Shadow and Light {Severus Snape x OC}

Chapter 5

Summary:

My last name is Mc.Garden, I'm a professor but they don't think I should be here.

Chapter 5

The silence of the corridors had plunged the Potions Master into a distant memory, one that harked back to the time when he was still a student himself.

The young Severus Snape, who must have been in his fifth year at that moment, moved stealthily through the corridors. Of course, no student was allowed to be outside the common rooms past curfew, so he had to be discreet. It wasn't particularly his style to break the rules; he wouldn't have done so under normal circumstances, but tonight he had taken on the mission of discovering what a certain person was doing after bedtime. The night before, he had followed her to a room but had nearly been caught by a professor and had to turn back. But tonight, he was determined to find out what she was up to...

He traversed the last corridor and hesitated for a moment in front of the door. Should he really open it? What if what she was doing was something that concerned only her? No... "She" was his friend; she didn't hide anything from him, but deep down, he was a little worried... The young Slytherin pushed the door open; it was evidently not locked, yet he remained cautious.

Behind the door was a sparsely furnished room, or rather, it seemed to have been cleared out to serve purposes other than education. In the center of the room stood a young Alice, upright and strong, casting spell after spell, her gaze fixed on targets that must have come from a Defense Against the Dark Arts class. She seemed unwavering, immersed in her own world. Severus remained silent; a shiver ran through him...

Yes, "Alice" had changed since her return from vacation—physically, it was undeniable, and he had felt a shift in her personality. But there was something deeper that had changed.

"What are you doing here, Sev'?"

Somewhat lost in his thoughts, he hadn't realized that the spells had stopped, giving way to silence.

"You... You should think about locking the door; the silencing charm on the walls is okey, but if you don't cast a Collaporta, you're going to get caught..." he recovered.

"Hmm... Indeed, I forgot... What a scatterbrain, haha..." She laughed softly, and Severus recognized his friend again; a more relaxed face suited her much better...

"I know very well that you're not the brightest, but still, training this late..."

"That's rich coming from someone who reads until all hours under his sheets..."

"How do you—?"

"People talk... Especially your dormmates..."

"So now you're listening to snakes? Well, you'll admit it's quite different. Besides..." He glanced at the targets for a moment. "The spells you're practicing... We never learned those."

Alice turned toward the window for a moment.

"I'm right, aren't I?" he pressed.

"As always, yes, but it can be useful, you know..."

"You're going to get into trouble with that train of thought..."

"Leave me alone, Sev'; I'll do what it takes to be an Auror."

"An Auror? That's your new obsession?"

"And so what? Does it bother you?"

"Don't you think that might stand out on" He started with a little laugh and was cut off.

"All of them, Sev'; I'll stop them all," she declared.

She looked him straight in the eyes; Severus understood that it was a threat. Of course, he knew that neither of them was skilled with words, so he didn't take it with the violence it might suggest, but deep down, that look had genuinely hurt him.