Angel Without Words

Lora stayed, quiet as always, where she was. The dark, dank smell of the dungeon was not about to disrupt her, not after all she'd been through. Been through Hell and back, in theory. In reality, it was only a few showdowns and a few curses. But to her...it was different.

Lora's eyes strayed about the common room. Her bright blue furies swayed across the dungeon walls until she found another pair of eyes. He was sitting near the fire, looking tired. She often found herself wondering at this Professors past. No matter where or when she saw him, the Professor always looked angry or mean, and never said a kind word. He seemed to be mercilessly ripping his quill through some papers, a sadistic and grim smirk on his pale face.

She was the last student to go to bed; she always was and probably always would be until she left the school, at the end of this year. She intended to come back to teach anyway.

A tingle in the back of her neck told her she was being watched through her thoughts. He had caught her gaze. That Professor was watching her, his hair falling slightly into his eyes. It was getting longer and apparently he wasn't going to cut it for a while. Their gaze held for another moment, then Lora lifted her eyebrow in question.

He seemed to understand. "You haven't left the Common Room and it's late, five minutes before twelve, to be exact. I was wondering if there was any particular reason."

She contemplated many answers, but eventually settled on a slow shake of her head. True, she never left until then, but it was more out of habit than anything else. Her mother had always demanded she go to bed before twelve, so she went five minutes before to get into her pajamas.

She, in turn, asked the question to him with a nod of her head.

"I? I cannot concentrate during the day and am planning out my lessons for tomorrow."

He seemed fairly young, though his face seemed tired and weary. His eyes were black pools or fire, and she was sure if she could break behind them she could see a past much like that of her own. His skin was of medium color, though every day he seemed to get paler and paler, as though the sun had been keeping him alive. Now that he saw very little of it, down in the dungeons, that was gone from his life.

"Yes?" She looked into his gaze again. "Something interest you?" She shook her head, then checked the clock again. Six of. She had one more minute before she would go upstairs.

She shook her head again. Her eyes bored into his, and they flicked up their own power. Eventually, the tingling in the back of her neck told her to go. She looked at her watch out of the corner of her eyes.

10...

His eyes continued to stare her down.

9...

She couldn't lose. She'd never lost a staring contest before, her eyes were always to fierce a competition.

6...

No! Never! She'd never lose, not to...to...him, a teacher who was probably no more than five or six years older than she.

3...

Blink, damn it, blink!

2...

She tried to imagine what would happen if she lost. Sure, no one would know, but still...it was impossible!

1...

Even if it was a teacher, if she could stare down stern McGonagall, she could stare down some no account professor like him.

The eyelids closed, and she headed up to bed. Neither of them was happy; it had been a hollow victory.

___

Class was so much fun. Professor Snape took very little and was nothing like their old teacher. Lora was sure she wanted to be like that; stern and taking no failure without punishment, that was a sign of a good teacher.

Stern, but not evil.

Her first class with him had ended up being a sure sign that she was not in for a happy year...

___

Professor Snape started off, like any other teacher, with role call. All was fine until he had gotten to Euripides, Lora's last name.

He called her name and she raised her hand as a sign of 'here'. He looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Wise, are you then? I believe I specifically said to say 'here' if you are present."

She blinked. Obviously, Headmaster Dumbledore had forgotten to tell Snape she was mute.

Achilles raised his hand, "Sir, she can't answer, sh-"

"I don't believe I was talking to you, Mister Longbottom. I was asking Miss Euripides, was I not?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Mister Longbottom..." Snape began warningly, and Achilles fell silent. He looked sideways at Lora who was trying to figure out what to do. Snape walked in front of her and folded his arms across his chest, staring her right in the eye.

"I believe I asked you to do something. Now, if you don't answer me I will give you detention. Maybe for one night, maybe for a week, maybe for the rest of the year. You aren't as daft as I would like you to believe. You aren't a slip of a human being whose intelligence is as low as the bottom of the sea. So girl, open your mouth."

Well, that she could do. She opened it slightly and continued to stare at him.

"Don't be wise. That's another detention you've gained for your cheek."

Achilles had to do something. "Professor, sir, please, L-"

"Mister Longbottom! If you do not hold your tongue I will give you and her detention for the rest of the week! I will not tolerate such behavior! Your idiocy astounds me and I am insulted that you are in Slytherin!"

