Picking Mushroom: A Severus Snape Short One-Shot
It was nearing the end of May at Hogwarts. A warm breeze danced through the large open windows that littered the halls, students chilling on window sills and spending a great deal of time out at the Quidditch pitch was evident of the beginning of summer. Trips to Hogsmeade became popular as students ditched their heavy winter coats for light jean jackets. It was perfect weather to enjoy with one's friends.
However, Zoe Kingsley found herself enviously staring at her fellow Slytherin peers, dressed up and ready to spend all their galleons at Honeydukes. It should be criminal to have detention on a Friday evening. Her back pressed against the cool cobblestone wall of the Slytherin dungeon, aimlessly idle as she waited for Professor Snape to come around and begin detention.
Her hands grasped at her tie as she unloosed it, growing anxious as time ticked on. She heard horror stories from her friends on how tough and nasty Snape could be during detention. She never received any sort of serious punishment before in her life. She was a well-round student, too busy trying to outshine Gryffindor and gain points for the House Cup. She was a dedicated Quidditch player as well, known for her insane Seeker skills. In Zoe's eyes, to be in detention with Snape, was a life-long sentence at Azkaban.
She took in a giant breath, her chest heavily heaving as the smell of moss and Blood-Replenishing Potion wafted through the air. The halls, especially around Snape's classroom, always smelled like some sort of mythical and magical scent. There was never any smell of flowers or fresh air, just mythic ingredients that bubbled into creation. As the halls gradually grew emptier, Zoe secretly hoped that Snape has forgotten their little evening together and she was free to go. But the sound of jangling keys and heavy footsteps made her fill with dread.
A tall, cloaked man dressed in black swooped down the hall. Emerging from the shadows like a bat coming out of its cage, Snape's cloak wildly whipped behind him as turned a cold shoulder on Zoe, unlocking his classroom door. He stepped in without a word, silently slithering to his desk and rummaging through his drawers. When he noticed the girl didn't follow him, his rock hard force turned sour, a disapproving scowl telling her that if she doesn't follow him, it'll be a long night.
Zoe took a few cautious steps inside the classroom, the door closing behind her once she was fully stepped in. Zoe looked around the dust-covered room. She could hear soft waves of the Black Lake hit the stained-glass window. His classroom when no one was in it was surprisingly calm. It was quiet, tranquil. It was also cold and typically dark, so when Snape didn't bother closing the curtains, Zoe could see the dust dance in the minimal amount of light that broke through the Black Lake. Zoe knew that the sunset outside must've been strong if it was enough to break through the swampy green that inhabited the Slytherin windows.
Zoe walked over to where she usually sat; in the back, a perfect corner to be hidden by the shadows. She plopped her heavy over-the-shoulder bag onto the desk. She was expecting to bang chalkboard erasers or grade student exams but when Snape stopped what he was doing and stared at her like she was insane, she assumed otherwise.
"Lucky for you, Miss Kinglsey, we won't be hosting detention in my classroom," Snape droned out.
Zoe's eyebrows furrowed, confused as to where they were going and what she would be doing.
"Do you understand the concept of the outdoors?" Snape scoffed, his beady eyes not breaking contact with hers.
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't think we would be going outdoors."
"I best advice you to stop doing that or else your brain might explode," He snapped.
Zoe grabbed her bag again, her cheeks going numb and she could feel the blood rush to them. She understood her professor put on a mean persona, but she didn't know he was going to keep it going after hours.
Snape stepped away from his desk with two black wicker baskets, the front door to his classroom magically opening as he began to walk out without a word. Of course, Zoe was expected to follow without question. And this time she did so correctly. Snape sped down the hallways, Zoe finding herself having to occasionally jog to match his pace.
Suddenly, the two found themselves stepping into the warm sunlight and touching the soft, delicate grass the Hogwarts grouds had to hold. Chatter and banter muffled in the distance as birds chirped through the skies. Zoe could hear the chariot clambering away on the rocky pavement, heading into Hogsmeade. Desperately, she wished that was her. She blindly followed her Professor as they continued their journey. Zoe was hoping that Snape was going to drop her off at Hagrid's and he was going to take care of her himself. But when they passed his hut and his magnificently massive mountain of cauliflower, Zoe frowned to herself once more.
She realized where they were heading as they approached the Forbidden Forest. Zoe was convinced that time functioned differently in there. It was always a pale, cold blue once one enters that forest. It always smells the day after it rains and it feels like harsh eyes are watching your every step. It was an ominous place, a world within its own that housed creatures still unknown to the Hogwarts student body. It was highly advised since First Year to never enter that place, Merlin knows what kind of animal would jump out and attack.
