The Redemption of Severus Snape

Part 10

Lindsay had a lesson with Snape after dinner, and she wasn't looking forward to it at all. She was less bothered by his surliness than by the silence during his lessons. He didn't talk with her at all other than to give instructions. This lesson would require the use of entirely fresh herbs, which were lying unlabeled in a jumbled heap on the worktable.

"You won't need your textbook," said Snape "The instructions are on the board." He said nothing else as he sat at his desk. He looked at her with a peculiar mix of lust and loathing. Her back was to him, but she knew exactly what he was doing. He did the same thing every lesson. Sometimes he'd sit at his desk and watch her, and sometimes he'd pace around her. It didn't bother her that he did that. She wasn't afraid of him; she just wished he'd talk to her.

She looked at the board for a moment then set about separating the herbs. Two of them weren't needed for this potion so she set them aside. This potion wasn't in her textbook, but she'd read about it in one of the books Hermione had given her and was able to spot some deliberate mistakes in the instructions. Snape rose from his desk to stand in front of her, a frown knitted between his brows. She had only looked at the board once and was doing everything correctly. Lindsay saw his frown and assumed he was wondering how she managed to cut up the herbs so quickly. She could stand the silence no longer and began to prattle. "I've been cooking for myself for some time now. But I wasn't very good at first so I took some cooking lessons. It's a great way to meet people. I never would've thought it would help so much with cutting these herbs."

He raised his eyes to hers; a particularly sour expression had crept into his features. "Is there a reason why you're telling me this, Miss Gray?"

"You just looked like you were wondering how I managed to cut this stuff so fast, so I thought I'd explain."

"How very thoughtful of you," said Snape, his eyes glittering as they stared into hers. "I'm not interested in your cutting skills--impressive as they are. Truth be told, I'm puzzled that you never read your textbook while in class, nor have you looked at the board more than once."

"I don't need to. I have an eidetic memory."

"Thank you for that revelation. Now, if you would kindly stop talking."

Lindsay went back to work and did as Snape had asked. He went back to his desk and continued his disturbing vigil. The silence annoyed her, but instead of talking, she began to sing softly.

"Miss Gray, did I not just tell you to stop that?"

"No, Professor," said Lindsay as pleasantly as usual. "You told me to stop talking. You didn't say anything about singing."

"Let me amend my earlier statement then. Please refrain from making any vocal utterances."

"Do you have a headache, Professor?"

"Not yet, but I'll no doubt have one shortly."

"You won't convince me that my singing will be the cause of it. I've had years of vocal training and multiple offers to sing professionally in operas houses."

"I never cared much for operatic singing."

"What type of music do you like? I can mimic other styles." Lindsay thought she'd finally broken the ice and had started a conversation with him.

"Can you mimic the sound of silence?" Snape thought she'd be offended or annoyed, but she laughed pleasantly. She appeared to be genuinely amused, but part of him suspected she was mocking him. He abruptly rose from his desk and told her to leave.

"But I'm only half finished," said Lindsay, confused by the sudden rise in his temper.

"I said, leave."