Redemption

Part 4: All in a Day's Work

Last night had been a tough evening for Severus. After Dumbledore had come in and Severus had answered all of his questions with little more than cryptic words, he had settled himself into bed with a Dreamless Sleep Potion. But now, wide awake, he sat watching Elissa Redgrove read the Daily Prophet. His own plate lay empty before him and it wasn't until Dumbledore sat beside him that Severus was shaken from his reverie.

"Severus, it is the first day of school. Do eat up, as I would not like to have my Potions Master in St. Mungo's by the end of the morning," Dumbledore said, his tone cheery, yet full of concern. Snape reached in front of him and scooped some scrambled eggs onto his plate.

"Would it be too much of a bother to ask what you were staring at?" Dumbledore continued, spearing a sausage.

"New students," Severus muttered dismissively before eating a tiny bit of toast. Dumbledore nodded his head before engaging himself in his bowl of porridge.

***

Elissa sat in the Great Hall, the latest edition of the Daily Prophet perched in front of her and a slice of toast in her hand. She wasn't a morning person, but this was more evident today as she slammed the paper on the table with disgust. The morning so far had not been a pleasant one.

Clara Bruntweiler, one of her roommates, had thought it both comical and oddly beneficial to wake up Elissa with a stream of cold water on her head. Of course, Clara hadn't escaped unscathed. A well-placed jelly-legs hex and tickling charm later, Clara had shut herself in the bathroom desperately trying to find the counter-charms. Then Marcus Flint had approached her in the common room.

"Care to be escorted to the Great Hall, my lady?"he asked her sweetly while extending his arm for her to take. She ignored him with a tut, and the girls in her dorm seemed both shocked and pleased at her refusal. Inwardly groaning at her situation, Elissa continued to eat her now-cold toast. All at once, a creepy feeling, one that brought the hairs on the back of her neck to their peak, poured over her. Someone's watching me, she thought. Elissa looked down the Slytherin table to find Marcus Flint and a few other second-year boys being smothered by some first-year girls; she then looked up at the staff table and her breath almost caught in her chest.

Professor Snape, the Head of Slytherin House, was staring at her. But it wasn't the usual cold stare that he gave to students; it was oddly disconcerting. His mouth twitched into a smirk before Dumbledore caught his attention. Elissa chastised herself while resuming the pace on her toast and making another blind attempt to read the Daily Prophet. At that moment, Domna had decided to make a stunning entrance into the hall by swooping over the heads of students and causing some fourth-year Gryffindors to scream bloody murder.

But that wasn't exactly what caught Elissa's attention. Instead, it was the murderous look on McGonagall's face as she nearly jogged between the tables toward her.

"Miss Redgrove," McGonagall said. "What is it about having an owl OR a cat OR a toad for first years that you do not understand?"

Elissa immediately recognized her mistake and the words in the Hogwarts supply list came spiraling back to her.

"Oh dear,"Elissa said as McGonagall crossed her arms disapprovingly and stood before her, a tight-lipped glare on her face. McGonagall instead motioned towards the faculty table with a wave of her wand.

"We'll let your head of house handle this. I am sure you have met Professor Snape?"McGonagall said, her eyes narrowed.

"Actually, we haven't been acquainted yet," Elissa said quietly as a tall, gaunt figure strolled towards her seat at the end of the table. Marcus and his admirers looked up as he passed -- some even laughed at Elissa, but she didn't pay them any mind.

"Professor Snape," McGonagall began, motioning toward the raven on Elissa's shoulder.

"Miss Redgrove here failed to take notice of her inappropriate choice of pet."

Professor Snape's black and strangely glittering eyes seemed to bore a hole into her. She found it hard not to resist a sharp intake of breath.

"I see," Snape said rather icily. "Well, we shall take care of this. Come."

Snape motioned Elissa out of her chair and lead her through the Great Hall. She looked back to see Clara Bruntweiler, as well as two other dorm mates, sniggering behind closed hands at Elissa. Michelle, who chose that moment to enter the Great Hall, shot Elissa a puzzled look to which Elissa mouthed, See you in Potions.

***

"Severus, what the heck is that?" Stephen asked as he rolled over his four-poster bed to look at the stunning raven perched on Severus's shoulder.

"Fero," he murmured, stroking the raven's luxurious feathers. Stephen looked on in wonder as Severus gently lifted the bird up, attached a letter to its leg and sent it flying through a vent in the dormitory. "My father bought him for me."

"Do you realize how incredibly hard those things are to tame?" Stephen asked, stepping onto the cold floor of the dormitory and crossing to Severus's bed. "I mean, I want one of those too, but heck, I reckon I wouldn't get very far."

