Friends at hogwarts

Chapter 5: One bedroom

"One bedroom? oh okay." I say cautiously
"well you see i didn't think i was the person who was gonna take you home tonight so i'm staying at a friends with only one room to spare. I'm sorry Sophie i just don't want you to go back to Tilly tonight." Hagrid apologises but with a sense of enthusiasm for how the night may turn out. "It's fine i'm sure we can manage." I say in response.
"let's start walking, his house is only twenty minutes away from here."

So we start to walk back through Diagon Alley and i stare at every last detail of shop windows and the strange looking people, in fear that i may never come back here. Hagrid and i exit back through the brick wall and onto the streets of muggle london. "Keep up now Sophie, i have big strides, half giant i am you see, not dangerous though." Hagrid explains to me as i half run to catch up with his pace.

After a 20 minute stroll we arrive to a row of grey mundane apartments tucked away in northwestern London their windows dull and blind in the darkness, a twenty minute walk from King's Cross Station. "Here we are! Spinners street. No muggle can find it cos it's hidden with a Fidelius Charm, the house is invisible to most people anyway." Hagrid lectures me.
"Who are we staying with tonight Hagrid?"
"You'll see him inside, nice chap."

So we walk towards the door and without even having to knock, the black chipping door opens creakily to reveal what i think is a goblin.
"See that right there sophie, house elf it is." Hagrid tells me. So i was wrong.

"Master is waiting for you hurry up." The wrinkling house elf says to Hagrid and i. The house elf had big eyes that rested upon its face that contained a look of misery mixed with resentment, i decide to avoid it at all costs.

"Is he in the sitting room?" Hagrid asks, almost demanding.
"Yes." The house elf spits out disgustedly.

We step directly into a tiny sitting room, that has the feeling of a dark padded cell. The walls are completely covered in books, most of them bound in old black or brown leather; a threadbare sofa, an old armchair and a rickety table stood grouped together in a pool of dim light cast by a candle-filled lamp hung from the ceiling. The place has an air of neglect, as though no love had ever found a way round this house.

In the corner of the room a man is reading the newspaper. He is a thin man with sallow skin, a large, hooked nose, and shoulder-length, black hair which frames his face, and cold, black eyes. He wears black, flowing robes that show little of him, i presume he likes the mystery behind that.

"Hagrid so nice of you to finally show up." The man says, not looking up from his newspaper.
"Uh yes sorry i'm late snape, diagon alley took longer than i had er expected." Hagrid explains apologetically.
"Oh yes you must have Sophie with you."
The man remains looking at his newspaper.
I try to speak a few words of greeting to the professor yet hardly anything besides a hello comes out.
The man finally looks at me, a sliver of a smile starts to tug at his mouth but he resists. I don't know whether to feel relieved or even more scared.

The evening darkness starts to reveal itself as i rest by the fire in an oversized shirt the house elf found for me. I throw my hair into a messy bun and relax in the sitting room by myself. Snape, dressed in a grey shirt and some trousers walks into the room, i experience a sense of dejavu as if i'd seen him in my past. He looks rather alarmed. "Sophie why are you wearing my shirt?"
"I'm so sorry professor your house elf found it for me." I stumble over my words trying to find an explanation. "It's okay, it suits you." He says, again that smirk crawls across his face but only slightly. I feel a great sense of embarrassment but also relief.

Snape sits down in the only other available chair in the room, which happens to be right next to me. "school tomorrow, you will have potions with me first lesson." He orders at me.
"Oh okay." I agree.
"Is there something wrong with that?" He snaps.
"No sir i just i've only just heard of hogwarts this morning i'm quite disorientated to be honest."
Snape retreats his body back into the comfort of his chair obviously feeling some sort of guilt.

"Sir, your drink." The house elf interrupts the awkward silence.
"Oh er yes Sophie i thought i'd be welcoming to you, my guest, and get you a drink before you went to bed."
Snape passes the drink to me and whilst doing so his hand brushes past mine smoothly. I look at his face as i feel my cheeks redden, his do the same. "I.. er sorry Sophie." He apologises.
"It's fine i best be off to bed now." I say as i carry my drink into my bedroom.

Hagrid is laying in the double bed which i'm meant to be sleeping in too but he fully occupies it with his large figure. The room is so incredibly small and crowded that i have no other place to sleep. I head back out to see Snape heading to his bedroom.
"Sir i have no place to sleep in Hagrids room." I squeak quietly.
Snape heard me none the less, "Please, call me Snape. I guess you'll have to sleep in my bedroom with me tonight then..."