Meeting Patronus | A Severus Snape Love Story

Chapter 3 "Friends"

Your first week goes by at a hectically fast pace, but you still remember to write to your mom who is probably worrying about you back home. You fill her in on everything, being sorted into Slytherin, your excellence in charms class, and your devilishly brooding Potions professor. She writes back, glad that you're settling in well and that you seem happier. She teases you about Snape, saying he sounds "handsome". You laugh at the word. That's not the first word that comes to mind for most people when they think of the Potion's master, but now it is for you. "I guess he's... okay..." you mutter to yourself, thinking of Snape's broad shoulders and striking features against his soft black hair. You involuntarily blush. Nope. Stop that. You fan your face with your mom's letter. Not even going there.

The nerves never fully go away when you're around your Professor, even when you've self-medicated. Since your good impression during your first class, he expects you to continue and know the answers to things when nobody else raises their hands. It's been exhausting trying to keep up and study ahead so you can maintain your, however false, but good reputation with Snape. You're not sure why you have this deep desire to impress him and make him proud, but it's proving to be quite the challenge since potions is not one of your strong suits.

At least you are enjoying the subject more than you used to. Felix Felicis, a.k.a Liquid Luck, fascinates you. It also annoys you, however, since the potion is fickle and takes six months of brewing to complete. Imagine doing one thing wrong on the last week before it's done, throwing away six months of hard work. It makes you cringe just thinking about it.

September rolls into October and before you know it, Halloween is a week away. You've never been big on the holiday, mostly because you had no friends to spend it with, but this year, it looks like things are changing on that front.

One day, you couldn't help but glance over at a fellow Slytherin girl in your charms class who was getting audibly frustrated when her charm wasn't working. You decided to walk over to her and teach her a trick to help her do it right. "What the hell! It finally worked!" She happily exclaimed. "The name's Webb, Nadine Webb." she introduced herself, alluding to a cheeky James Bond reference. "I'm [y/n] [l/n]." you reply. She thanked you for the help and asked if you wanted to come over to her dorm after classes. You nervously agreed, pushing down the urge to slip a pill in anticipation for your first real social interaction at Hogwarts. That's when she introduced you to her twin brother, Linden, also struggling with the charm.

The three of you head back to Nadine's room after class. You talk late into the night about your lives before meeting. They ask you questions about America, specifically about American muggle culture, a topic you are very well-versed in. The three of you laugh and joke as you all skip dinner at the great hall to munch on snacks in each other's company instead. You blush as they ask you if you have a crush on anyone, and judging by your reaction, they definitely know you do. As they press on to find out who it is, you turn the question around and ask them back. Nadine nudges Linden.

"Oh, he definitely does!" laughing at her brother's expense.

Linden frowns. "Shut up." He pushes his sister's shoulder.

You laugh. "Ooooo who is she??" you ask, your eyes beaming with interest.

Linden goes quiet. "Umm actually..." he looks at his hands nervously. "He... doesn't go here."

Your eyes grow wide. "Oh! I don't know why I assumed..." you look up. "when I play for both teams myself..." You smile.

Nadine and Linden's eyes get big with excitement. They squeal, pulling you into a hug. Linden shows you the letters between him and his secret pen-pal from Japan. He asks you if you can read some of the Japanese words written by his pen-pal. "I'm sorry, I don't know. My Asian half is Korean." You say to him. Nadine pushes him, slightly scolding him as Linden looks to his hands in shame. You laugh as the twins bicker. He asks you more about your parents and your family back home in America, then they tell you about their family. How their mom passed away three years ago, how their dad emotionally checked out, and how they had to rely on each other for support. It's why they mostly keep to themselves.