"It takes a great deal of patience, Steve,"Severus said lightly as the door opened to reveal Evan Rosier and Thomas Avery.

"Avery, I swear I lent you three Galleons and you still ask me for more," Evan grumbled as he flopped down on his bed and pulled the hangings shut around him.

"Well Rosier, you didn't," Thomas Avery countered, pulling his trunk open and taking out his pajamas. "Tell me again why you two didn't go to Hogsmeade? I mean, this is the first visit on our last year here! Who wouldn't want to go?"

"I," Severus began, taking his time to cast a sharp look at Stephen, "chose to stay here because of homework. Steve, I daresay, chose to be here because his girlfriend decided to stay."

Evan, who was still behind the hangings of his bed, began to snigger along with Thomas at the mentioning of Vanessa. The door to the dormitory opened once again, admitting Johnathan Lestrange, as well as Moira, his girlfriend, and Vanessa.

"No girls in the dormitory,"Severus said casually, flinging the hangings closed on his bed. Evan and Thomas began laughing again.

"Won't take long, Sevi," Vanessa said with a chuckle. Severus poked his head through the curtains and cast a glare towards Vanessa before falling back onto the bed.

"Got that right,"Severus mumbled before pulling the covers down and falling asleep.

***

They made their way out of the Great Hall, amongst many whispers from the other students. Elissa didn't pay attention to them at all. Instead, she looked up at Snape, who turned down a stone corridor and kept walking, torches coming to life as he approached them. She had to jog in order to keep pace with Snape's stride, and Domna squawked indignantly on her shoulder. Snape paused outside a dark wooden door at the end of the corridor and tapped the handle of the door with his wand. He held the door open wide enough for her to enter and then followed her inside.

The walls were lined with many jars and vials, all with some type of liquid in them -- a few of the jars had many disgusting things that Elissa didn't want to think about. Snape's office was sparsely furnished with a heat-less fire glowing in the grate. His desk was cleared of everything except a large, leather-bound book which he snapped shut after he noticed she was looking at it. He motioned for her to sit, and she did so reluctantly.

"So Miss Redgrove,"Snape said icily, taking a seat across from Elissa and resting his elbows on the table. "You chose a raven."

Elissa, who was used to this kind of treatment from her grandfather, relaxed her shoulders and slumped into the chair. She reached for the chain around her neck and pulled out her mother's wedding band for comfort. Snape paused, staring at the ring dangling between her fingers, before proceeding.

"I have no trouble with ravens myself,"Snape said calmly, motioning towards the perch by the window. "Yet I can't understand why you would choose a raven, especially since you are so young."

Elissa nodded her head before realizing he wanted an answer.

"I just walked into the Magical Menagerie on Diagon Alley and she flew over to me," Elissa said, shrugging her shoulders as she spoke.

"Must have scared your grandmother senseless, I believe?"

Elissa furrowed her brow. How does he know my grandmother? Elissa thought cocking her head to the side.

"Yes, I know your grandparents,"Snape said quietly, not an ounce of expression on his face. "Anyway, I feel that it is your own choice whether or not to use a raven. However, I would advise she stay in your dormitory. As you might already know, ravens don't like owls much."

Elissa nodded her head before Snape stood up and crossed the room to the door. "Now, I believe you need to gather up your necessities for Potions?"

"Yes," she squeaked. Her pale cheeks became tinged with a bright pink at the sound of her voice as Snape opened the door and she exited hastily. Once Snape had closed the door to his office in the classroom, Elissa couldn't help but wonder about him. He knows my grandparents, obviously rather well if he knows the woman hates birds, for that matter, any animal. She made her way back to the Slytherin common room, squeezing past a group of seventh-year Hufflepuffs. Once she made it to her dormitory, Clara and her gang of girls were giggling merrily on Clara's bed.

"Do give us the good news, Elissa. Have you been granted a detention? Or are they serving your bird to the Giant Squid?"

The three girls broke into laughter as they gathered up their cauldrons and Potions equipment and made their way out of the dormitory, still laughing at Elissa.

"Don't mind them. The Bruntweilers are all airheads," Michelle said haughtily as she jammed Magical Drafts and Potions into her book bag. "So? What happened?"

Elissa gathered up her supplies and explained what had happened that morning leading up to Domna and her stunning entrance into the Great Hall. She then told Michelle what Snape had said about having ravens and about Snape himself owning one.

"So now she is going to stay in here?" Michelle asked as they made their way out of the common room. "I don't mind Domna in there, but think of what Clara and her two baboons are going to do."

"I know, but if Clara has any brains in that thick skull of hers, she'll keep a hefty distance away from you, Domna and me."

