The Potions Master

siж: it starts small

During dinner when the day was nearly over I turned to Draco excitedly and eager to tell him about my master plan. "Let's sneak into Snape's room and snatch the book! Easy peasy!" I whisper yelled, smiling at Draco.

"All for a book about flowers? No way! I already have a weeks detention! And what about you? Did you get caught?" Draco interrogated.

I was about to answer truthfully then I had recalled being told this.

'Don't go blabbering about this either'.

I decided to be quiet.
"No. I'm completely fine, thanks for saving me anyway". I lied. He nodded suspiciously to me. "Lucky". He went on jealously.

"So will you come with me?" I continued eagerly hoping he'd say yes. Draco just rolled his eyes and went on;  "No, you shouldn't either! Just wait until he's done with it or ask the librarian to rent another one, you can do that you know?" Draco said snarkily taking a sip of his cranberry juice.

"When's your detention exactly?" I asked curiously. "I only got it during lunch". Draco shrugged. Tch I have mine during breakfast, lunch, and before dinner. At least I had after dinner to do what I want with.​​​​​

"Wanna hang out after dinner?" I asked in a finishing manner, seeming as Draco discarded all of my other options to do.

"Mm, no sorry. Crabbe, Goyle and I are gonna hang out, as boys. Some time for us since I've been with you all the time lately". Draco tilted his head and turned his back to me, Crabbe gave me an apologetic look. Well, I guess that's okay. I felt rejected, but also it was okay. I'd just be alone for this one time.When dinner had finished I didn't know what to do with myself. I was lonely. So instead of awkwardly standing around waiting for someone to save me, I decided to go to the Alchemists Tower. No one would see, or bother me there. It also had a beautiful view from its balcony.

There sure were a lot of stairs, I huffed taking a stop after a couple stacks of them. I never realized how tall this tower was. It's easier said than done to climb up here.

When I got to the top I just stood at the edge of the balcony. It was cold up here, and to add on to that it was raining. I gazed out, I lost a friend today. Hermione didn't deserve that. I felt so bad but there wasn't much I could do. Apologize? No I don't have the audacity to come crawling back to her.

I had about an hour or so till it was 8:30 and I had to get back to my quarters. Silence filled the air up here, really left me alone with my thoughts.

A breeze came across, man it was really really cold up here. Suddenly it got even colder. The balcony's railing became actually frozen making me instinctively step back. What's happening? I looked around, holding myself shivering as a black cloaked big figure started flying around in the air. It was skeleton like and creepy. I felt fine and intrigued, until it started to fly at me. I took a few steps back, my eyes widening, as it got closer, it got colder, I felt darker. When it got close enough I closed my eyes shielding myself with my fore arms and yelled out waiting for collision. "Expecto Patronum!", nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see a heroic Snape sheilding me with his Patronus. He saved me. With that the demonic figure flew away, it felt all around much warmer. I heard him huff heavily, did he run up all those stairs?

"What was that thing?" I asked in a semi-rhetorical manner. "That was a Dementor. L/N, what are you doing up here.. exactly?" Snape turned to me with an expression of something I couldn't quite place. "It isn't restricted to be up here is it? I could ask you the same thing.. I was just.. alone". I shrugged and tilted my head at him curiously. "Well Miss L/N, I saw from the Library wing you were up here, Dementors wandering about. I had to hurry. I was just doing my job to save a student". Snape trailed off putting his hands together looking down at me. I sighed, "It's Y/N. Miss L/N is my mum's name". I complained, about every other teacher called me by Y/N besides him. "It's unpresidented to call you by your first name Miss L/N". Snape explained. "It's also unpresidented to not report a student wandering about at night when they aren't supposed to". I fired back. Professor Snape sighed and held the bridge of his nose. "Just stay away from the balcony L/- Er.. Y/N". Snape groaned. I was glad he took my preference into account. I felt like he had a human side, outside of him being a teacher, it was rather intriguing. I wanted to get to know him, something inside me was drawn to him. "I will, thank you, for saving me Professor". I smiled at him. "It's Severus outside of classes, Y/N". He gave a nod followed by a small smile. I looked normal on the outside, but on the inside I was flabbergasted. He smiled? I've never seen Professor smile. Not only that I'm allowed to call him by his first name! His first name was Severus? What a nice name.. it was.. fitting. He turned around and started walking down the stairs, without a goodbye or anything. I followed trailing behind him, I should stay away from the balconies until further notice about these.. dementor things. "How was your day Severus?" I asked politely wanting to play keep away with silence. "Rather petty with all this Chamber Of Secrets nonsense going on. Filch's cat being petrified..". I could just tell by the way he rolled the words off his tongue, he was annoyed by the happenings going around. "Understandable. Wait, petrified? What happened?" I asked, I don't recall hearing anything about this yet. "Nn Yes. Something has petrified the Squibb's cat. Written something bothersome on the wall for another to clean up. It's more unnerving than expected". Snape said casually. "It's said that the Chamber has been opened". He informed. I nodded thinking. Hm.. something was really going on. I wondered where Severus standed on this Chamber Of Secrets talk, if he believed it or not, did he care? His opinion mattered to me for some unapparent reason.

When Snape and I finally got to the bottom I noticed all the halls were empty, no students were crowding them. "Where is everyone?" I asked. "Everyone's fine, Dinner is still in commence, Y/N. Don't worry". Severus added. I curiously went on to ask, "It's nearly past time, why would they still be in dinner?" "It's one of those insufferable ghosts's birthday today." Snape began walking down the hall without a word after that. Should I follow him? "Ah..". I muttered to myself taking a small nod as I was left alone. Snape stopped and turned back to me. He left with a few words, "Oh and Y/n, do be careful, it has been rumored the chamber has been opened". With that, he left.

It was 10:01pm. I had been just sitting in my dormitory room staring out my open window. The open window sent a breeze into my face, such a comforting sensation.

I should get to sleep. 'Cooe, Cooe, Cooe!'

A black beautiful owl with Blue bright eyes flew up to my window ceil. A letter tucked in its beak. It cooed at me a few times before I extended my hands and it dropped the letter. And just like that, it was gone, flying back to whomever owned it, or wherever it came from.

The letter had my name on it, i hesitantly opened it. Staring at the white paper, it had nothing on it. No who it was to and who it may be from. Why was this here now?

As I laid down and closed my eyes, I slept on these thoughts about today. Pondering about this empty mysterious letter.