Devotion (Snape × Student OC)

13

Hours passed as the journey came to an end, and we arrived at Hogwarts. Like the year before, we gathered in the Great Hall, listening to Dumbledore's customary speech as he welcomed the new students. My gaze wandered to the head table, and there he was, Professor Snape, with his usual stern and strict expression.

Those intense black eyes... and in that moment, a strange mix of emotions stirred inside me a feeling that I couldn't quite put into words. My childish mind could only describe it as admiration. I was pulled out of my admiring thoughts by Hermione's playful nudge and amused tone. "Hey" she teased, her voice sprinkled with playful sarcasm "who are you looking at? Snape again, perhaps?"

I felt my cheeks flush with embarrassment as I nodded sheepishly, my words stumbling out nervously. "E- eh.... oh, w-well..." Hermione continued, her tone tinged with curiosity. "It's a bit strange, though.... Ron's siblings are here, but there's no sign of him or Harry…" I frowned, my thoughts momentarily shifting away from Snape's captivating presence to the puzzling absence of Harry and Ron. "That is odd," I agreed, my voice laced with mild confusion.

"I wonder why they haven't arrived yet..." Hermione nodded in agreement, her annoyance evident as she muttered "Where are those two dimwits..." Her gaze froze as her eyes fell upon the scene before us. Dumbledore began introducing the new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, and an uproar erupted across the Great Hall. Gilderoy Lockhart stood up from his chair, his charismatic presence drawing the attention of many fangirling girls in the hall.

I glanced at Hermione, only to find her eyes wide with excitement. I nudged her gently, teasingly breaking into her awe struck state. "Hermione? Hello? We were talking about Harry and Ron, remember?" Hermione turned to me, her voice filled with barely contained enthusiasm. "I read all of his books over the summer! You won't believe how wonderful this man is. I can't wait to attend his classes!"

I huffed slightly and dug into the delicious food laid out before us. "He must be some kind of celebrity or something..." I grumbled, my words laced with annoyance. "He looks awfully pleased with himself, doesn't he?" Hermione, still swooning over Gilderoy Lockhart, didn't seem to notice my grumpy attitude. "Oh, he's not just any celebrity," Hermione said dreamily. "He's known for his numerous heroic acts and writings. He's defeated many dark creatures and documented all his adventures in his books."

The festivities slowly died down, and I retreated into our dorm room, feeling the weight of a full stomach. My mind was still occupied with thoughts of Ron and Harry's absence, mingled with worry. Yet, as I laid in bed with Teddy curled up beside me, another thought stubbornly lingered in my mind. Why couldn't I shake off thoughts of Professor Snape? He was always lingering in my thoughts, day and night. With a yawn, I closed my eyes, slowly drifting off into a deep sleep.

I found myself immersed in a peculiar dream. I was running through a house, desperately trying to escape the surrounding shadows of fear. I'm afraid... echoed in my head again and again. Then, the dream shifted again. It was that snowy night in the forbidden forest. Those eerie whispers filled the air, and once more, those sharp red eyes of the vampire flashed in the distance. I woke up, my heart racing with a mix of fear and confusion. These dreams were becoming more vivid and recurring. I tossed and turned, struggling to push the images out of my mind and go back to sleep. My heart slowly steadied as I found Teddy snuggled comfortably under my blanket. "You're an angel, Teddy. I don't know what I'd do without you."

In the morning, as I entered the D.A.D.A class, my eyes widened in surprise as I noticed Harry and Ron making their tardy entrance. They both looked sheepish and embarrassed, their expressions telling a tale of regret. I greeted them with a small smile, my voice tinged with curiosity. "Hello you two..." I started.

Ron spoke up, his voice tinged with chagrin. "Please, Sue... don't ask us what happened. Yes, we came to Hogwarts using that flying car without permission, and our punishment will be decided this evening." Harry just let out a weary sigh and slouched onto his desk. I tried to alleviate their unease, offering Harry a reassuring smile. "Don't worry," I comforted him. "Everything will be fine." Harry returned the smile, grateful for the supportive words.

As I settled into my seat next to the Hufflepuff girl, my gaze shifted to the pile of books on my desk. They were all authored by Gilderoy Lockhart. Gilderoy Lockhart entered the classroom with a pompous stride, and the whole room was adorned with moving photographs of him, captioned 'Magical Me.'

I couldn't help but glance at one of the pictures where he was seen blinking flamboyantly. He must be really famous, then I thought to myself, my eyes still fixated on the photographs. He began speaking with a proud, broad smile, his voice echoing through the classroom. "I, Gilderoy Lockhart," he announced, listing his many accolades proudly. "Merlin third class, honorary member of the Dark Force Defence League, and five-time winner of Witch Weekly's Most Attractive Smile Award."

He strut around the classroom, his smile never fading as he observed us."I see that you, my dear students, have prepared yourselves and read the entire collection of my books. That is splendid!" I swallowed hard, feeling a tinge of uncertainty. It appeared that not everyone in the class had read his books. Gilderoy Lockhart's voice boomed through the classroom "Now let's begin with a little quiz to assess how well you've read my books."

As the test papers were distributed, my eyes widened in disbelief. These questions are all about him... Does he truly see himself as an entire subject? The other students seemed puzzled and annoyed as well. Is he really that narcissistic? Lockhart chuckled to himself and began pacing around the classroom as we started answering the questions. After the allotted time, Lockhart gathered our papers with a look of surprise apparent on his face. Upon noticing that no one had provided correct answers to the questions, a flicker of irritation crossed his expression. "No one can recall my secret desire?" he questioned us.

A smug smile appeared, followed by "But Miss Granger seems to be the exception. Where is she?" I found myself struggling to suppress a laugh as Hermione sheepishly raised her hand, her face flushed tomato red. Of course, she would remember that particular detail. A proud smile gracing his lips. "Good girl," he said, his voice dripping with approval. "Ten points for Gryffindor!" The rest of the class seemed a mixture of annoyance and embarrassment.

Lockhart continued his lecturing, but the other students were clearly not impressed by his narcissism. I glanced at Hermione, who was still flushed from being singled out by Lockhart. Ten points just to boost his own ego. After enduring a long and tedious class, I practically bolted out of the classroom faster than anyone else. The next lesson was Herbology, scheduled for the third greenhouse. Before that, I needed to head to my dorm and gather my things. The staircase was empty since we were still an hour away from lunch, making the atmosphere even more quiet.

As I ascended the stairs, I was suddenly confronted with the unexpected. The staircase shifted its path, sending me in a different direction entirely. Great! realizing I was lost once again. Just as I stood there, puzzled and annoyed, Professor Snape emerged from the castle, his expression reflecting irritation as he spotted me. He muttered under his breath, his tone laden with annoyance "Always losing her way!"

As I stood there, preoccupied with my predicament of the shifting staircase, Professor Snape rolled his eyes and stepped out of the castle. Finally, after some time, the staircase rearranged itself, leading me towards the Fat Lady's portrait. However, just before I could head inside the Gryffindor tower, I noticed Snape's black cloak fluttering in the distance as he walked away. My eyes widened, and a mix of surprise and curiosity washed over me. Where is he going...? I sighed with a sense of helplessness and pouted, silently wishing I could have said 'Hi' to him.

As I collected my belongings, I carefully placed all of Gilderoy Lockhart's books into a drawer. "How am I going to endure him all year long?" I pondered. "I hope they change the D.A.D.A. teacher next year..."