CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
THE AIR IN THE DUNGEON WAS suffocating, thick with the acrid smell of rotting Flobberworms and the sharp tang of potion residue that clung stubbornly to every surface. Lyra sat stiffly on the wooden stool, her hands sticky from handling the slimy creatures. Her silver eyes burned with irritation as she glared at the Flobberworms piled in front of her. She was meticulously sorting the usable ones from the decayed, their mushy insides squelching unpleasantly under her fingers.
Snape loomed behind her, his shadow falling over her like a suffocating blanket. His black robes billowed slightly as he moved, his sharp, hooked nose wrinkling in distaste. The only sounds in the room were the occasional scrape of his boots against the floor and the wet, nauseating squelch of the Flobberworms Lyra worked through.
"I'd expect better efficiency from the daughter of a convicted murderer," Snape drawled, his voice low and venomous.
Lyra stiffened, her jaw clenching tightly as she refused to look at him. "I'm working as quickly as I can, Professor," she said through gritted teeth, her voice forced into a semblance of calm.
"Oh, clearly," he sneered, circling her like a predator. "If this is your idea of effort, it's no wonder you'll amount to nothing. Just like your father."
Her hands froze mid-motion, her heart thudding painfully in her chest. She swallowed the sharp retort that sprang to her lips, knowing it would only make things worse.
"Do you have something to say, Miss Black?" Snape asked, his dark eyes narrowing as he leaned closer. "Surely you're not as spineless as you look. Or has your father's cowardice rubbed off on you?"
Lyra's nails dug into the edge of the table as she forced herself to focus on the task at hand. "No, sir," she said quietly, though the bitterness in her tone was unmistakable.
Snape hummed mockingly, his lips curling into a cruel smirk. "Good. It's refreshing to see you finally learning your place. I'd hate for you to embarrass your house any further."
Her silver eyes flashed with fury, but she kept her head down, refusing to give him the satisfaction of seeing her anger. She picked up another Flobberworm, its slimy texture making her stomach churn, and began sorting it with deliberate, mechanical precision.
Snape continued to prowl around her like a vulture circling its prey. "You know," he said casually, his voice dripping with malice, "it's remarkable how similar you are to your father," Lyra tensed slightly knowing what was coming next "Arrogant. Reckless. A complete disregard for authority. And yet, utterly pathetic when it comes to achieving anything of real value."
Lyra slammed the Flobberworm down on the table, her hands trembling with suppressed rage. Still staying silent knowing he was trying to bait her.
Detention with Snape was a special kind of hell—one laced with subtle cruelty and cutting remarks that chipped away at her composure with every passing second. It had only been ten minutes since his last remark about her father which she wasn't mad at seeing that she'd had those comments thrown at her the majority of her life if not by Snape it was by her uncle.
"You're unusually quiet today, Miss Black," Snape's voice drawled from behind her. His tone carried the kind of calm that always preceded a storm. "No snide remarks? No loud disruptions? I'm almost impressed."
Lyra bit the inside of her cheek, refusing to rise to the bait. She reached for another Flobberworm, her fingers trembling slightly.
"Perhaps," Snape continued, his footsteps echoing as he circled her like a predator, "your father's influence isn't to blame for your... insufferable behavior after all. Perhaps the issue lies elsewhere."
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RomanceFLUORESCENT ADOLESCENT | "Everything's in order in a black hole. Nothing seems as pretty as the past though" ━━he stepped down, trying not to look long at her, as if she were the sun, yet he saw her, like the sun, even with...