***

Severus sat in front of the classroom, watching the first-year Gryffindors and Slytherins hurry to get at a table. So, Severus grumbled to himself, my reputation has spread quickly. He shook his head roughly and waited for the bell to ring. As he sifted through papers on his desk, he was reminded of the ring around Elissa's neck. His heart almost stopped thinking about it before he shook his head again, trying to clear his mind. The bell finally rang.

"Welcome to Potions," he said silkily. He had a heavy scowl on his face and his voice dripped with sarcasm. Many of the Gryffindors flinched, while the Slytherins just smirked at him. Elissa, who was sitting two tables away next to a curly-haired girl, rested her elbow on the table and supported her head. "I need not tell you that this is possibly the most dangerous class in the school. You will learn magic in this room that does not involve the wave of a wand or a flick of the wrist. Potions is time and patience, qualities which, I can assure you, many don't have. It is a fine art; therefore I expect the utmost attention paid to details."

Some of the Gryffindors looked at each other, while the Weasley twins grinned mischievously. Undaunted, Severus continued.

"I can only teach you how to brew potions if you are ready and willing to learn how. Rest assured," Severus said coldly, his eyes narrowing slightly at the Weasley twins, who were whispering to one another, "that I will not tolerate any form of disobedience from anyone-"

"-except your own house."

Severus looked up at the Weasley twins, both with identical looks of innocence in their eyes.

"Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Weasley, for speaking out of turn."

One of the boy's mouths dropped while the Gryffindors stared in horror at Severus. The Slytherins began snickering behind their hands.

"Now, without further interruption, we shall begin with a simple solution that even dunderheads like many of you can handle. A simple Wart Removing Potion."

He watched as one of the twins slammed his Potions book open onto the table. Severus scowled at him before coming around his desk and resting his hands upon the smooth surface, surveying the class closely.

"Pages twenty-five and twenty-six list the ingredients and instructions. You have the rest of the period to brew your Wart Removing Potion. You may begin."

Time passed gradually in the dungeons; it was almost too slow for Severus' liking. He found himself constantly looking up at Elissa to find her working steadily with her ingredients. Much to Severus' surprise, he was drifting into his thoughts until eventually, he felt as though he was in another world.

***

Severus shuffled through the bundle of ingredients on the table, looking up as Professor Spindle walked by his table. Stephen was hastily flipping through his

Book of Magical Plants and Herbs by Wanda Decanter.

"Severus, if we weren't so messy, we might be able to find the dragon's hide," Stephen muttered angrily before letting out a not so muffled cry of victory as he dislodged the bag from under Severus' elbow. "Too late to clean up now though, right? Anyway, it says to add the dragon's hide after removing the potion from the fire, then stir it eighteen times counter-clockwise. Can you handle it?"

"Of course I can," Severus grumbled before hefting the cauldron off the fire and adding the dragon's hide. Out of the corner of his eye, Severus could see Sirius Black and James Potter grinning maliciously towards him, a Filibuster's wet-start firework ready in hand. "Oh no."

Before Severus could reach his wand, James had lobbed the firecracker into their cauldron. There was a loud hiss before the potion exploded, sending Wrinkling Draught all over the dungeon.

"Potter! Black! Wait till I get my hands on you!" Severus yelled as his face began to wrinkle into a prune-like ball. Stephen, who had also been drenched in the solution, took out his wand only to have it snatched away by Professor Spindle.

"Potter and Black, one word to fit your vocabulary perfectly: detention. See me after class," Spindle said icily before giving the Slytherins and two unlucky Gryffindors the Smoothing Potion.

***

Severus shook his head slightly and glanced around the dungeon. Seeing that most of the class was almost through with the beginning steps of their potions, Severus stood up and began to prowl through the classroom, noting the Gryffindors' lack of organization and criticizing Alicia Spinnet's lumpy potion. He slowly approached Elissa's bench and was startled to find that her table was the messiest of the lot. But not only that; she was also working quickly, carelessly tossing ingredients into the potion which, to his immense surprise, was nearly finished.

"Miss Redgrove, would you mind offering an explanation of the state of your working environment?"Severus asked quietly, making sure no one but Elissa could hear him.

She looked dazed by his sudden appearance at her side but continued to add frog warts and dandelion roots to her potion.

"I can't exactly offer one, Professor," she murmured, adding the last of the roots and picking up the ladle.

"Intriguing, Miss Redgrove. Five points to Slytherin for an excellent potion."

She stopped stirring for a second to look up, a slight smile on her face before focusing once more on her potion.

"Like father, like daughter,"Severus muttered under his breath before making his way past the other Slytherins and back to his desk.

***