Spiteful Beginnings // Severus Snape x OC

5 - Sherbet Lemon

The rest of the week went by smoothly to say the least.

It was now the weekend and that meant that there was no teaching for two days which was music to her ears. She did love her job role and teaching Herbology to the students but those Potions classes she attended with Professor Snape were tedious, long, boring and draining. It didn't help the fact that he was clearly not too keen on her. She had learned to keep quiet around the class, not speaking to him and if he were to speak to her it would just be a demand for her to go and get something or to mark work for him.

However, she got on with the rest of the other members of staff; Professor Sprout especially since they were working together some days. Often, Kalina would be invited to Professor McGonagall's office where they would chat over some tea and an assortment of biscuits. Kalina was sceptical at first about her kindness, unsure whether or not it was a way of finding any underlying secrets of the new woman but after a few hours, they got on very well.

During the day, Kalina wore her normal attire, her faux leather pants and parted skirt, her blouse this time the colour navy blue. Her hair was in her usual updo. She was walking in the Great Hall, making sure the students were not up to anything mischievous but when she walked in, she only spotted a few students inside, all separated along the four tables. Some were playing chess, some were just talking and reading whilst others were doing work.

She spotted a boy sat by himself, a Second Year student she believed with his head stuck in a textbook. At closer inspection, she noticed it was a Herbology textbook and he looked frustrated more than anything.

She walked towards him; her boots surprisingly quiet against the stone floor. She cleared her throat, grabbing the boys attention as he jumped slightly and looked up at the woman, his eyes slightly widening. "G-good afternoon Professor Oakblood."

"Afternoon," she smiles down at him, slightly peering over his shoulder to see what he was reading. The top of the page was titled 'Mandrakes' and his parchment paper was scribbled with notes, some crossed out and some not. "Doing some more research on Mandrakes, are we?" She questioned the boy.

He had a toad on his lap as he worked, his hair messy yet short and his teeth slightly gapped and slightly too big for his mouth. "Yes Professor, I-I didn't particularly learn anything in that lesson."

She frowned at his words, not sure if this was down to bad teaching or because he simply didn't listen. She took a seat beside him, giving them both enough distance to put him more at ease with her presence since she could tell he was nervous around members of staff. "Really? How come?"

"I fainted... the cries were too much." He muttered, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment.

She instantly remembered Professor Sprout coming up to her at some point, chuckling to herself about how a student had fainted in one of her classes. This had to be the student.

"Ah, I'll assume it was your first time dealing with them then? Did you not have your earmuffs on?" She chuckled making him turn even more red as he gently placed his pet toad on the table and gently stroking its head.

"It was and I did!" He said with a sigh, shaking his head before looking down at his notes. "D-do you mind reading through my work? Just so I know if I am doing alright?"

"Of course I can!" She smiled at him, reaching out her hand and taking the parchment into her hand and skimming the words over.

The boy waited patiently, not daring to look over at her to see if she was looking at his work in disgust or anger so instead he stared down at his lap until she was done.

"It all looks good so far. You've noted the properties of the Mandrake, the implications of not potting them correctly etcetera..." She hummed as she pushed the parchment back over to the boy, watching him become relieved at her words.