Melody Riddle and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Chapter 11: Time to Rectify

We were back to school in no time, and I found myself going straight to Professor Snape's office after classes the first day back. I knocked at the door and came in without waiting for him to come open it... look, it just seemed a little much for him to have to get up and do it himself.

"Miss Riddle. I see you're back."

I nodded, "How was your vacation?"

"Nothing to interest you," he said with a glance at me. He had a large pile of papers sitting in front of him. "Cut to the chase, Miss Riddle."

"How – uhm – how has Draco been doing in his classes? I meant to ask before break, but then I never really got to it... I mean – that's if you knew to check. If not I guess I could leave it alone, but I was just wondering."

"Not as well as last year, he's been going down in his studies even though you're tutoring him. I was about to talk to you –"

"That's just the thing.. I haven't been tutoring him. I made him mad and he hasn't let me tutor him all semester."

He dropped his papers down and looked up at me. He placed his elbows on the table, and folded his hands together. "Really?"

I sighed, "I said something I shouldn't have... so I was wondering if I should try to make it up with him so he can get some help. It looks like I should, considering his grades... –"

"You know something?" he asked, his eyes sparkling curiously. "It sounds more to me like you're just looking for a reason to make up with him. Melody, if you tell him you should be friends again because of his low grades — or even make it obvious that that's all you're doing it for — he'll be even angrier."

Hey, good advice Melody, maybe you should try listening to it, I thought to myself. I do want to make it up with him, our ignoring each other has gone too far...... wait. Did he just call me Melody?!

I stared at him for a few moments, gauging his blank face. I grinned as I decided to respond, "Thank you, Severus."

His nose crinkled when I said that, and I laughed. Finally getting a new expression felt like another accomplishment for me.

"While you're here," he said quickly, "I will assign you an essay on werewolves. I assigned it to the third year Gryffindors in Lupin's class, but they complained that they knew nothing about them and did not do the assignment. This will be for you to tackle."

"Thanks," I said slowly, letting my confusion process... I knew Professor Lupin was often sick, so sometimes another professor covered for him, but usually he told them what was being studied. Why would he assign this? "Anyways, he hasn't even gotten to werewolves in case the Gryffindors hadn't told you."

He sneered.

"Oh, they did! You just didn't want to listen to them." I said, standing up and leaving the room before he could explode on me. I donned the Disillusionment Charm just in time for him to storm out of his office and moved off to the side as he rushed down the hall, looking around in confusion. I can feel his confusion! His feelings are open to me!

I didn't dare continue forward into his feelings, though, and left in the opposite direction to the library.

Hermione sat at a table with a pile of books, and I thought back to our first year when she'd tried reading up on riding broomsticks before our first flying lesson. She'd been desperate to not look like she had no idea what she was doing and was extremely nervous... and then she'd done the same thing when searching up on Nicholas Flamel to find out what Fluffy had been guarding. Hmm...