A non-humble non-apology ((Snape))

[Dana Coran]

Dana was sulking. She knew it herself – even though Kris had taken immense joy in pointing the fact out to her a couple of times – but that didn’t make stopping her sulking any easier. Dana lost her cool so rarely and never before had she done so before a professor. She knew it was bad form to first slap and then hex – if that hex wasn’t countered before I hit the man – a professor, but at that moment there and then she hadn’t cared. And now Dana was quite sure she wouldn’t want to face the outcome of her reaction. But there was nothing she could do about that really. Besides, not counting a couple of years of detention, Ravenclaw in minus million, a couple of thousand dissected frogs and taking away her prefect badge – what bad could happen to her? Dana snorted at the thought, threw the last piece of chocolate-rum cake into her mouth before dusting her hands off and standing. She had sulked a couple of hours, it was time to straighten up again, square her shoulders, throw her head up, smile coldly and go accept her punishment from Snape.

Ignoring a couple of glances and muffled giggles thrown at her from random student sin the hallway Dana swept through the hallways with cocky grace, still wearing the playfully knee-length dress and a blouse over it, her cloak simply thrown over her arm. The dungeons were empty which was only to be expected as most classes were already over. Hoping that Snape would be in the classroom so that she wouldn’t have to hunt him down around the whole school Dana took a deep breath before rapping her knuckles against the closed door three times. Waiting for a heartbeat Dana then pushed the door open and stepped into the classroom to see Snape standing behind some cauldron in the front of the room. At least he was here. Good… perhaps. And her stuff was still spread out on the table the way Dana had left them when she stormed out. What? Had Snape played a guarding hound-dog at the table to prevent anyone from gathering the things and taking them back to Dana? Well, she would get the things now. Walking to the table she had sat at in Potions, Dana packed away her potions ingredients and books before hoisting the bag on her shoulder and moving towards the front of the classroom. Time to meet the doom.

Dropping her bag on the front desk that was directly facing Snape’s Dana leaned slightly on it’s edge as well, reaching her legs out and crossing the ankles. Not really knowing the etiquette for these situation Dana cleared her throat a bit awkwardly before speaking up: “As Ravenclaw’s points weren’t gone – not that I should give any suggestions about that – I figured you want to tell me punishment to my face. But I’m still not planning on apologizing, as though I am to be blamed for loosing my cool...with all due respect, professor, you crossed the line of manners first.” Eyeing Snape Dana wondered just what she would have to do and if Snape would keep her waiting for long before replying with… well, with whatever might be circling in that head of his.

[Professor Severus Snape]

Snape had never been so glad to dismiss a class. No cauldrons had been blown up - leaving him thankful that Longbottom had graduated, although the daydreaming Whitaker could probably rival him in mistakes made in one Potions class - but not one student could say the lesson had been boring. It was certain to be circulating around Hogwarts by tomorrow morning at the latest, as several students had been gossiping about it loudly as they left the dungeons and others had simply bolted to find their friends, undoubtedly eager to spread the news of how the Ravenclaw Prefect had first slapped and then hexed the professor. It was a gratifying sign of how intimidating he could be that not one Gryffindor had dared to laugh or show their appreciation for the Ravenclaw in any noticeable way.

He hadn't had another class after that one - the only reason he was even mildly forgiving of whomever had arranged the timetable and given him such a widely ranged class - which left him free to make a start on the various potion Madam Pomfrey had run out of and needed before the beginning on the new week. Before he was even halfway through the potion, someone knocked at the door. Snape didn't even bother to look up. The only people who could be approaching him now were other professors, one of his Slytherins or Ms Coran, who would need to collect the remainder of her ingredients and other belongings. A girl - whom Snape presumed was a friend of the Ravenclaws - had attempted to gather them together but had halted her attempts after a simple sneer from him.When considered that the person who had just entered his classroom hadn't stopped before his desk, or even approached him, Snape rightfully concluded that the person was Ms Coran and prepared to remove points and assign detentions.

