The Redemption of Severus Snape

Part 6

Lindsay chose to eat dinner at the High Table. She sat between Hagrid and Lupin, and enjoyed a pleasant three-way conversation with them. Hagrid was particularly excited about her first lesson with him, which would occur the following morning. It would become Lindsay's habit to eat dinner at the High Table, breakfast at the Gryffindor table, and lunch with whomever was first to catch her arm.

Lindsay found herself settling in fairly well, but not as quickly as she normally did. She felt oddly out of place here, a feeling she was definitely not accustomed to. She was instantly popular with the students, most of whom regarded her as something of a novelty. The professors were polite and patient for the most part, except for Snape, who was cold, aloof, and bordered on hostile. Lindsay found him to be rather arrogant with regard to the subject matter he was teaching. She disliked his habit of trying to making her look like a fool, something he hadn't yet managed due in small part to Lindsay's innate self-possession, and in greater part to Hermione's tutelage. Having had two previous years with him gave Hermione greater insight into his behavior and, so far, she'd been spot-on.

Flitwick and McGonagall were as frustrated with her lack of practical magical ability as Lindsay herself was. She suspected that the only thing that kept them from kicking her out of their classes entirely was her exceptional grasp of magical theory. Lindsay was very grateful for Hermione's assistance in this regard, without her help Lindsay would have felt like a complete dunce.

Lupin had an extraordinary amount of patience and was very supportive. They quickly developed an amicable relationship that sat somewhere in between respect for a teacher and affection for a friend. He was a little freer with her than the rest of students due to her age, but it was very clear that their relationship wouldn't stray beyond the ethical boundary of student and teacher. She called him Remus in private and Professor Lupin in front of students.

Sprout's and Lindsay's personalities were quite similar in that they were both friendly and good-natured. They got on quite well, and Sprout was more than satisfied with Lindsay's performance in her lessons. Lindsay was also quite fond of Neville, a pleasant and helpful boy who had an intuitive skill regarding plant care. Sprout trusted Neville enough to allow him to teach Lindsay basic Herbology in her stead, which freed up her time; however, Sprout always personally supervised the more complex or dangerous lessons.

Hagrid became an instant favorite of Lindsay's. She regarded him as a fond uncle and spent a great deal of her free time with him. Sometimes she would take her guitar with her, and she and Hagrid would teach songs to each other. What she lacked in instinctive ability with magical creatures, she made up for in her great fondness and compassion for them, and Hagrid was very pleased with her efforts. He was particularly impressed with how well most of the animals took to her. Hagrid's intuitive ability with simple creatures easily rivaled Neville's ability with plants. Lindsay was in awe of the control Hagrid had over the animals in his care.

Hagrid was a simple man of simple means, but one of great insight and kindness. A profoundly benevolent soul, he was honest, unpretentious, and loyal, all traits that Lindsay held in very high regard. Superficially they seemed an unlikely pair. Lindsay was refined, elegant, and appreciated the finer things in life, which she certainly had the means to enjoy. Hagrid was rough and earthy, and yet they had a great understanding of one another. They took to each other like old friends who had been parted for many years.

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Lindsay rose at her usual hour, just before dawn. She dressed for a run as Hagrid had been kind enough to show her a safe route well away from the Dementors that were guarding the school's perimeter. She hadn't yet seen a Dementor and had no desire to. She purposely avoided looking in the directions where they were stationed. Professor McGonagall had told her they were there and what their function was, but had left the more explicit details of their natures up to Professor Lupin. He'd explained what they were, what function they performed outside of Hogwarts, and that the use of the Patronus charm was the best defense against them. Lindsay, however, was in no way ready to learn such advanced magic.