Just beneath the surface

Prologue

Hello lovelies and welcome to yet ANOTHER Snape X Student fanfic!!
This is a platonic relationship!
I hope you all enjoy it, and please remember to comment and vote- it really does make me happy to see what you all think!

TW ⚠️
This story will feature often graphic scenes of self harm, along with aspects of depression and eating disorders. Please keep yourselves safe and do not read on from here if you think this may be triggering to you in any way.

Professor Snape had just about given up on any sort of patience reserved for the dunderheads he was forced to suffer through teaching each day in the subtle - though fantastical- art of potions.
He was ready to open a strong bottle of fire whiskey tonight, and groaned in annoyance as the last student left the classroom for the day, but heard the door creak again in announcement of somebody entering the potions classroom.

Professor Snape's mood instantly improved on the arrival of Ella White.
Ella was a fifth year Ravenclaw student with an insatiable need for knowledge. The girl had been an insistent thorn in his side in her first few years at Hogwarts until Snape had agreed to let the girl assist him in making potions outside of the curriculum, and helping prepare materials for the following day's lesson- very much like an apprentice.

Ella was all sunshine and smiles, and her compulsive need to talk about almost anything had irritated Professor Snape at first. But Ella had grown on him throughout the years, and he soon found himself enjoying the silent ease with which they had come to work together in the evenings once classes had finished, no matter that it was quickly becoming the fastest hours of his life.

"Miss White you will miss the train home if you do not leave soon." Professor Snape observed as Ella bounded into the room, her laugh bubbling over in a trickle of pure joy at life.

"I have an hour or so, my parents are collecting me from the school directly- we are due to go to Switzerland for Christmas." Professor Snape arched a brow at the girl's revelation of her going away with her parents, for she had often let slip that they did not allow her much of their time, or in fact, seemed to care for her much at all.
Both parents were high up in the ministry, and it wasn't often that they took time away from their jobs- let alone to spend a fortnight with their daughter.

"Then I believe, Miss White, that you should be on your way. I have no need for you tonight." Ella's eyes blinked for a few seconds as she took in what Professor Snape had said and decided that he did not mean it maliciously, and that in fact he was simply not in the mood to brew anything at all.

"Of course Sir, have a lovely Christmas." Ella's voice was like starlight, and Professor Snape had often wondered if the girl  made her own sunshine wherever she walked because he had never once seen  her look anything other than joyful wherever she went.

"You too, Miss White." Ella flashed Snape one of her renowned smiles and slipped through the door of the potions classroom in a whirlwind of jasmine and lemon.