Snape's Niece

Seven

Emma caught up with the other students in everything but potions. As she had said before, she was the Potion Masters niece, so therefore she knew more than the advanced student did (about potions). She even tutored some of the kids who weren't doing very well in her uncle's class.

"I don't why," she would say to Draco, when they were sitting on a couch. "Uncle Sev is a wonderfully patient Potions teacher." She didn't understand when he snorted. But anyway, by the time she'd caught up with the other students, it was late October, and almost time for the Halloween Ball. That year Hogwarts was going overboard on balls. There was a Halloween Ball, a Yule Ball, and a Valentine's Day Ball. Emma had heard from Hermione that some girl named Lavender Brown was going into hyper drive of girly-girlishness. Emma needed no help for getting ready for any such thing. She was, of course going with Draco and he had three different pairs of all black robes. She had three different dresses for the occasions; she would not be seen in the same pair of dress robes twice in one year.

"Are you ready yet?" asked an exasperated and annoyed Draco. "Because if you aren't out of there in the next five seconds...Wow, I. Wow. You look.... Amazing. Beautiful. Gorgeous, that's it. Gorgeous."

Emma was wearing a strapless emerald green silk gown that had emerald green gauze embroidered with silver leaves sown onto the dress. The gauze didn't just hang from the bodice, it was sown securely underneath it and at the waist, after that it hung freely. Draco was wearing a pair of black robes that consisted of a tight black dress shirt with an extra button undone, and very nice pants perfectly pressed and an overrode that went down to above his thumbs.

"May I?" he said bowing to Emma and offering her his arm.

"You may," she retorted, "not."

His face went slack.

She laughed. "That's for yelling at me to hurry up. Of course you may." She curtsied and gave him her arm.

"Clearly," he said looking her up and down slowly as they were exiting the stairwell. "You were worth the wait."

"Of course she was, Mr. Malfoy. She is, after all, a Snape," said a new voice. It was Professor Snape. "And my niece." He added as an after thought. Snape walked over to Emma and kissed her cheek, tears rolling down his. "You look just like your mother," he told her emotionally. He turned to Draco and spoke to Draco in such a low voice only he heard what Professor Snape was saying. "You hurt my niece in any way and I'll slip something in your drink that will make you die a slow, painful death."

Draco gulped. "Yes, sir," he said. "But I wouldn't you know that don't you?"

Snape looked over Draco's face and smiled slowly. "Yes, I do. But be careful that you don't anyway." He turned and exited the room going through his chambers to meet with the other professors before the ball.

Walking to the doorway into the Great Hall standing as tall as they could, Emma and Draco made an impressive entrance. Everyone looked up to see the last people enter. They were last because they'd been in the Astronomy corridor making out for the past half hour. Many of the guys in that hall saw Emma, who usually wore her hair in a ponytail or a bun, with her hair down for the first time. It hung down her back, with the exception of about half of it being held up in silver hair clips. Another reason for their stares were because Emma filled her dress out nicely, and she knew it. Girls were open-mouthed staring at Draco and at Emma. They were staring at Draco because; let's admit it, he's extremely hot. They were staring at Emma out of pure unadulterated jealousy.

Shortly after their entrance Emma was dancing with Harry, who had asked her when Draco was talking with Blaise Zabini about Quidditch. Emma had had enough of Quidditch after twenty minutes talk about some Wronski Feint or something like that. So when Harry had approached her she couldn't--or wouldn't--refuse him. It was a waltz.

"So...Why did you come with Draco and not someone else?" asked Harry genuinely puzzled. "Didn't someone else ask you?"

"Of course other people asked me. Fifteen actually. I like Draco, he's nice," seeing his face she added," to me at least."

Harry rolled his eyes. "I don't see why you like him. He's a slimy git. Rotten to the core that family. He's the worst of them, too, mean as hell," Harry said looking into Emma's eyes. If he was looking for sympathy he found the opposite of it.

Emma stepped away from him and slapped him sharply. "How dare you say that!" she said loudly. Everyone was looking. "You have got to be the most hateful bastard in the world Harry Potter!" Even the teachers were looking. Draco hurried over.

"You are making a scene, Em," he whispered.

