The Prince's Tale

Professor Snape

"Oh for goodness sake, Frank!" I shouted across the hall, "you always pick the wrong time to start an argument!"
"I'm not arguing," Frank shouted right back, sauntering into the hall where I was frantically trying to untangle myself from my shawl, "I'm simply stating. You spend more time outside than you ever spend with me. Maybe I would be more reasured if you could just tell me-"
"Oh come on, Frank, we talked about this already! I can't tell you. It's top secret," I said, "You know how working in the Ministry can be like."
"Well, who would I tell?" he said, gesticulating wildly.
"That's beside the point," I said, feeling all of a sudden incredibly exhausted, even though it was only morning, "You wouldn't understand."
"I wouldn't understand? Are you saying that-"
"No, Frank, I'm not trying to insult you or your level of intelligence! It's just really complicated. Hardly anyone knows what I do...not even everyone in the Ministry knows. And I couldn't explain it to you...even if I wanted to."
"Alright," he said, "I see how it is."
"No, you don't," I retorted. "If you did, you wouldn't be standing here reproaching me about trying to make a living."
"I'm not trying to make you feel bad," he said, "I just feel worried about you. I never know your whereabouts and you're often gone for a very long time, for months even...and all I know is you're spending your time with that ape guy-"
" Snape," I said, smiling despite myself, "Professor Snape. He likes it better if you call him that."
"Hold on-professor? I thought you worked at the Ministry."
"No, Frank," I said, my hand on the knob of the front door, "I work for the Ministry."
He rolled his eyes in annoyance as if this new piece of information was only adding up to the confusion.
"See," I said, "you wouldn't understand."
He sighed emphatically.
"All I want you to know" I said, moving towards him and embracing him, "is that the only reason I'm doing this is because I haven't got a choice. I need the money. Think of what we can do once I've saved up enough. I wouldn't have to live under my parents' roof anymore. We could go somewhere. We could start our own life. I wouldn't be doing all this if it wasn't for you. For us."
As he took in my words, he hugged me back and I could feel the tense muscles of his arms and chest holding me close.
"I just can't-"
"Can't what?" I said, my voice muffled in his shirt.
" I just can't stop thinking about how you spend more time with- what was his name again?"
"Snape," I said, pulling away from the embrace to look up at him, and peck him on the nose.  "And the day I start calling him by his first name is the day you should start worrying." His frown made me smile despite myself.
"Are you jealous, Frank?" I said, opening the door letting the chilly air inside, "because honestly, Snape is the last person you should be jealous of."