The potion was at a delicate stage of the brewing process and so Snape didn't bother to lift his head or give any sign that he had even noticed the girls existence. After two or three minutes, the potion could safely be left to simmer so Snape stepped back from the cauldron, lowering the intensity of the flame as he did so. "7 points will be removed from Ravenclaw for your atrocious behaviour and you will serve a detention with me." Snape decided with a sneer, adding reluctantly, "Your punishment would be much more severe if I did not believe that you had a reason for your actions."

((I've kept you waiting an absurdly long time for an awful post, but it's finally arrived and I blame a lack of Sevvy-muse.))

[Dana Coran]

Snape continued with brewing his potion without giving any indication he had noticed Dana’s presence. Dana had expected it really and she knew her voice had been loud enough to reach Snape’s ears and really, she wasn’t that unnoticeable either. So Dana waited patiently and quietly, eyeing Snape’s cauldron. Snape really did love his subject, didn’t he? Even though the potion brewing in the big cauldron did make Dana quite curious as she couldn’t recognize it. She had never been overly talented in potions, but she was still a Ravenclaw. And though that didn’t define her character, it surely was a good explanation for her natural curiousity. Dana wasn’t in a good enough list to ask Snape about the potion. But maybe she could snatch some of it into a vial without Snape noticing and have either Kris or Gaenor – Gaenor most likely as sight would come in handy at this matter – tell her what potion this is. The idea was so silly that Dana almost involuntarily let out a bubble of laughter, she almost choked on in her hurry to smother it. Sure it work. She would jump at the cauldron, slap Snape again with that ladle, grab a vial of potion and then feel down the hallways towards freedom. Averting her eyes to a blank wall of the classroom Dana tried to gather herself and stop her lip-corners from twitching in sincere laughter.

Snape stepped back from the potion and looked up, finally declearing Dana’s punishment. Which was enough to have Dana forget about laughter and almost gape. Almost, because she managed to catch herself before her mouth fell open. Seven points. Seven! Seven? SEVEN!?! That was… that was minor! Dana had been almost expected to give up three drops of blood at some dark crossroad while hopping on one leg and howling like a mad crow. “Accusing my grandparents of failing at my upbringing where they did the best anyone could hope for could be called a reason,” Dana mused out half loudly, before realizing what she had done. Sure, her grandparents had raised her like real parents, when news of their daughter running away with a squib and dying at giving birth reached them and Dana had never felt unloved or lonely or unappreciated. And just last year after Christmas she had had to bury them both, while dealing with inheritance, relatives, media and politics who wished to gain from this and she had succeded with a calm mask pressed on her face and emotions. No one but Kris had seen her crying like a little lost child in the dark when the guests had left and Dana would gladly keep the knowledge of how much her grandparents death pained her to herself. Sending a wary glance at Snape Dana concluded that there wasn’t no way he could have not heard. Besides Snape hadn’t been obliged to tell why Dana’s punishment was that little. That was almost a sort of apology for Snape and Dana’s snap now was uncalled for. “Pardon, professor, that was uncalled for,” Dana said as she lowered her head, wondering now that Snape might not have even made his comment in class with the purpose of taking a jab at her grandparents. How was he to know just how touchy Dana was of the subject?

Dana waited patiently but Snape didn’t seem inclined to say more about her detention nor telling her to get lost. What was she supposed to do. Tangle some potions ingredients before his eyes to get him to speak? Smirking dryly at the though of what Snape might look like dancing on a pile of dissected frogs, a live one on his head Dana prompted on in a calm, patient and an almost cool tone, “When am I to serve the detention?”

((The post is perfectly lovely. And you may not take points if you so a malicious fang and read Dana's thoughts. Snape wasn't forced to do that. And Dana did feel amused. Bu tI'm going to go collapse in bed now.))