"He insulted you," she said simply.

"Oh, yeah?" he said glaring at Harry. The heat was most definitely on. "You want to take this outside Potter? You want to solve your little crush on my girlfriend forever? I assure you, you will have to go to the Hospital wing after I'm done with you." Draco stood up straighter and glared at him. The name 'Draco' suited him; he was most certainly a dragon when it came to some points.

Harry looked at Emma. "See? See his behavior? Isn't he being a mean-as-hell-slimy-git?"

Emma gave him a Death Glare. "I fully support Draco in just about everything. In this matter he has my approval, as he does in many others. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm going to get some punch." With that she walked over to the drink table and conjured a bottle identical to the one she had conjured the month before last. Taking the lid off the bottle and pouring about a forth of it into a punch cup and filling the rest of the cup with punch she went to sit down next to Hermione and Ron. "Men," she said disgusted.

"I know what you mean Em. I mean," Hermione said lowering her voice, "I've been flirting with Ron since early this summer and he's never asked me out or noticed me! I even thought of putting a sign around my neck saying 'Ron Weasley: ASK ME OUT! PLEASE' but Parvati said that was too obvious, and if Parvati says it's too obvious you know it's too obvious. Parvati had a reputation of being a outrageous flirt. I have given up on Ronald William Weasley. I'm going after someone else." Hermione sat up straight and put her chin up.

"Good for you. You can go after anyone but Draco with my blessing. He's mine." Emma grinned at Hermione who rolled her eyes.

"Like I would want the snake of Syltherin," she told Emma, amused. "You're the only one who could tame him ever since I've known him. And that's saying a lot."

"How about a older man?" Emma said wiggling her eyebrows at Hermione. "Say Bill Weasley? Or would one of the twins suit you. There are two of them, so if one isn't good enough there's always the other."

Hermione looked at Emma in shock. "Bill? You would let me fancy Bill? But...But he's a professor!"

Emma cocked an eyebrow at Hermione. "That doesn't stop him from shamelessly flirting with me though. Oh, here he comes now."

Indeed Bill was coming over to see them. "Hello ladies. Now," he said pulling a chair over to them sitting down and smiling a very dashing smile, "why would two such lovely ladies be sitting on the sidelines when there are so many eligible men around to dance with them?"

Emma gave Bill a half practical half sarcastic look. "They're all watching the fight. Which is where all the other professors are, trying to get through to see who is fighting."

Bill went right back at her with the same look. "Which is why I'm over here talking to such obviously lonely ladies. Ron, come over here. Come on now Ron!"

Ron got up from his seat, which was facing the fight and came over giving Bill an 'I'm here what-do-you-want-from-me' look. "Yes, Bi-Professor?"

"Dance with Miss Granger, Ron. She is lonely for a dance. Are you not Miss Granger?"

"Ye-Yes professor, I am."

Ron was beet-red as he led Hermione out onto the dance floor.

Bill turned to Emma. "Now, will you give me the pleasure of dancing with you?"

Emma giggled. "Yes, of course, Professor." And she glided out onto the floor with him.

To her chagrin, Bill was an excellent dancer, holding her in all the right places. It sucks that he's a professor, thought Emma. Number one he's very attractive, number two: he's nice. Number three: His mother is going to murder him when she finds out he's been flirting with me...

From across the dance floor Draco saw Emma and Bill (Bill liked the students to call him by his first name. Professor Weasley made him feel old) dancing. He could see the way that the oldest Weasel was holding Emma, and he didn't like it. As soon as Dumbledore let him and Harry go ("No more fighting or I'll have to expel both of you.") he stalked across the floor and snatched Emma out of Weasley's arms and gave Bill a 'What Are You Going To Do About It?' look.

"Mind if I cut in? Professor," Draco said glancing at Emma with a possessive gleam in his eye.

"Yes I do, Mr. Malfoy. I have been dancing with Ms. Snape and you have been fighting Mr. Potter. If you were a better boyfriend you would pay attention to her when she wants to socialize." Bill stopped, realizing what he's just said. "Never mind," he mumbled. "Dance with her all you want Malfoy. She's yours after all." He walked away, towards his quarters.