Violet Potter and the Basilisk Plague (Year Two)

Chapter Seven: A Warning From Professor Snape

After Violet left the Great Hall, she turned to go down the stairs leading to the Slytherin corridor with the rest of her fellow second-years. But before she made it to the safety of her common room, she was suddenly grabbed by an arm with a grip like iron and was being pulled in another direction, by Professor Snape.

"Professor---OUCH! Would you please stop pulling me by my arm? I have early classes tomorrow. Where are we even goi---"

"KEEP QUIET!" Professor Snape snapped out at Violet, a particularly scary look on his face, "And cease your caterwauling or the consequences will begin early tomorrow, and you won't like them at all. GET INSIDE." Violet stepped quickly inside of what she realized was Professor Snape's office. It had not changed at all since the last year, except it seemed, to get even gloomier and creepier. What in the unholy Mouth of Hell was Snape even keeping in all these glass jars now? Magical Creature fetuses? Brains? Frogspawn? Poisonous substances most dark and forbidden?

"Had a wonderful summer holiday didn't we, Miss Potter? I noticed you were not staying at your usual out of school residence with the Spencers in Nettleship. Decided a change of pace was in order and went to stay at the Weasleys, reunited with your brother, the Famous Harry Potter then? How touching." The way Professor Snape said it, Violet knew he certainly didn't think it was touching at all. "SIT." Violet sat in the rigidly uncomfortable looking chair reserved for her on the other side of Snape's office desk, being too terrified to even consider doing anything else. "What did I do?"

Snape slapped down the evening's edition of the Daily Prophet. "Might I suggest you just take a good read into this latest news article and think very hard about why such a question is plainly idiotic." But Violet didn't need to read the whole story. She took one look at the black and white photo of the flying Ford Anglia being driven in the clouds with Harry, Ron and Hedwig inside, with the title of the article (FLYING FORD ANGLIA MYSTIFIES MUGGLES).

And Violet suddenly knew exactly where Harry and Ron disappeared. And sadly, that horrible Pansy Parkinson hadn't been lying about everything in the Great Hall. What were those two even thinking?

"They can't be expelled! They just can't! Especially not after everything they did for the school last year! Professor, please---"

"SILENCE!"

Violet immediately fell silent and looked down so that she wouldn't have to look at the face of this teacher she so despised. A teacher who she was also stuck putting up with, at least until the happy day she graduated from Hogwarts.

"Furthermore, you will also look directly at me when I am talking to you. I will not tolerate this childishness, now do as you're told." Snape said harshly, while glaring at Violet. "I wasn't even in the car." Violet said quietly, her voice full of resentment.

"STOP THAT MUMBLING. I am well aware that you were not at the scene of this crime when your unbelievably thickheaded brother and his equally moronic little sidekick took to the sky with it, in plain sight of no less than seven muggles. And it is solely for the reason that you were on the train and exactly where you were supposed to be for once, that I am not expelling you on the spot. This does however, bring us to the problem we must now deal with. The problem I have with you currently, young lady, is the company you keep."

This time, Violet was the one glaring at Professor Snape. "And what about the company I keep? The Weasleys are all good, decent, and honest wizards. Harry is still my brother no matter what anyone says, and he has had almost no one on his side until he was first introduced to the Wizarding World. Our non-magic relatives have been just horrible to him. And before you start on Hermione Granger, who cares if she's muggle-born except for his people. Death Eaters, bigots, and the like anyway? She's already one of the most accomplished witches I know, and she's still not even a teenager."

"Neither is she in Slytherin, and for very good reasons. I am also aware of how most of the student populace at Hogwarts see me. Nasty greasy haired Snape, the teacher who must have never properly washed up once in his life, the teacher who appears to show favoritism to students of my own house, while giving the thorny stick to most non-Slytherins, including your brother. But there is a reason I am expecting you to keep your distance from certain Gryffindors. It is for your protection."

"You must think that they are pretty low types if you of all Hogwarts teachers would be that concerned about my safety. What did we ever do to you anyway? What did this whole world do to you to make you such a cold and unlikeable person?"

Professor Snape was just about to snarl out how ungrateful Violet was being and that he would not tolerate any more of her ridiculous questions, when Professor Dumbledore himself had strode into Snape's office.

"Ah! Severus, Miss Potter. I had an inkling that I might find you sequestered here in this office. I am not quite certain, as often as I strive to understand each happenings in this castle, why you have felt it neccesary to interrogate this young lady, or why you would believe that Miss Potter should distance herself from her brother and her friends?"

Snape then said to Dumbledore, "Headmaster, I was merely expressing my concern that Mr. Potter might not be setting a good example for Violet as her brother, particularly not if he or any of the Weasley boys were to lead her astray. They may at times seem amusing and even heroic, but even you cannot deny several of their antics have been deplorable. The evening's edition of the front page news is only the latest example of their troublemaking tomfoolery. Blast it! Even if you won't expel the miscreants you must see---"

"That we have all been young once and have all made our mistakes, stumbled into our own scrapes from time to time? I seem to recall you making quite a few mistakes of your own, Severus." Dumbledore looked at the other man with those blue-gray eyes in a way that seemed to Violet to signal to Professor Snape that enough was enough. The incident involving Arthur Weasley's flying Ford Anglia was in the past and not another word was to be spoken about it.

"I believe that will do well enough. As you already know, Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley will both serve the aforementioned detentions to be determined by their Head of House, and there shall be letters sent to both of their families. If I understand how that will go down, they will indeed have learned from their mistakes. And there is absolutely no reason why Violet should ever be denied the company of her dearest friends, and most importantly, Harry."

Snape looked like he wanted to argue his point further, but he knew when all was said and done that he was not going to have the final word this time around, any more than he would have had the final word concerning Harry and Ron. Violet forced herself not to look too satisfied about this.

Then, Professor Dumbledore pointed his wand at a mug that appeared on the desk beside Violet and it filled up with the most exquisite looking hot chocolate she had ever seen. It was not too hot, but warm and rich and chocolatey enough to be like drinking up a deliciously welcome hug.

"Take your hot chocolate with you, Miss Potter, and I shall see you to the Slytherin common room this evening. You will need to promise to get ready to go off to bed as soon as you arrive at your second year dormitory." So, Violet followed the Headmaster out of Snape's office.

"No staying up late tonight talking to your friend Miss Maynard, you both need your rest for tomorrow, Double Herbology and Defence Against the Dark Arts on your first day back. And Miss Potter, try not to think the worst of Professor Snape. He's been through more hardship and sorrows in his life than you know."