Redemption

4

That past few days had been relatively uneventful and I was ecstatic when I was finally tasked with something important to do.

Well, important was a strong word in this case.

Anyway, I was heading back to the dungeons to report that I had done what was asked if me, as he specified.

"Sir, I finished cleaning up your stores and delivered those potions to the infir-" I stopped mid-sentence. It appeared as though he wasn't there.

Strange. He was always in his classroom.

I walked over to his office door and knocked tentatively.

No answer. He wasn't there either.

Now what?

I couldn't just prance around the corridors wasting precious time that could have been potentially filled with knowledge. To do so would be folly.

A shy knock at the door came to her as a solution to her situation. "Minky!" She exclaimed. "Have you see Professor Snape lately? I can't seem to find him."

The little house elf nodded and wrung her hands. "The professor is in his personal chambers. He is not accepting visitors. Minky is to ensure that no one disturbs him."

I thought a moment, processing. "Is there anything he's left for me to do?"

The small creature shrugged nervously. "I shall ask." And with a crack, she disappeared.

I waited awkwardly in the classroom, leaning on his desk, my eyes skimming what lay upon it. There wasn't anything that screamed peculiar. A few quills and pencils in a holder, a pot of ink, scrolls of parchment, typical teacher things. There wasn't much, seeing as school was out for the summer months, but I knew that it'd be soon littered with essays and assignments of students who can't differ mugwort from dandelion.

The topmost drawer was slightly ajar, calling my attention to it. Clearly, he had left it in a hurry, he didn't seem to be the type to leave things unattended. He was a former spy, for Merlin's sake! He wouldn't leave it open with a new apprentice walking about. Unless he had meant to.

Rather than give in to my curiosity, I decided to protect my position at the school and pushed the drawer shut with one finger. It shut with a quiet clicking sound, and momentarily glowed, as the wards were put back into place.

I turned away from the desk and looked around the room. It was precisely the same as it had been before the war that had destroyed most the of castle's original architecture. A wave of nostalgia waved through me as I heard someone push open the black office door.

I spun to face the man exiting his office and offered him a small smile. "Sorry to bother you, sir, I came to tell you that I did what you asked of me. I didn't mean to disturb you."

He raised a hand to silence me and took a seat at his desk. I realized I'd been rambling, and with a look to his face, I noticed he was looking rather pale, his knuckles turning white from gripping the head of his cane so tightly.

"Are you alright, Professor?"

He nodded slowly and closed his eyes a moment, settling into his chair. "You'll have to forgive me, Miss Granger, I am still recovering from a few of my injuries." He scratched the side of his neck and loosened his starched collar. I caught a glimpse of silver scars along the front of his throat. At least two pairs of puncture marks and what must have once been a long, thin gash. Though, his collar was quickly back in place, concealing his markings.

I briefly wondered how many more he had, before reminding myself that he'd spoken. "I'm terribly sorry. So much happened during that time that definitely should not have, so many people fought for naught, and, and..."

He lifted his hand again. "Miss Granger, you're babbling more than a toddler learning to speak."  I felt my face redden. Talk about embarrassing. Personally, I believed I was more competent and well-educated than a toddler, but apparently, that remained to be seen.

I stood before him quietly, biting my lip as I awaited his instructions. He eyed me curiously before finally speaking. "I seem to have to remind you, Miss Granger, that I do not appreciate incessant prattle, especially not from someone I will be spending so much time with in the very near future. I prefer things to be silent. Now, I can't take away house points, seeing as you aren't a student anymore, however," his eyes glittered. "I can threaten you with paperwork."

I gasped mockingly. "Oh, please, Professor! Not paperwork!" He seemed to have forgotten that I had done Harry and Ron's homework for 6 years whilst we attended Hogwarts. A wee bit of paperwork wasn't going to kill me.

He rolled his eyes and sighed. "Very well. I see you're still as stubborn as before." I felt my face heat up again and I knew I was red as a cherry. "Today, I will instruct you in the long and tedious task of lesson planning." His tone held the sarcastic note I'd grown accustomed to as a child, but there was something different about it. His smooth, velvet voice held a hint of humour beneath the bitter and coldness of his teacher voice.

"Lucky me."

He shot me  warning look before telling me to pull up a chair next to his and get to work.

I had a feeling I'd signed up for one hell of a year.