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You hear whispers somewhere behind you but you ignore them. Sighing, you focus your attention on the book laying in front of you. It is a thick volume with black, leather cover and it contains an advanced knowledge about your favourite thing – potions.
You’re in Ravenclaw’s common room, sitting by a small table in the corner. You are almost painfully aware of the stares and voices coming from all around you. You know about rumors that are spread amongst every class, regardless the house. But being a 7th year student, you learnt to stop being bothered by them. The more you would deny the more they would talk, anyways.
Besides, you are feeling somewhat proud that, from all of the students, you are being treated rather special by professor Snape. After all, you haven’t heard of another student having private lessons and sharing tea with the most dreaded teacher in Hogwarts.
Funny enough, for you he was never frightening or impolite. You understood that he must’ve been through unpleasant stuff and that those events made him distant and sarcastic. Of course, students were gossiping but you decided not to believe in anything that wasn’t said by the man himself. However, you can never understand why the rest of students are afraid to even ask a question.
In fact, it was a question that lead you and professor Snape to form an odd friendship. On your first year, after maybe third or fourth classes you had approached professor Snape to inquire about one of ingredients of the potion you were to make during next classes. You had already learnt about it and when Snape realized that you knew more than the rest, he asked you to come to his office later.
And that was when your passion for potions was discovered and Severus Snape had changed his mind about you. As an addition, unwelcomed but not unexpected, you have become a number one in all rumors and it seemed that they never ended.
Closing your book, you stand up and put the tome in your bag. You take your sweater from the back of the chair and put it on as you leave the room, closing the door behind you and descending the stairs quickly. The castle is quiet at this hour, the evening only at its beginning and, not stopped by anyone, you are fast to arrive at professor Snape’s door. You knock and open it, knowing that he doesn’t expect anyone else but you.
“Good evening, professor!” you call as you walk in, setting your things on a chair and nearing a large table. You notice several pots settled on it as well as various ingredients.
Professor Snape greets you with a small smile and stands at the opposite end of the table.
“Now, Y/N, can you tell me what are we going to make from these things?”
“I’m assuming Madame Pomfrey has run out of Revival and Restoration Potions, hasn’t she?”
“Indeed, she has,” Snape says and you grin, pleased that you gave a correct answer. He waves his hand over the table.
“Help yourself. Revival or Restoration?”
“Revival, if I may.”
“Good then. You know what to do, right?”
You nod and eagerly get to work, cutting, measuring and slowly adding each ingredient. You don’t need recipe – by now you have memorized most of the potions you ever read about much to professor’s admiration and pride. He told you once that he never met a student as eager to learn as you, and when you mentioned that you are also rather fond of herbology, he gave you a first real smile you’ve seen on him.
Usually, the two of you worked in silence and today is not different. From time to time, you would ask a question about new recipe or something that piqued your interest. Sometimes, Snape would question you, inspecting your knowledge and making sure you understood everything and remembered the most important things.
You stir the steaming liquid and move the pot from the fire when you deem the potion to be ready. It has to cool off before it will be delivered to Madame Pomfrey.
“Should I make some tea?” you ask and Snape lifts his eyes from the potion he is making to look at you.
“Yes, please,” he replies and you smile gently before busying yourself with preparing the drinks. As you walk back, holding two mugs of hot green tea you see that Snape has already finished his potion and is leaning over the one you made.
“Perfect, as always,” he declares and takes the cup you hand him.
“Thank you, professor,” you answer with a happy grin while placing the tea on your side of the table, about to start making next dose of potion.
“Are they still talking?” Snape suddenly asks and you shrug. You know what he means, the conversation about what students gossip about appeared often during the evenings you spent in his office.
“Yes, but only the new ones. I don’t appear as scandalous to the rest. But it’s my last year here, so I have to deal with it only a bit longer.”
“Any plans for what’s after school?” Snape rounds the table and sits on one of the chairs, watching you with a soft expression on his face. You take a sip of your tea and then answer,
“I want to open a little shop on Diagon Alley, with herbs and potions. My parents are not happy since my father insists on me becoming an auror but it’s not me, I don’t see myself in a fight.”
“You would be a good teacher, Y/N. You’re patient and careful,” Snape muses and you frown slightly.
“Are you going somewhere, professor?” you ask with a hint of tease, but for a moment your guts knot in worry.
“Not anytime soon, but there will come a time when I’ll have to retire. Or professor Sprout.”
You let his words sink in, pondering them for a while before you let out a sigh.
“Well, I like Hogwarts. I’ll think about it,” you assure and Snape nods, rising from the chair. Both of you resume your work on potions, exchanging few more words. You even attempt to joke, but not with much success, yet you leave Snape’s office with a huge smile on your face.
Professor Snape may not occur as one to be friendly, but to you wouldn’t trade your bizarre friendship for anything else.