Teachers Pet

chapter 43: whomping willow

"I knew I shouldn't have just blindly went along with some random note you were left." Remus muttered as we approached the large tree, keeping our distance. "Well it wouldn't have been very chivalrous for a teacher to allow a student to go alone." I reminded him as we stood staring up at the tree. "Now how do we get in." I said smiling looking over at him. "Well we could go in from Hogsmeade." he suggested and I sighed thinking for a moment. "I don't want to have to travel all the way over there, what's the other way?" I questioned looking over the tree for some hidden latch or something. "Well there's a knot you see right there." he said pointing towards the knot at the base of the tree. "And it will freeze the tree's branches, however it's nearly impossible to do since you can't get close enough to hit it." I furrowed my brows for a moment examining said knot. "Well how'd you do it when you were a boy?" He gave me a look and sighed, "I had a friend, Peter, he was an animagus and could turn into a rat, which allowed him to scamper over there undetected." I nodded and stared at it for a moment. "Well I'm no animagus." I said in a disappointed tone. "This is true. But, you do have some exceptional abilities for a witch your age." I smiled at him and looked down at the rock in my hand I had been fidgeting with the walk here. I threw it up in the air and extended my hand, keeping my focus and imaging where I wanted it to go. I shot it out at the knot but a large tree branch swatted it away and pelted it back knocking Remus in the stomach. He groaned as he grabbed his stomach and my eyes went wide. "Oops. Sorry." I said shrugging my shoulders. "No it's quite alright it was my idea after all." he said, slightly strained and out of breath. "Well what do we do now." We both just stared at each other and at the tree thinking. "I know. But you might not like it." I said looking up at him.

"I need you to use a transfiguration spell and change me into a rodent." I said grinning. He lowered his head and pinched his brow as he let out a large sigh. "No." he said calmly, "What!? What do you mean no?!" he looked back up at me and gave me a i'm your teacher look. "Look it's the only way ok?" he groaned and rolled his eyes, pulling his hands from his pockets and drawing his wand. "Just make sure to turn me back." he nodded and raised his wand, "And nothing too smelly please." I said laughing. "Ok ok just stand still, are you sure? I could get into trouble." he said cautiously. "Yes just do it." I said, closing my eyes. I heard him move and cast out the spell, I could feel the light reach me and next thing I knew I was shrinking down into a measly little...well I couldn't really tell what I was. It was weird viewing everything from down here, I looked up at Remus and made a squeaking noise. I looked down at my hands and quickly realized I was possum. I paused for a moment and looked back up at Remus. He squatted down and poked at me to which I responded by nipping at his finger, he pulled it away quickly, "hey! What was that for? I was just making sure you were alright." I turned and looked at the tree. "Ok, so just nice and easy walk, or should I say crawl," he teased, smiling down at me, I rolled my eyes internally and waited impatiently. "Go over to the knot and we should be in the clear." he finished.

I slowly crept over to the tree's trunk, keeping my eyes on its branches. Shifting through the snow gingerly. I tediously climbed over on the base of the tree's trunk and let out a sigh as I walked over and pushed the button. I looked up as the tree branches froze and let out a breath. "Very well done Y/n." Remus applauded and I ignored it as I quickly ran into the tree. I could hear remus following behind and sat on the ground waiting for him. He got down there and looked around for a moment. I could see he was having a sense of nostalgia, it probably brought back memories he wasn't kidding about having been down here. I tapped on the ground with my nails and he snapped back and looked at me. "Oh right." he raised his wand and cast the spell at me. I once again felt the magic hit me and grew back up into my normal human self. I brushed myself off and nodded at him. "See easy." he scoffed at my comment and shook his head. "Alright now why would we be sent here?" he questioned as he looked around the room. "I dont know there's gotta be something here." I responded, examining the room. I remembered the spell I had used when I stole the book from Snape and pulled my wand from my waist. "Appare Vestigium'' I said, swirling my wand around, gold dust scattered in the air and Remus turned and watched me. The gold settled and I saw a pair of footprints. "Wow I didn't know you knew that one." he said surprised. "yep , now lets see where these go." We walked along the path and they stopped in a random spot on the floor. We both stood looking around. "Well I guess this was a bust." I was annoyed having wasted my time. "Well now hold on." he said, kneeling down, I kneeled with him and he looped his finger through a hole in the floorboard. He pulled and the board came up rather easily. "Ooo secret compartment, how cool. There better be treasure or something or i've just totally wasted the day." I joked as I went to reach my hand in. "Wait!" Remus said quickly, grabbing my arm. "What?" I said looking at him. "This could be a trap there could be poison waiting to prick you." I rolled my eyes and shook my head." I'm not sleeping beauty Remus." I reached my arm down in there feeling around for anything. "AHHHHH!" I screamed. "MERLIN Y/N ARE YOU ALRIGHT? HURRY!" I laughed looking over at him and he let out an annoyed breath. "Now is not the time for games." I laughed once more and stopped when I felt something. I grabbed it and pulled it out. "Oh my god." I said looking at the book. "what ? what is it?" he questioned, leaning over to look at it. "It's Severus' spell book. The one I went and asked him for." I furrowed my brows as I looked it over, opening it and flipping through its pages. "Well what is it doing here? Is this where he hid it? And if he wouldn't give it to you then who led us here?" Remus questioned as I flipped through the pages. "I dont know if it's strange." Suddenly we both looked over at a noise coming from the tree's exit. "We should probably get out of here." Remus said and I nodded. Shrinking the book and sticking it in my pocket. Remus headed out exiting the tree but I paused for a moment looking around the room. I saw faded scratch marks along the floors and walls and thought about how Remus must have felt being down here every month. I saw the door that I presumed to lead to the shrieking shack Remus had told me about open slowly and I stammered back pulling out my wand. Out from behind it appeared my lonely dark professor. Or I guess I shouldn't say "my". "Severus- I mean Professor Snape what are you doing here?" I asked as he glared at me, He looked over at the floorboard I forgot to put back and back at me, examining me up and down. "I could ask you the same thing Ms. L/n." he drawled out, closing the door behind him and stepping closer towards me. "I was just..." I paused thinking of an excuse. "Y/n are you coming?" I heard Remus' voice call out from the entrance. Snape and I both looked in its direction and then back at each other. I could see his eyes darken and his jaw clench at the sound of his voice. "Hanging out with your little pet are you?" He suggested his tone very malicious. "Don't call him that. And it's none of your business. I need to be on my way. Goodbye professor." I said dismissing him and hurriedly leaving to catch up with Remus before he could say anything else. 

a/n I laughed way to hard proof reading Remus getting pelted by that rock