𝘼 𝙗𝙚𝙖𝙪𝙩𝙞𝙛𝙪𝙡 𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙

The gift

TW: domestic violence, pls skip this if you're sensitive

I looked over at the other tables and the teachers' table, everyone was freaking out, none had a clue what was happening and apparently everyone had something to say because the noise was deafening.
Hermione looked shocked, Ronald was shocked as well but he looked angry rather than preoccupied like Hermione.
Dumbledore sent everyone in their common rooms telling us all to go to bed.
I glanced at Severus and he was going somewhere so I briefly said goodnight to Hermione and hurried to reach him.
"Professor Snape!" I called while thousands of students stormed out of the common room.
"Not now" he said coldly.
"But we have to make the potions for the tournament" I reminded him.
"Follow me and don't say a word" he said, he looked irate. If his eyes could've shoot out flames I was sure they would've.
Sure. You'll forget I'm here I promise.
He entered a little door behind the Professors' table and I wondered where we were headed when I saw McGonagall following us.
I entered the room behind Snape and in the feeble light of a fireplace I saw Fleur, Cedric Viktor and Harry were there as well as Madame Maxime, the Durmstrang Headmaster, Mad-Eye Moody, Barty Crouch and Ludo Bagman. They were all talking excitedly, Karkaroff sounded furious even though I didn't quite catch everything because his mad-English was terrible, Madame Maxime and Fleur however sounded like two spoilt children.
Karkaroff was determined to find a responsible for that situation and was eager to put this on Dumbledore who had just joined us all when surprisingly Snape spoke to him "it's Potter's fault and his only, he's been crossing lines since he got here" he said softly but glaring at Harry. I looked at McGonagall who shot me a preoccupied glance and then looked at Harry signaling to come next to me and he did immediately looking absolutely terrified.
"What did you do Harry..." I said and found myself so incredibly worried about him.
"I didn't... none will believe me... I didn't put my name in the Goblet, Sue" he sighed in despair. I was almost sure he was telling the truth but I knew there was only one way to be sure. Let's see if you still know how to do it I thought to myself. I concentrated, trying to isolate from the discussion in the room and successfully slipped into his mind. Everything was really loud and chaotic, typical signs of panic, he didn't know what was going on and he was desperately praying for Dumbledore to say something... I felt sorry for him and I slipped out of his mind as soon as I was convinced.
"I believe you Harry don't worry, we'll figure it out"
"Did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire, Harry?" He asked calmly.
"No" said Harry.
I saw Snape shake his head in disappointment and his lips were curled in a disgusted grin. Oh I really hated him in that very moment I felt the urge to slap some sense into him. Harry was too smart to do such stupid things and it seemed impossible to me that Snape wouldn't know.
I was all caught up in my mind to notice Barty Crouch had just finished informing the champions of the rules and everyone was now leaving the room.
I noticed Cedric speaking to Harry but he left briefly after and he turned back to me "I'm sure he doesn't believe me either" he said.
"Well then what? You've got me, Ron and Hermione, do we need Cedric too?" I said raising an eyebrow at him playfully.
"Why do you believe me?" He asked.
"Why wouldn't I?" I asked trying to evade the question "Harry, listen, I'm not stupid I know you hear what they call me, the other gryffindors... I know you know about the 'slytherin spy' but you still talk to me, you're nice to me, you try not to believe what they say, and I appreciate that so why would I act any differently when it's you being questioned" I explained "you trusted me blindly even though you'd probably be the only one to have some reasons not to, why wouldn't I pay you back the same way?"
"I don't think you're a spy, the hat wanted to put me in slytherin as well, it can make mistakes sometimes" he confessed "and thank you for believing me"
"Now I have to go, Snape's leaving and we still have work to do for the tournament but don't worry I'll help you, now go get some rest okay?" I said keeping an eye on Snape in the meanwhile.
"Yes... thank you and goodnight Sue" he said walking to the exit of the great hall.
I hurried behind Snape trying to keep up with his larger steps. I didn't bother saying anything as I was too angry at him and he hated the sound of my voice anyway so I just looked straight ahead and ignored him completely while a frown deformed my face.
"Is there something you might wanna get off your chest?" He said daringly.
Oh there are many things I'd like to say, none of them good, I'm afraid.
"No" I said but my interpretation was so poor I didn't even believe myself.
"You're not a good liar, we know that at least" he sarcastically said.
"Well then if you really wanna know I hated the way you treated Harry before, he-" I didn't have the time to finish that he had stopped in the middle of the dungeon corridor stepping forward closer to me, facing me "Ah, Potter, isn't it? I wouldn't have thought he was your type" he implied.
"You're just being ridiculous and highly inappropriate Professor, I don't fancy Harry, he is just my friend and I care about him and he didn't put his name in the..." I realized I should've stopped sooner.
"And, pray tell, how would you know that?" He asked hovering over me with all his scary authoritarian figure.
"I just do, he is not that stupid, he's got a lot on his plate already, why would he add this stupid tournament to that?" I said not backing away from him. Glare all you want you don't scare me, Sev.
"He is lazy and an arrogant stupid kid" he said, hatred in is voice was so clear it left me petrified... was he able to hate a boy like that?
"You don't like him and we all know that but you're not being fair, professor Snape" I said hoping this would be enough to make him think about it.
"You are not allowed to utter a single word upon this matter ever again, am I clear?" He asked with his usual deep voice he used when he was angry.
"As you wish, Professor" I sarcastically said, I wouldn't be allowed to exist if it was up to you, I'm sure.
We spent what remained of the evening in silence only broken every now and then by him giving me directions on how to do certain things while brewing the potions. We both were working on different things to speed up the process but i felt his eyes on me every second, it was like he didn't even blink and it was becoming more than uncomfortable. I wasn't one who liked being at the center of attention so all this staring was really getting on my nerves until i raised my head up from the cauldron and found his stare still on me. Being caught he averted his eyes quickly but uselessly because i had already noticed so i decided to play a little bit. He had been restlessly trying to enter my mind since our argument so I thought why not let him?
That feeling of someone else wandering in my mind had always made me feel nauseous and anxious but to give him the illusion i had let my guard down I tried concentrating again on my potion, ingredients and quantities, temperatures being the loudest informations in there.
Found what you were looking for yet?
I thought making him aware I was letting him do what he was doing. His eyes widened more that I ever thought they could in surprise.
No, please stay why don't you ask, what is it exactly that you're looking for?
I thought and raised my eyebrow at him. He retreated and I was finally alone again in mind.
"This is something you do to all your students or am I one of the lucky ones?" I asked and I didn't know right away how I felt about it.
He stayed silent for a while until he resolved to reply with another question as I had never spoken in the first place "Why would you need to shield your mind?"
"Well, let me think, because of people like you" I answered "Do you think you have the right to do so? Enter people's mind, spy on their thoughts, intentions, emotions and memories?" It was like I couldn't shut up "Well just so you know you didn't enter my mind, I let you in" I said.
"I know... and I want to know how a fifth year can practice Occlumency" he said leaving his cauldron and everything he was doing to come over to my side of the table. I backed away a little bit instinctively "I want to know now and don't lie to me" He said glaring at me.
"I was naturally gifted as a kid, my mother was too, she taught me how to manage my gift, stop intruding in people's privacy and protect myself too" I said glancing at my feet "in my early years I often got confused and replied verbally to people's thoughts... Needless to say I was always scolded, to not say worse, by everyone for being insolent. But then my mother taught me and now I never do that to anyone but I don't want it done to me either" I said my voice breaking a little.
He was staring at me and i could feel it but I couldn't make eye contact with him yet. Often when I was scared, or deeply sad or lost control of myself in general I still slipped into people's mind unintentionally and even though I was sure he had his mind shielded too I still didn't want him thinking I was trying.
"Look. at. me" he said raising my chin up with is big, strong hand "how do I know you're not lying? How do I know you're not an actual spy as your housemates say..." his eyes sparkled "you must admit this kind of natural gift could come in handy for a spy" he implied.
"Please don't..." my eyes watered and I shut them quickly.
"Don't try to resist... or I will think you have something to hide..." he threatened.
I called to all my strength to resist him but I was loosing my cool and this made me easier to read too.
"Please..." I cried but he tightened the grip around my chin for a moment before with a flick of his wand he forced me down on the armchair behind his desk so I surrendered, opened my eyes and let him into my mind.

