from her wand and the shaking never stopped in the whole hour left. She even got disarmed by Neville.
The students rushed away the moment they were dismissed, but he still had his back pressed against the wall, thinking on the events he'd seen today and linking them with the others he had witnessed. His concern for the young witch was growing. She appeared depressed most of the time, but today she'd been scared. She was traumatized by something to do with fighting. He'd seen it in seasoned wizards before.
Then, his ears caught Weasley and Granger's voices outside and he moved closer to the door.
"You know how he is. He needs time to deal with what happened, and you aren't making it easy for him."
Severus knew the situation had to do with Potter but it was interesting to have it confirmed further.
"I-I know...but...I apologized but... he avoids me. And you do too, Ron." Her voice sounded like she was at the edge of tears.
"Well, you're strong and he isn't. He needs me more. Sorry, but he is my best mate." That boy was stupid. He didn't have to avoid one friend to help another. His mind harked back to Lily. Before he messed up with his comment, she'd been friends with both him and the Gryffindors.
"You are... You know what, fine! Go with him. I don't need any of you!" He heard a grunt and some steps. "But still tell him I'm sorry." The footsteps faded and he heard a small sob.
He tensed in response and something inside him twisted to the point he felt repulsion for the boy and sympathy for the girl. He knew what it was to have an apology rejected.
His emotions took control of him and he walked outside. The girl was silently crying with her back against the wall.
"I'm sorry, Harry," she barely whispered, once, twice. Merlin, that boy didn't deserve any of her tears after all he dragged her into. After almost killing her.
"I should take points from you for making my corridor wet," he snapped, not out of anger toward her but toward the two boys.
She looked up, startled, and when she acknowledged his presence, her cheeks became slightly red.
"I-I'm sorry, sir. I will go." She tried to clean her tears from her face with her palm.
He let a long breath escape from his lungs and his anger seemed to fade with it. He couldn't believe this. How easily his mood changed.
"If someone has to apologize, it's him to you."
Her eyes went wide. "I-I don't think so, sir. He hates me. I don't know if I can ever be forgiven."
Her misery made his anger rise again. What was she talking about? If she made a mistake with Potter and apologized, no matter what she'd done, she should've been forgiven for it. Or at the very least not treated like a pariah. After all the boy dragged her into, he had no right to hold a grudge. Despite how much his curiosity ate at him, it was none of his business.
But then again, if it affected her performance in his classes, then it was his place to be involved.
"You have someone around to forgive you. Work for it." Her eyes looked at him with wonder, tears forgotten. "You are an annoying Gryffindor. I'm sure you can do it."
Her eyes softened and a shy smile formed on her lips.
"Thank you for your words." She bowed low. No one had ever bowed like that to him. "I will try my best and will follow your advice."
She straightened, and he studied her. There was no mockery at all. Never from her.
"All right, Miss Granger. I don't want you to flood my corridor again." A simple joke escaped from him.
"No points deduction, sir?"
"Not today." He crossed his arms. "Go away. You have classes and time to solve your problem this weekend."
"Thank you, Professor Snape."
She walked away and he tensed.
Being thanked sincerely so often tended to do that to him.
AN: Okay, we are starting to develop the...mystery? And their... let's say, interactions. Hope you liked it and let me know what you think. Till Saturday if all goes well.