Devotion (Snape × Student OC)

8

The hours passed, and the day came to an end. After dinner, students scattered to their activities. The Golden Trio, as usual, was engrossed in their research. I overheard them mentioning something about a person named Nicholas Flamel. Despite the lingering remnants of fear from the previous day's events, I was thankful that my wounds had fully healed.

Today turned out to be a surprisingly good day. I grabbed my folder containing my essay, knowing that I needed to hand it to Professor McGonagall. Filch had mentioned that she was in the staffroom, located on the ground floor, so I decided to make my way there.

As I walked down the corridor, I mentally repeated the directions in my mind, making sure I wouldn't get lost on my way. The castle was vast, and I had a habit of getting lost in its endless halls. I stood outside the door, feeling a wave of nervousness wash over me.

Being in the presence of all the professors always made me a bit anxious. Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. With a small pout on my face, I glanced around, wondering if Filch had lied to me. "Where is she...?" I wondered aloud.

Feeling curious, I slowly pushed the door open, peeking into the room with one eye. To my surprise, no one was there. I let out a sigh, but before leaving, the curiosity within me propelled me to take another look into the room. Just for a little while I convinced myself as I quietly stepped inside, closing the door behind me.

I walked around the room, past the wooden chairs and a bookshelf, my gaze falling upon the table with several empty tea glasses and the remaining cookies. A thought crossed my mind, would they mind if I took one too? So I reached out and picked up a chocolate cookie, taking a bite.

I approached the large desk, its drawers filled with various contents. I opened one of the drawers and found several folders containing information about the Hogwarts professors, including details on their specific areas of expertise.

"Hm.. Professor McGonagall has quite an impressive history teaching here." A thought crossed my mind. "I wonder if there's a folder for Professor Snape as well..." Curiosity piqued, I began browsing through the folders, carefully searching for his documents. I couldn't believe how invested I had become in learning more about him.

A smile spread across my face as I found his folder. As I delved into his career history, my eyes widened somewhat. "He started teaching at Hogwarts at the age of 21 and has been a professor for almost eleven years..." I murmured to myself, astonished. "He's the youngest professor at Hogwarts.." I thought, impressed.

I mumbled to myself while looking away from the folder, "So, if I'm not mistaken... he's thirty-one years old." I returned my gaze to the information, my eyes freezing as I noticed his birth date. January 9th... A realization dawned upon me, and my eyes sparkled as I remembered. "His birthday was yesterday..." I muttered softly, awestruck by the realization.

An unfamiliar ache stirred within me, a sense of sadness washing over me as I pondered the fact that his birthday was yesterday. The smile on my face vanished as I carefully put the files back into the drawer and left the staffroom. My thoughts seemed to drown out all other sensations as I walked towards Professor McGonagall's office, knocking on her door with an unreadable expression on my face.

Professor McGonagall answered the door, her stern face greeting me. "Yes, what can I do for you?" I took a deep breath, trying to put aside the inexplicable sadness that had washed over me moments before. "I brought you my essay, Professor..." I replied, holding up the folder with my essay inside.

She took the folder from me with a small nod, "Thank you. You may go now." I nodded in return, my thoughts still occupied by the realization and the ache in my heart. However, I attempted to maintain a neutral expression. I slowly made my way back to the Gryffindor tower, walking at a subdued pace, lost in my thoughts.

My mind was preoccupied with everything I had read in his folder. As I reached the painting of the fat lady, I muttered the password and entered the common room. There I saw the Golden Trio still engrossed in their research, surrounded by a daunting pile of books. I couldn't help but sigh as I quietly moved away from them and took a seat on another chair, focusing on studying my Potions notes.

I tried to focus on reading my notes, but my heart ached once more, a tear sliding down my cheek without me noticing. I quickly wiped it away, realizing that I couldn't concentrate in this state. I climbed onto my bed, burying my face into the pillow as Teddy played with a white yarn nearby.

My shoulders trembled, and tears streamed down my face. "Last day was his birthday, and I ruined that by getting lost in the Forbidden Forest..." A sniffle escaped me, and my eyes turned red. I sniffed once more, feeling the weight of guilt upon me. I knew I was prone to clumsiness, but this time I felt like it was my fault. "I wish I could do something to make him forgive me," I thought to myself.

Suddenly, I heard someone entering the girls' dormitory, and a moment later, Hermione's voice broke the silence. "Hey, Sue?" she called out softly, approaching my bed. Hermione slowly pushed aside the curtains surrounding my bed to find me with teary eyes. Her expression froze momentarily before she sat down on the edge of the bed. "Why are you crying?" she gently inquired, her brow furrowing.

I sniffed again, unsure of what excuse to provide. So, I decided to tell her the truth. "B-because of Professor Snape," I admitted, my voice quivering. Hermione paused for a moments, clearly baffled by the fact that I was crying because of a strict and grumpy teacher like Professor Snape. "Did he scold you for something?" she asked, attempting to understand.

I nodded, causing my short hair to flutter around. "No, it's not that... his birthday was yesterday when I got lost... I ruined his day..." I explained, my voice trembling. To my surprise, Hermione burst into laughter, completely unexpected. I blinked repeatedly, my teary yellow eyes sparking with surprise, as I sat up on the bed. "Why are you laughing? I'm serious, Hermione," I protested, my voice still quivering slightly from the tears.

Hermione attempted to contain her laughter, her own face also flushed. "I can't believe you're crying over something like this, Sue. You're weird!" She finally managed to say, still somewhat amused. I sighed and wiped away my tears. "But I'm serious... I made him tired from searching for me," I protested again. Hermione's voice was laced with a hint of annoyance as she rolled her eyes. "I can't understand why you feel guilty about Professor Snape. Just let it go and stop thinking about it anymore. Now please excuse me; I need to review the Potions notes again," she said with her childish tone before leaving, pulling the curtain closed behind her.

I was left alone, sitting on my bed, feeling a mix of confusion and resignation. Why did Hermione find it so odd that I felt guilty? It was only natural to feel guilty after causing someone a whole day of trouble. I let out a deep sigh and fell back onto the pillows, staring at the curtain where she had just disappeared.

As minutes passed, my thoughts swirled around, replaying the memories of the time I spent lost in the Forbidden Forest and the look on his face when he finally found me. I tossed and turned restlessly in bed, the guilt still consuming my thoughts.

When Teddy came over to lay next to me, I quickly embraced him tightly, causing him to let out a disgruntled meow. "Ahhhhh... I can't shake these feelings off," I muttered, my voice filled with frustration. "Why would I feel like this? I'm such a terrible person..." As if in protest, Teddy bit my cheeks and smacked my head lightly, as if he agreed with Hermione's opinion of me.

I winced at Teddy's protest, feeling even more frustrated with myself. I continued to speak to him, trying to make sense of my conflicting emotions. "I should say sorry to him... but how? He probably won't even want to hear it. I'm just a silly girl who got lost in the Forbidden Forest..." As if sensing my inner turmoil, Teddy meowed again and nuzzled against my arm affectionately. I sighed and hugged Teddy tighter, finding some comfort in his presence. "You're right... We should sleep. I'll think about it tomorrow..."