Eris was starting her first year teaching at Hogwarts. She had previously been an auror but that left her unfulfilled. She had always wanted to teach and when she learned that the defense against the dark arts position was open yet again she jumped at the chance. luckily she was hired. She had gone to school with Severus. Both were in Slytherin however she had never spoken with him as she was a mudblood in a house that breeded hatred for what she was born as and he was friends with the worst of them. She hoped that now as adults and colleagues things would be different. She had always been interested in Severus. She would admire him from afar. He was mysterious and in her mind this was how she would break that mysterious outer layer.
She took her place next to Severus at the feast on the first night of the term. She was dressed from head to toe in her usual all black attire. The students hadn’t arrived yet but they would be soon. She sat quietly, waiting to see if Severus would say anything first. When he didn’t she turn to him.
“I don’t know if you remember me or not. We were in Slytherin together. I was a year below you,” she says this with her heart in her throat. She was honestly scared to say anything to him. Mostly because as they had never spoken he defended her once against a few students back in the day bullying her. She hoped he would remember this.
Severus scowled. He did not understand the Headmaster’s choice to yet again give the long coveted position to an unknown newcomer. The obvious candidate was himself. Then the same professor came to sit next to him. He knew more about the Dark Arts than anyone at Hogwarts. Snape noticed she dressed much like himself. He watched her as she entered the Great Hall before she looked up and suddenly decided to take her place beside him.
Inwardly, he cringed when she began speaking. Outwardly, he gave a sigh in response to her statement.
“Who do I have the pleasure of remembering?”
@eris-osbourne
Eris was immediately taken aback at his attitude.
“I was warned when I took this position that you were a bit of an ass. Seems only fitting I guess to see the bullied become the bully,” she says and shrugs. Two can play at that game. Her natural defense against feeling hurt was her sharp tongue and usual sarcasm. Of course, the comment hurt her but she wouldn’t let him know that. “No matter, one of us holds the position and the other doesn’t. If you were to remember me, however, you’d remember how much better I was than you when we were students.”
She turned away and rose to speak to the headmaster as she hasn’t since she arrived. After a few minutes, she returned and didn’t bother to say a word to him hoping that last remark left him feeling rather uncomfortable.
Her words cut him like a knife. Severus had not intended to offend her. It was in his nature to be sarcastic. He of course remembered her. Although he could not push his pride aside to admit it on the spot. When she returned to her seat Snape fixed a stoic gaze toward her.
“My apologies, Miss Osbourne. I wish to beg your pardon for my comment earlier. I do remember you.” Severus said without his usual bite. “Therefore, I would like to keep a professional relationship without hostility. Furthermore, I am quite certain we may put our differences aside and remain civil to one another.”
@eris-osbourne
“I understand,” she said nodding along to his remark. She was holding back a smile. She knew her tactics would work against him only now she felt a bit bad about it. She wouldn’t let him know that though. “Apologies if I came off a bit hostile. My defenses are a bit high. If you do truly remember me then you remember the last time we attended this school together it wasn’t all that pleasant.” She paused for a minute. “As I recall your experience wasn’t either and yet, here we are again.” She stopped talking and shook her head. “Sorry. I’ll stop talking. There’s nothing more annoying than someone who doesn’t know when to stop talking. It was nice seeing you again.” She hadn’t looked at him this whole time. Staring out at the empty hall she realized she hadn’t missed it. Had she been sorted into another house maybe she would have? It was some cruel joke she had been sorted into Slytherin as a kid. She snuck a look at Severus out of the corner of her eye but she dared not say another word unless he spoke to her first.
@brewedglory
“Agreed. You seem to know a great deal about me without my even having to tell you.” Severus said with a sigh, staring out at the ocean of students starting to arrive. “It was an unpleasant time for me. Although, I still considered Hogwarts my home…” He took a deep breath. “It appears as though it still is even now.”
@eris-osbourne
To an extent she understood that. It was her home away from home but even here she never felt welcomed. Home was toxic and her parents didn’t understand the idea that she could do magic. At Hogwarts she thought things would be different but even here she wasn’t accepted for who she was.
“It’s good to have a place to belong,” she says but hesitated to continue. “I’ll find my place one day.” She turns back to Severus. “Look I really am sorry for snapping earlier. I was hurt. You were the only one who defended me when we were students and the prospect of you not remembering me hurt. Don’t know why. Why would you honestly remember me? Doesn’t matter. Thank you for that. I never thanked you then. So I will now.” She could feel her cheeks and chest start to turn red with anxiety. She should have just kept her mouth shut. Why did she even bother speaking with him.
@brewedglory
“It is fine, Miss Osbourne.” Severus told her. “We were both subject to Potter’s mischief. He was an arrogant, selfish boy and now his entitled son is attending school here. Our new celebrity.” He paused. “I did remember you. Perhaps I chose to forget everything about that time in my life. It was very lonely and I do not wish to repeat it.”
@eris-osbourne
“It was a lonely time for both of us I guess. I was bullied by Potter. I was bullied by slytherin house for being a muggleborn in slytherin. Couldn’t catch a break could we?” She didn’t speak to him for the rest of the feast. She didn’t speak to anyone. In her mind it was much better to just be silent and nonexistent. The only time she awknowledged anyone was when the headmaster introduced her as the new DADA professor. She stood nodded at Dumbledore and sat back down. She didn’t smile or seem even remotely happy to be here but she was. Some of the students gave a her a look that showed they were concerned she’d be like Severus. After the feast was over she lingered in the Great Hall. Wishing to look around the school she had loved and hated before returning to her private quarters.
@brewedglory
“If you would like, we could walk together for a while. You could get reacquainted with the castle.” Severus suggested.
@eris-osbourne
“I don’t want to be a bother,” she says shyly.
She looked up at Severus. His offer made her happy in a way she couldn’t explain but she was nervous at the thought of being alone with him. Her hands started to shake so she shoved them in the pockets in her cloak so he wouldn’t notice. She walked alongside him in silence. After some time she stopped walking abruptly.
“Thank you for walking with me. You have no reason to be nice to me,” she said looking down.
@brewedglory
