Teacher's Pet | Severus Snape

Chapter 30 - Now I am here - Now I am where I should not be

After two weeks without classes, I yearned for Monday morning to come and give me my beloved school days back. As all the other were ranting about going back to the classrooms at breakfast, I felt light and happy about it. But Dumbledore managed to spoil the mood for everyone at breakfast, by giving a short speech and informing us about the ongoing search for Neville Longbottom and his parents and how we all truly hoped for their safe returns – speak for yourself old man, I don't really care about his whereabouts.

     On our way to Defense Against the Dark Arts, I overheard the ginger boy and the curly haired girl from Gryffindor talk about Neville and how unusual it was for him to just disappear.
         "Maybe he fled to the same place your rat did", I said arrogantly as I passed them.
        Even I didn't quite know, why I had said that. They hadn't been talking to me after all. It's just something about the Gryffindors, I can't stand. Both of them gave me a loathing look and if I hadn't been so full of myself, I would have realized, I deserved it.

       "Good morning and happy new year everyone!", Lupin beamed at the class. He looked quite energetic – must have been in the high spirit phase of his monthly cycle.
I couldn't help but grit my teeth at the sight of him slightly. But I had told myself to not let our personal quarrel interfere with his teaching. I still had a lot to learn, and I would not put my education on stack just because he was a stupid hypocrite.
"Today will be... explosive", Lupin told us with a meaningful grin. "Therefore, we will move the classes outside. Please follow me."
A practical lesson it will be then, my spirits were up high in the sky. Lupin led us to a meadow in front of the castle, where he had already organized for some obstacles to be placed there; there were dummies and hay balls. Lupin made us stay a couple of meters before the obstacles and form a semi-circle around him.
"Watch me", Lupin ordered us and raised both his wand and eyebrows in happy anticipation as he fixed one of the hay balls.
"Bombarda Maxima!", he yelled, and the hay ball exploded into myriads of fire-y straw bits. The class hooted and hollered.
This would be great!
"Yes, an extraordinarily impressive and funny little spell it is!", Lupin animated us, "But also a quite dangerous one. Therefore, I oblige from each of you to keep your mind focused and cool as we are training it today. We don't want to blow up something – or someone, that shouldn't get blown up! Now to start, please form a circle around me and by Merlin's Beard, put away your wands!"

We started by learning the required hand movement as well as the correct pronunciation and timing of the spell itself. Lupin explained to us the importance of the symbiosis of these three things was critical to maximize the power of the spell. The more precise you were, the more damage the spell could cause. We trained without a wand in this circle formation for quite some time and Lupin went around, giving out tips to improve. I watched him from the corner of my eye getting closer and something inside of me was not ready to talk to him again after our last breakfast. He took his time with every student, giving out tips, correcting posture or pronunciation and it felt like ages, until he finally reached me. He stood next to me without saying a word. Waiting for me to perform and I did.
"Bombarda Maxima!", I roared and flickered my wand as he had shown us.
"Not bad", he said stiffly and went on to the next student, whom he helped by guiding his wand with him.
I felt passed over and glowered at him. Was he now punishing me by not educating me properly? What an unprofessional punk!

As he had finished his round, Lupin stepped into the middle of the circle and told us to now spread ourselves evenly in front of the obstacles that were ready.
I teamed up with Valeryia and three others in front of one of the dummies.
"Please now built a queue and one after the other try out what you have just trained. You may now draw your wands, but please make sure to point it towards the obstacle in front of you!", Lupin asked us, and we all readied our wands. "And don't be too disappointed if you don't get it right in the first try. It is a rather tricky spell."
Valeryia and I were third and forth in our line. The first one – a Ravenclaw girl, prepared herself and gave her shot. The dummy merely rocked. She frowned discontent and made way for the second in line. The Ravenclaw boy aimed and yelled the spell, but I could hear him clearly mispronouncing it and the only thing that happened were a few light sparkles that left his wand. Valeryia managed to rip of one arm of the dummy at her first try. She beamed at me and we high fived. I positioned myself in front of the slightly damaged dummy and took a deep breath while I positioned my feet. I fixed my target and did as I had practiced before, but while I was conjuring the spell, the boy that stood behind me got pushed into me by the Ravenclaw girl that had been first in line. Apparently, he had mocked her for her first try. That set me off balance and my spell landed feebishly on the ground a few feet before the dummy, leaving a little dent in the ground but nothing more.
"Watch it!", I roared towards the boy and girl, who both ducked their heads and apologized thoroughly. Furious I walked to the back of the line, vividly cursing about those two kindergarten kids.
"Don't get upset", Valeryia tried to calm me, "That first try doesn't count, you got distracted." She knew how much I hated if I failed at something.
"Those stupid brats spoiled it!", I muttered.
We waited for our second try. The Ravenclaw girl did better this time. She managed to conjure a small firey explosion onto the dummy's chest. The Ravenclaw boy had practiced his pronunciation and managed to rip of the dummy's other arm. Valeryia got its head. The now severely mutilated dummy stood defenseless in front of me, as I positioned myself for the second time. Before I did anything, I glowered back towards the boy and girl behind me, and they took two steps back in fear.
I turned back and fixed my target. Took one last deep breath to focus and conjured the strongest variation of the Bombardment Spell.
A second later, Hogwarts was short one practice dummy. It had just vanished. All that was left were a few glowing splinters and a hole in the ground that showed, where moments before the dummy had still been standing. Everyone – including Lupin and myself, had jumped over the massively loud explosion the destruction of the little wooden dummy had caused.
Rest in pieces.
Lupin whistled as he went to examine the smoke emerging hole. I stood there in shook, not quite sure if I had overdone it. Lupin walked back to me and with a faint and somehow unsure smile he said: "Told you: not bad – not bad at all, Miss Yaeger." For a quick second, I thought he was going to pat my shoulder, but he changed his mind and awkwardly lowered his arm again.