He turned and walked off, continuing on with class.

Things got worse, however, as things progressed...

Snape called on her at the end of class for an easy question, so easy even Achilles could answer it correct. She couldn't answer, however, and he smiled cruelly, watching and waiting for an answer. She bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. She sneaked a glance at Achilles. Wrong move.

"Unless you find something extremely fascinating with your fellow student, and I don't see why you would be, I suggest you stop looking at him. He will be of no help to you."

The seconds ticked by and the class waited with bated breath. Finally, the bell rang. Everyone was about to get up, but he said, "No one is leaving until Miss Euripides answers my question."

Cries and moans were heard, and Professor Snape yelled "SILENCE! I will not tolerate any sort of behavior like this! Now then, if I hear any sort of noise out of anybody except for Miss Euripides, you will not be happy." Everyone sat back down and stared forward, knowing that they were going to be here for a very long time.

Achilles sighed and pulled out a parchment, a quill, and his Potions book. Lora smiled. Yet again, she thought, my friend is showing more intelligence than we grant him for.

A sudden scraping of desks and bags was heard as people pulled out their homework and began to work on it. Snape stood in front or Lora and didn't move, eyes remaining in contact with each other.

Now, here was a problem. Two people who had never failed to stare down an opponent (no one else had known about last night) now faced each other, opponents. Snape had a slight advantage over Lora in that he had had more practice. Achilles could tell that whichever one won, the other would be very, very unhappy. Lora might take it better than Snape, and he thought it best to let Snape win.

But then...

But Snape would take it to his advantage, knowing that he stared down the best opponent the school has to offer.

But then...

Oh, it didn't matter. Snape was walking back to his desk, his expression unreadable. So, too, was Lora's, as she pulled out her work. Oh, shoot, if he had been watching he'd have known who won.

___

An hour later, half the class was done with their homework and still no one had been allowed to leave.

Lora had been idly sitting there, thinking. Her potions essay she had just completed lay on top of her desk. Snape seemed to be making rounds every 15 minutes, and as he passed he picked up her essay and leafed through it. Every once in a while he would glance at her, and then he bent low, hands on her desk to support himself. She had yet to fail Potions or a Potions assignment, as it was her best class, so she knew it wasn't about that.

"I don't know why you are being so difficult. Do you wish for detentions for your and your classmates, every single one of them? Do you wish to be marked down for intolerable behavior? Is it your dream to spend every waking moment in a classroom and rarely seeing the rest of the waking world? Why do you not reply, Miss Euripides? The other teachers speak highly of you and your former Potions Professor proclaimed you a brilliant mind. Is there something about me that bothers you, Miss Euripedes?"

Yes, your horrible attitude and your ugl-!

"What are you thinking? For your face and actions betray your thoughts." His voice drops lower. "You hate me and I don't blame you. I don't like myself much either." That's pretty sad. Achilles bit his lip to hide a smile; he had been watching and reading her face was as easy as infuriating this new professor. "But that does not give you the right to punish your allies and enemies even further. Your friends naturally blank mind and your own blank sense of mind does not bode well for you." Achilles looked over at Professor Snape, who gave him a look that told him to mind his own business. Achilles watched him a moment more before returning to his Arithmancy homework.

Snape watched her for a moment longer, before he turned and went off to examine other students work.

Lora pulled out her journal and thought, then wrote down:

Sept 2, 1981

School has, in short, been very entertaining. My first classes were easy, nothing difficult at all. Mostly review. I didn't have Care of Magical Creatures today, which makes me a small bit afraid of what Professor Kettleburn has planned for us.

But ahh, my favorite class besides Care of Magical Creatures, and my best class...potions. Yeah, he's a different type of teacher, Professor Snape, no doubt about that.

At this she glanced up at Professor Snape, who was again standing in front of her. She smiled slightly and continued recklessly onward, aware of his stare boring into her head.

I won't bother telling you he isn't the nicest person, here Professor Snape shifted, but I suppose you can tell that by the fact that I'm sitting here, with my fellow classmates, in his classroom. He's held us after, and for how long he will hold us after I don't know. He says until I answer his question, but I do think he has a life and would like to get on with it. Could be wrong, though; teachers don't appear to be human in my eyes, not counting Professor Kettleburn, who's as much as student as the rest of us.

