Snape and the classroom of toddlers// Harry Potter Fanfic

Chapter Forty - Her Ring

"Okay, now, stir three times ANTI-clockwise," Severus instructed, looking up from the potions-book he was holding. This particular copy of the textbook had been vandalized, by himself. As a child, Severus had came up with better way's to make the majority of the potions in the book - but that original edited book had been lost, for a long time. Severus had left it in the school after he left, on accident, and never found it after. But now he had an even better version. Of course, being the spiteful bitch he is, he always just followed the instructions in the normal textbook while teaching. But now he was using it. Neville started stirring slowly. "No, no, other way." Severus carefully redirected Neville's hand, so it was turning the right way. Neville shot Severus a startled look, at how different he was acting - and looked for a matter of fact.

The professor had sharp looking reading-glasses on. He didn't wear them often, but had found them while tidying his desk and decided to wear them. "Do you know which way is clockwise?" Severus asked earnestly. Neville slowly shook his head, feeling embarrassed. "That's fine. They really should teach more basic maths and literacy lessons here," Severus sighed, using the table to push himself out of his seat, and making his way over to the old looking clock hanging on the wall. He took the clock off, dusting it with his hands.

He slipped back into his seat, giving the clock to his student. "What way is the hand going?" He questioned, resting his chin on both his hands, his fingers connecting together, elbows on the table. Neville silently followed the hand with his finger, before setting the clock down and repeating the action, but in the air, where Severus could see. "And that's clockwise! The other way is anti-clockwise."

Neville smiled slightly. He had always been to embarrassed to ask what way it was, as it was supposed to be known since primary school. But he had never caught on, through the many years.

As Neville continued stirring the potion, there was a tap on one of the windows. Severus and Neville both instinctively looked over. A black owl with a collar on hovered infront of it, a small parcel on his leg. Severus knew who owned the owl instantly, from the cruel collar. It had the Malfoy crest on it, surely to show that it was in fact his, as it went into the Hogwarts grounds. Severus stalked over to the window, telling Neville to get back to work. He opened the window, quickly untying the collar, which had been neatly tied into a bow in the back, similar to the bows found in Lucius' hair ties.

He shoved the collar into his robe pocket, taking the parcel. "Would you like something to eat?" He quietly asked the owl. The owl, being an owl, didn't answer, "why yes, sir, I would love something to eat!" But instead just made a screechy noise, and rubbed it's head against Severus' neck. He pulled off his robes in one swift action, revealing what he was wearing underneath - a simple button-down white shirt, with a black waistcoat with green accents over it, while on the bottom half he wore basic looking black trousers. He had ,an also green, bow around his neck, under his collar. He wouldn't usually do this, but it reminded him of Lucius, as it was one of Lucius'.

He set the robes on the floor, making a soft spot for the owl to sit, and quickly got food for the owl, then returned to his place at the desk. "What's the next step, sir?" Neville asked nervously. "Oh, yes, add some of this," he said, giving Neville a bag of powder-y like black grains. Neville chose not to question what this was, and quickly began to put it in. "Ah ha, that's enough!" Snape snapped, as Neville was about to start pouring the second half of the bag in. "Now stir again, same way."

As Neville stirred, he hastily opened the parcel. There was a small, cube shaped, black box in it, and set carefully on top of it, a piece of paper, which was folded up. He unfolded it, revealing four invites, to Narcissa's funeral. The first one had his name on it, the second Draco's, third Pansy's, fifth Blaise's. Although the last one had a condition below it. '(Only if teenager.)' At least that decided who next. Next, he opened the box. He quickly slammed it shut after seeing what was inside. Neville looked up from his potion at the sound. "Are you okay sir?" He asked, worried by his expression. He looked shocked, worried, and flustered at the same time. "A-ah, yes, sorry."