Devotion (Snape × Student OC)

27

We made our way to our next class, and Ron fumed in annoyance "See? Even when Neville's potion was correct, he still took points! But that Malfoy struts in so late, and Snape doesn't say a word." Hermione added, with righteous indignation "He's a real bastard."
I listened to them silently, feeling disheartened, without joining the conversation. In my thoughts, I knew I couldn't defend Snape openly at this moment, despite not fully agreeing with their assessment.

However, I still thought to myself, he shouldn't have taken points for that. Seamus continued the conversation, his irritation evident "He's always like this, always favoring the Slytherins! I don't understand why Dumbledore never replaces him." Their discussion carried on, and after our final lesson, I wandered around the castle, feeling frustrated Where on earth is Teddy? His escapades with Mrs. Norris are becoming excessively long lately...

I pulled my wand from the inner pocket of my yellow jacket I should consider casting a tracking spell on him next time. Then, a disturbing thought suddenly crossed my mind, What if Filch had caught Teddy and done something dreadful? Shaking my head, I redirected my steps towards the courtyard. As I wandered through the area, the twilight sky cast a beautiful light upon the lake. The trees swayed in the cold breeze, and a deep sigh escaped me as I muttered to myself "he's not here either..."

As I focused solely on making my way back into the castle, I failed to notice Malfoy lurking nearby, watching me with a smirk. He suddenly stuck his leg out, tripping me up and sending me tumbling to the ground. "Oops," he sneered, reveling in his little victory. "How clumsy of you, Sue."

I gritted my teeth, biting back an angry response as I picked myself up off the ground, dusting off the dirt from my clothes. With a burning anger surging within me, I defiantly took determined strides towards Malfoy, fixing him with a fierce glare. I pointed my wand directly at him, close enough to brush against his nose, and spat out my threat.
"You better believe I'm gonna make you pay for that, Malfoy! You'll regret picking on me!"

Malfoy stepped back, his confident facade crumbling, revealing a hint of anxiety. "What are you going to do, you weak little Mudblood pest? Hex me? You wouldn't dare, or you'll get yourself expelled." He tried to save face, his voice tinged with arrogance even as his steps signaled some cowardice.
The events of the day had already frayed my nerves, and my anger boiled over as he spoke.

My voice dripped with disgust as I spoke "Who said anything about a wand? I'll use my hands." With a loud smack, I landed a clean punch on his face, sending him sprawling to the ground. Malfoy clutched his bloodied nose with one hand, wincing in pain. "You animal!" he gasped dramatically. "Just you wait until my father hears about this!"

"The only thing your daddy will do is probably buy you a new nose!" Malfoy stood up, his face flushed with embarrassment, and hastily backed away. He spat on the ground and then sprinted away in a hurry. My heart hammered in my chest with a mix of anger and nervousness. What if I actually get into trouble?

In a rush, I dashed towards the castle, hoping I could remain out of sight.
My thoughts raced with anger and anxiety as I sprinted towards my dorm. Ugh, how pathetic am I, so frazzled now. In my haste, I accidentally crashed into someone, a tall and dark figure, without even bothering to glance at them. Immediately, I muttered a flurry of apologies. "Sorry, I'm so sorry..."

Without pausing to see who it was, I darted away once more, my heart pounding in my chest. I stood before the portrait of the Fat Lady, and without giving her a glance, I mumbled the password, "Fortuna major." To my surprise, she didn't immediately grant me entry, instead she said, "My dear, it's dinner time, you shouldn't skip meals, just look at you, so thin, and would you kindly fix your bangs? They're a touch untidy. You look like you've been running."