He also called my name and expected me to answer during role-call. His thoughts were obviously on the sadistic side as he taunted my classmates and me about how I wouldn't answer. He called me wise for obeying what he told me to do, to open my mouth. I wasn't being wise; I was being smart in trying not to infuriate his sharp tongue anymore.

Professor Snape made a soft noise that could be reminding her he was watching what she was writing, or could also be exasperation.

She didn't care however.

He watches me now like a hawk watches their prey. I can tell he's creating a speech in his mind, thinking of words and phrases so ice cold that even the worst winter seems gentle next to him. She glanced up and he seemed a bit surprised, deciphering her upside-down writing with perfect accuracy.

Achilles has made no more of a good impression than I have, and for that-no offense, my friend-I am grateful. It shows I'm not alone in this world of sadism, hatred and loneliness that fills our waking moments in his class. Our being both houses. For poor Andrea, she has fallen asleep. Tut, tut. Professor Snape got up and woke her up with a banging of his pointer stick on her desk, while everyone tried very hard not to laugh at her.

Lora continued on with her chat about her friend.

He tries to defend me and shows the same mix of emotions that I do concerning all of my classes. But especially this one. As I know him better than anyone except perhaps himself-I am only to well remembering his family's hatred of him-I know how he voices his opinions. Not one to interrupt a teacher, nor one to speak out of turn, his anger is plainly visible beneath his cold stare, which he is occasionally throwing to his source of distaste.

Professor Snape came back and read that paragraph while she thought about what to write next. Deciding to make her feelings know, she continued in a ruder manner as he sat down and watched her.

I must also remind myself not to say anything that might anger him, as he apparently has no regard for anybody's private business and is reading my thoughts right now, the cursed intruder.

He said nothing but shifted again. She looked around the room and sniggered, then wrote something for her own enjoyment.

Jessica is apparently as fascinated with his behavior as I am. She has yet to remove her eyes from our Professor, and I shall enjoy taunting her later. She heard the noise of Professor Snape turning and looking at Jessica, then a moment later turn back.

Whether or not this is her reason I don't know, but it makes for something good to chat about. I finally get to be gossiping of her, the little brat.

Achilles looks bored. I wish I could be so lucky. Now it has been an hour and a half, sitting here. Why has no one come? Have we been thrown into a timeless world, where our sins are cursing us into an eternal damnation?

Or is everyone too busy enjoying their first afternoon of freedom?

Signing out for now

AWOW

She turned the page, jabbed her quill into her ink, and then began to draw. She sketched it out. The picture was not immediately recognizable, but then it began to take shape and form. Professor Snape watched with fascination the picture seemed to come slowly to life before his eyes. Every once in a while she would change the color of her ink. She did not, however, make eye contact with him. The larger of the two figures was black, he could see, and guessed what it was. Yet it wasn't until he could see the wings that he could be sure of what it indeed was.

A dragon.

Its mouth was open into a hiss, the forked tongue hanging slightly from the mouth. It was perched on the edge of a cliff apparently, but its head was much higher than that of the other, which was clad in pale blue. The wings were spread and the tail was sharp and barbed. The spikes protruding fro its neck were large and this one seemed that if it were to come alive it would be as deadly as a real one.

She continued to work on this for quite some time. This pale blue ones mouth was closed (though the teeth were bared), but its wings were spread, the claws were sharp, and it looked almost as deadly as the first. The spikes were not so large however, but just as sharp and menacing. He wouldn't want to be in a fight with either of them. Out of the two he'd take the blue one; the other was larger and therefore seemed more dangerous.

She shaded for a while longer, and then created the rest of the picture. The sky, the cliff, and a cloud. Then, very businesslike, Lora closed all of her ink bottles, put them away, and drained her quill of the black ink it had been holding.

She let it dry, leaving it open, then looked at Professor Snape, watching his reaction. He was watching it with fascination, and then looked her in the eye. She smiled slightly, and then decided to give him a hint. She looked at the black dragon, back at him, back at the dragon, and back at him again. He eyed her for a moment, then watched it. After a moment more, it seemed to dawn on him what the picture represented. She grinned slightly as he made eye contact. He nodded at her and stood.

"I think you've been here long enough," he said to the still class. They looked up at him. "You are all free to go." Needless to say, no one was slow in leaving.

No one, perhaps, but a blond haired girl with a small triumphant smile on her face.