"Honey you have to try harder" my mother's voice echoed.
"But mom I'm exhausted, we've been at this for hours now" my younger self responded to her.
She patted on the side of her bed for me to join her, my younger self left the stool she was sitting on and crawled into the bed next to her.
I suddenly felt like I was really there in the comforting warmth of her body. She caressed that little face, split lip and bruised eye "do you want this to keep happening?" she asked.
"No" the little girl cried.
"Well then stop crying and let's try again..."
I felt more and more desperate, I didn't wanna go back there, I didn't wanna relive all of that... I just wanted him out of my mind but that particular memory of my mother made me loose it and I wasn't in control anymore, memories I had locked away were now coming back in flashes all at once.
The scene changed again, I was with my father now
"Do you know what you did to your mother?" He asked coldly, not even looking at that little girl in front of him.
"It's not my fault" she mumbled, I smiled sadly looking at her, she knew what was coming but she didn't let him talk shit on her.
He finally slapped the 8-year-old me so hard she stumbled and fell on the floor not making a sound as she had learned it only made him angrier to see her crying.
"Yes, it is, you're straining her because you can't even learn how to stay in your own head!" He shouted, silent tears streaming down her cheeks, she wasn't even sobbing anymore... 8 years old...
The scene changed again... but before it could land to some other very happy moment of my childhood we were back in Snape's classroom again.

He had backed away from me, I curled my legs up on his armchair hugging them and couldn't stop crying, I was still there, I felt the pain all over again, physical, emotional, grief, the memory with my father and how terribly my life and relationship with him had declined.
"I need to go get something..." he said and slammed the door closed leaving me alone in his classroom, the only noise filling the silence was the sound of my sobs.
I didn't even bother opening my eyes... I felt as if every last bit of strength had left my body and I just let myself feel the pain.

A/N: I don't know about this... it was pretty hard to write... if you liked it thank you, if you didn't I'm sorry. There's some backstory developing, might not be that important for the purpose of getting with Snape but I like what I write to have a story other than the romance. Thank you for reading so far x