The Potion Master's Apprentice (A Severus Snape love story)

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Florence stood silently in the dark room, brown hair shimmering as it fell across her face. Her sparkling green eyes reflected the scene outside of the window, Hogwarts grounds littered with white. She watched as people trudged to lessons, glancing miserably now and then at the glistening snow.

She sighed before turning back to the classroom shrouded in dense shadow. A few students were still hastily scribbling notes on ragged pieces of parchment, but most were frowning profusely at the bubbling yellow potions brewing in their cauldrons.

Severus brushed past her, leaving an enticing aroma lingering in the air. She growled as she saw him lift his head from a student's desk and glare profusely at her.

"If you would be so kind as to do something productive Miss Felicis?" He sneered, striding over to her with a harsh expression on  his face. She couldn't help but stare at his lips as he spoke to her, watch his hand slide gracefully into his pocket and bring out a slither of parchment, smirk slightly when she saw a strand of hair fall in front of his face that she was desperate to tuck behind his ear.

"Did you hear anything I said, you insolent woman?" It was safe to say that their already brittle and volatile relationship had taken a turn for the worse. They were barely speaking to eachother since the incident last week, but when they did it was hardly a pleasant exchange to say the least. His eyes lingered on hers and for a brief moment she could see the longing in his eyes. It was quickly eradicated when he looked at the piece of parchment he was trying to give to her.

As he explained again she merely stared at it and didn't move. He grunted exasperatedly and grabbed her hand, forcing the slip of paper into her fingers before quickly releasing her. He didn't want it to lead to anything more.

"W-what?" She mumbled, frowning at the messy scrawls of writing littering the piece of parchment. Severus looked extremely close to the edge, teeth gritted and jaw clenched as he tried to pull himself back from the brink of total hysteria.

"I said," He growled as if he was talking to someone of minuscule intelligence. "Label-the-potions." He hissed in a slow voice. Florence nodded and turned her gaze quickly away, not before meeting his eye. Severus frowned when he saw the tears glistening amongst the emerald irises and felt his pulse quicken at the lust hidden underneath.

"Ok Professor." She muttered quietly. Against her better judgement at the last minute she reached a shaking hand upwards and tucked a strand of silky black hair behind his ear. Becoming almostinstantaneously flustered she retracted her arm pretty quickly and hurried over to the store cupboard, oblivious to the confused stares Severus was giving her.

His head was a mess. Too many feelings were jumbling about inside so fast it made him nauseous, each feeling was as much of a mystery as the next. Why did his heart beat faster when she looked him in the eye? Why did he feel a hollowness in his chest when he saw someone touching her, someone that wasn't him? Why did he get the urge to grab her in the great hall and declare, in front of everyone, his feelings for her he only just realised he had. But most of all, why did he feel this way? Just why did he like her? She was cruel, sarcastic, opinionated, bad tempered...

Florence screamed as dropped a vile of shimmering white liquid that burst open at her feet, immediately gnawing away at the tiles and dissolving the soles of her shoes. Staggering backwards her hand flew to her mouth as the potion began to creep slowly, and menacingly, towards her.

"YOU STUPID WOMAN!" Severus screamed, dragging her out of the store cupboard whilst grabbing a handful of small test tubes. He began to pour them methodically over the sizzling liquid which began to twist and squirm, eventually bubbling down to nothing. "Come with me!" He growled, grabbing her arm and dragging her into his office, every student watching them with fascination.