Yours truly | Severus Snape - Sequel to Sincerely yours

Maybe you shouldn't get involved with teenage girls

"He is only thirty-one!" Fred Weasley pointed out, staring at Clary with a fierce look in his golden-brown eyes. Clary, who seemed to be as shocked as Severus was, turned her pale eyes to Mary.

Did you tell them? she spoke to Mary with her eyes. What was left unclear, was the thing Mary had supposedly told the twins and Emily. Did Clary mean to ask if Mary had told them about their? Or did she mean if Mary had told about the relationship between her and Severus?

The clock was ticking, and now that it was unclear what even Clary was thinking, it was time for Mary to make a decision. And she needed to make it now. With a heavy heart, she took a deep breath and gave Severus an apologising look.

"You are right, Fred", Mary started, gaining the attention of all the people standing in front of the Potions classroom, which was by now quite a few more than what Mary would like. "The relationship between me and Michael is none of Clary's business. And what it's worth, Michael and I aren't even speaking anymore. It was just a summer romance."

Clary looked at Mary with an utterly confused expression, until the realisation washed over her face. It was only now that she remembered her quick save a week ago when Professor McGonagall had come to the exact same corridor and questioned them about their fight. But seeing that Clary had remembered their made-up summer-boyfriend didn't give Mary much comfort. As long as Severus thought that Michael was real, nothing else mattered.

"Oh, alright then", Clary mumbled, noticing the audience they had gathered. "I'm sorry, you're right, Fred", she finished and stepped past Severus into the Potions classroom. Seeing that the show was clearly over, slowly, all the other students followed her.

Only Mary stayed behind, trying to catch the eyes of Severus and to voicelessly explain him that there was no Michael. That he was the only person Mary had been thinking about the whole summer. But it was too late. Severus gave Mary one heartbreakingly spiteful look before turning his back and following Clary to the classroom.

"Alright, now that Miss Montgomery and Miss Smith have sorted their love triangles, we can begin the lesson", Severus started right after Mary had managed to find a seat inside the classroom. There was something in Severus' eyes that told Mary, Severus was going to seek revenge for the previous revelation. And boy, was she right.

"Let's see... Murphy, you can work with Wood. Sheridan and Harris, you're a pair. And so are you, Weasley and Flint." Reluctantly, students began moving as Severus continued giving orders. And when he had gone through about the half of the students in the classroom, Mary realised what he was doing.

He is pairing every Gryffindor with a Slytherin!

"Let's see, who do we have left?" Severus mumbled to himself as his eyes brushed around the classroom. "Only two Slytherins left, well... Montgomery, you are working with Smith!"

Both Mary and Clary stared at Severus in disbelief. How could he do that? Mary was absolutely certain that he knew Mary wasn't speaking to Clary, and he definitely knew why. Concluding from the way he had paired them for the next hours it seemed that he intentionally wanted to create a disaster.

"Well, what are you looking at? Get to work!" Severus snapped.

There was dangerous sparkle in Severus' dark eyes as he roamed around the classroom, sucking some kind of twisted energy from the suffering of his students.

"Well, I guess we have no options but to start working", Clary mumbled and started examining the recipe from the book, clearly trying to get Mary to co-operate with her. But only thing she got out of Mary, was a one murderous glance.

Severus might try to torture her, but no matter what would happen, Mary wouldn't break her vow. As long as Clary would hold on to the contract with Severus, Mary wouldn't speak a word to Clary. And todays lesson was no exception. For the entire time the two Slytherins were working on the potion, Mary only observed what Clary was doing and modulated her own motions based on that.

Try as hard as he might, Severus didn't manage to create a complete catastrophe. Sure, the lesson was one of the worst lessons Mary had ever witnessed during her time at Hogwarts, but it wasn't a disaster.

As students began gathering their things after the lesson, Mary tried to stay behind so that she could explain to Severus that Michael was only created as a coverup for Professor McGonagall and others who might be curious about the fight between Mary and Clary. To Mary's misfortune, Clary seemed to have noticed that and she was having none of that. In fact, it looked like Clary was also purposefully lingering behind.

After the last students had left the classroom and closed the door behind them, Severus finally paid attention to the two Slytherin girl.

"Miss Montgomery, Miss Smith. Dare I make an assumption that you seek my attention by staying behind the rest of you classmates?" There was an irritated tone in Severus' voice as he spoke. He was clearly not enjoying the idea of speaking alone with Mary and Clary.

"What the fuck is wrong with you?" Clary started boldly, directing her words to Severus. Severus' eyes widened in surprise; he was clearly not expecting such a language from the sweet, sweet Clary.

"Miss Smith, I highly encourage you to fix your language unless you wish to spend the rest of the year in detention", Severus remarked. Instead of backing off, Clary lifted her chin and took a step closer to Severus.

"I believe that the sight of you two making out at the Potions corridor last Friday gives me a free pass on... Well, pretty much everything", Clary stated, a gleeful smirk on her lips. It seemed that Clary's defense had hit and sank as Severus didn't say anything for a couple of minutes.

"What is it that you needed from me, then?" Severus changed the subject, quickly glancing at Mary. "Perhaps, now that you're here, you could enlighten me about this Michael-person?"

Hearing the coldness of Severus' voice sent shivers down Mary's back. If only she could explain that there is no Michael... But somehow, Mary had found herself in a situation, where she could speak to none of the people in the room.

"Well, as I have never met this Michael, there isn't much I can say", Clary said. "And in case you didn't know, Mary has declared that she will not speak to me until the deal between you and me is off."

By the look on Severus' face, it seemed that he didn't know that.

"So, if I understood everything correctly, we're in a room where I can speak to you, Miss Smith, but not to Mary. And you can speak to me and Mary, but Mary will not speak back to you. And to top it off, Mary is forbidden from speaking to me. Am I right?"

If things had been a different between Mary and Clary, they would've burst out laughing. But as the situation was the way it was, both of them remained silent.

"Merlin, this is why no one should get involved with teenage girls", Severus sighed and slumped into the chair.

"Yes, maybe you shouldn't get involved with teenage girls. Even if they are nearly adults", Clary snorted, an unamused smirk on her lips.

Mary, on the other hand, seemed notably hurt by Severus' words. But it was only the look on Mary face that told Severus he had been careless with his choice of words. And by that time, it was already too late. Mary glanced at Severus in a way she had never before looked at anyone. After that, she decided that it was her time to leave, as there was absolutely nothing she could do.