It Rains

Birthday Wishes

"Won-Won!" A cloying, shrill voice suddenly came from the other end of the Gryffindor table and before Ron had time to react, Lavender Brown had thrown herself into his arms.

"Lavender, please not now!" Ron muttered, flustered at the giggles and sardonic looks from his classmates.

Harry was laughing at him too but stopped short as his gaze met Hermione's angry face. The young witch looked at the couple with narrowed eyes and a bitter expression on her face. Looking to avoid trouble with his friends, Harry then decided to stare at the High Table, and it didn't take long for him to feel a stab of hatred as he saw Professor Snape with the woman Lupin said was his assistant. They both sat at one end of the table, whispering, an old book opened in front of them.

Harry was puzzled to note that a slight smile, which was neither smug nor mocking, appeared on the professor's face at seeing the woman staring up the enchanted ceiling. He had never seen Snape act like that. His anger grew even more at the thought that Dumbledore really cared so much for that despicable man, that he trusted him enough to provide him with an assistant to make his job easier.

Snape had no right to be happy. He didn't deserve it. In addition to their contempt for each other since the first day of school, Harry had concluded that Snape was partly to blame for the death of his godfather, Sirius Black. His sarcastic and vicious remarks about how comfortable Padfoot was, hiding in Grimmauld Place while the other Order members fought Voldemort made his godfather insist on rushing to the Ministry the night he died. And now he was there, conversing pleasantly as if the world hadn't collapsed the moment Sirius had fallen through the Veil.

He shifted his gaze to the Slytherin table and noticed that Malfoy was also staring at the woman. Draco knew something, of that, he was sure. But what? How much longer would it take him to unravel that mystery? Harry was looking forward to his next meeting with Dumbledore. He would tell him what he had heard the night of Slughorn's party, about the Unbreakable Vow Snape had taken to protect Draco, his insistence on helping him carry out his plan, and now, the suspicious appearance of an assistant who most likely knew the young Slytherin from before. His head was spinning, his thoughts swirling in a circle that seemed to have no end. He was so engrossed in his conjectures he didn't realize that almost all of his companions also noticed the presence of the stranger.

"She suddenly appeared the day after Christmas". — Parvati said, drawing the attention of the other Gryffindors. — "None of the teachers have officially introduced her, she just showed up at school, walking the hallways, always loaded with books and parchments. We thought that maybe she was a Ministry insider until we realized she works with Snape".

"Snape? Snape? Works with Snape?" — The whispers of the students quickly spread throughout the Great Hall and soon reached the High table, causing Severus to stop his conversation and glare at the students. A few fell silent upon seeing the murderous gleam in their teacher's eyes. Laurel lowered her gaze and kept it glued on the book in embarrassment, avoiding the curious glances from the students. She wasn't used to being the centre of attention, much less when she had to pretend to be something she really was not: a witch skilled enough to be a Hogwarts professor's assistant.

Then a warm hand rested on hers, patting her comfortingly.

"It's just the novelty of the moment". —The woman sitting next to her smiled, her blue eyes twinkling in the candlelight. — "They'll get used to seeing you here".

Laurel hadn't seen her before, assuming she must be one of the teachers who had been away from school for Christmas break.

"I had already expected it". — She answered her, the corners of her lips turning up in a slight smile. — "Just as them, all this is new for me too".