Pride & Polyjuice (Professor Snape Story)

Chapter 23

The noise from the snake pit didn't seem to bother me as much as it normally would have. Parchment sat before me on the small end table in front of my black leather chair. I sat separated from my brother's typical crowd and beside Astoria, who had agreed to help me with the charms essay that had been assigned. She sat absorbed in her work, something that I found to grow fond of, her non-prying nature. I instead stared absentmindedly out the window, the black lake lapping against the glass. Somehow I found my thoughts on the boy's predicament from earlier, the golden egg. I couldn't quite place my wanting to help him out, perhaps my own curiosity, perhaps it appealed to me to have him owe me a favor. I shrugged it off.

"Did you notice Professor Snape's mood today?" Astoria commented, shifting her parchment to allow more space.

"Uh, not really. Why?" I asked, frowning as I realized most of the day had been a blur to me.

"He seemed, off." She stated simply, narrowing her eyes as if looking for the answer on my face.

"He's always off." I retorted, finally picking up my quill. She nodded noncommittally in agreement. "What did you say for your introduction?" I changed the subject.

That night I couldn't sleep. I stared at the drapes above my bed in frustration and rolled on my side determined to get sleep. I forced myself up and into a pair of slippers, unsure where I was going, but hoping walking around might allow me to get some rest. For good measure I grabbed the book in my nightstand without recollection of how it got there.

I walked from the dormitories slowly, almost drifting through the dungeons, I couldn't fathom why, but part of me almost wanted to get caught. By who, I wasn't sure. I, for once, had remembered my wand, which was shoved partially down my knee high sock. I felt my ponytail sway behind me lazily.

The dungeons were completely empty, and about ten degrees cooler than they were during the day. I trailed my fingers against the cool stone wall and hummed quietly to myself. Finally I reached the staircase which led up to the rest of the castle, as well as outside. I climbed the stairs slowly, one at a time and kept a hand on the railing, still unsure as to where I was going but half wondering if I should have brought a robe.

Without thinking my legs brought me to the Black Lake again, a place which was as familiar as home was to me. I passed an area with char marks on the ground, as if a bonfire had been held here. I continued walking until I found my favorite tree close to the lake which provided a sense of shelter out in the open. I rested my side against it and stared out over the water, the moon reflecting in several different places. I couldn't place my reasoning behind it but something felt very wrong, like something was changing in the world, yet everything seemed the same. I frowned and shook the thoughts from my head.

A chill ran down my spine as though someone was standing directly behind me, but when I turned to look over my shoulder no one was there. I brought my knees to my chest, and placed a hand on my wand. Just in case.

I sat in silence for a moment before calling out "Who's there?" in the oh-typical way. Nothing.

I shrugged off my paranoia and tried to relax. In the corner of the lake, I noticed the giant ship that belonged to the Durmstrang school, and their comically small flag at the top of the large ship.

A chill from the wind caused me to shiver slightly and tuck my hands into my sides, putting the book between my bent knees. I sat, looking ridiculous I'm sure, for a couple of minutes until I decided to peak at the book, hoping to find some sort of reasoning behind its location in my room. It was a small paperback book, the cover slightly dog-eared and the spine well loved. Pride and Prejudice sprawled in cursive at the top. Something tugged at the back of my mind.