Zoe felt the warm breeze get replaced with a chiller breeze. Tallgrass tickled her calves as she walked deeper into the Forbidden Forest with her Professor. Her eyes tracked the deep depths of the forest, making sure that there wasn't a mysterious shadow watching them from afar.
"We're picking Bursting Mushrooms," Snape spoke. His voice echoed and danced through the rotting, decaying trees. Se felt like his voice bounced off for miles, her heart hammering. She was afraid that anyone could be listening to their conversation.
"You do know what that is," Snape said, suddenly stopping in his tracks, making Zoe bump right into him. "Right?"
Zoe groaned, taking a step back and looking up at her Professor with wide, alarmed eyes.
"It's for the Fire Protection Potion. Their home is located here, in the forest," Zoe said, trying to keep her voice as hush as possible.
Snape narrowed his eyes down at his student, his lips pursing thin. He was quiet for a couple of seconds until he began his trail again, mentioning that they're not going too deep into the forest. Even though it's been five minutes of walking, Zoe felt like hours have passed. It was so eerily dark and suspiciously quiet in the forest, the concept of time didn't feel like a real thing. Finally, Professor Snape handed Zoe the black wicker basket and instructed her to search the base of the trees.
"Now, remind me again Miss. Kinglsey, if I didn't know what a Bursting Mushroom would look like, how would you describe it to me?" Snape said, getting down on his knees as he stopped in front of a tree. His head tilted low, his hands pushing and plucking away the tall grass.
"It has. white stalk and a red bulb cap with white dots on it. They're pretty large, hard to miss, but they can also quickly shrink if they sense danger."
Snape turned his head around his shoulder to look at his student, an eyebrow raised high. Again, for a couple of seconds, he was quiet until he suddenly spoke, "Well, get to work."
Zoe began to slowly walk around the perimeter of the area, keeping an eye out for a bright red mushroom. It was fairly easy to spot them when there was a random gust of wind that tilted the tall grass to the side. Zoe quickly managed to pluck at least two with ease. She glanced over at her Professors basket that was seemingly already halfway full. She knew that they weren't going to leave anytime soon unless her basket was filled to the rim with Bursting Mushrooms.
"For someone so intelligent and fairly bright," Snape spoke up, his deep voice right behind Zoe's shoulder.
"Can you care to explain that burst of anger in my class today towards Mister Malfoy?"
Zoe quickly spun around, her heart dropping as her Professor shadowed over her.
"I-I just got angry with him. sir. The way he was talking to Granger just filled me up with so much hatred. It's not fair that he can get away with his speech but when I stick up for a friend, I get the repercussions-"
"There is a fine line between speaking up for a friend and violently shouting obscene things to a classmate because you allowed your emotions to rule your heart," Snape interrupted, eyeing Zoe down.
Zoe gulped, looking to the side.
"And as for Mister Malfoy, he is going to be receiving his punishment. I don't allow any of my students to get favorable treatment. That would completely contradict my honor code of teaching," Snape snorted, turning his back and continuing to look around.
Zoe bit back a smile as she continued to do the same, her thoughts racing wildly. She never experienced her Professor become so . . . open before. She was intrigued to find out if he would be giving her any more advice tonight and if so, what would it be? She knew he was a wise, strict man, but she didn't think that deep down, he was sensitive as well.
Zoe wondered what punishment Draco Malfoy would be receiving. She began to conjure up the idea of him writing a three-page long essay on bullying or how to be nice to your fellow peers. Zoe spotted a Bursting Mushroom, ready to pluck it from its natural habitat, turning to look at Snape.
"So what kind of punishment-" Zoe cut herself short as she watched fear grow in Snape's eyes. He dropped his basket and ran straight towards her, forcefully pushing her body to the side. As Zoe's body thumped hard onto the ground, narrowly missing a rock that could've caused a concussion, an exploding sound rang through her ears.
Zoe blinked as she tried to gain her eyesight back, the ringing slowly fading as she acknowledged what was happening. She desperately wanted to scream but no noise coming out of her mouth. On the ground, covered in burn marks that were freshly sizzling on Snape's skin, Zoe crawled over to her Professor, violently shaking.
Snape was knocked out cold, bits and pieces of the Bursting Mushroom Zoe forgot to pick scattered across and around his body. She grabbed his head, gently placing it on her lap as she wildly looked around, confused and scared. She didn't know what to do and if leaving him here was the right idea. Any spells of protection and healing left her mind as, she too, laid limp.
Zoe felt the darkness of Forbidden Forest taunt her, an overwhelming omen that no matter who you are, only bad things happen to those who enter. Zoe felt like the universes laughing stock, Dumbledore's words echoing in her mind since she heard them from day one: "The first years, please note... that the Dark Forest is strictly forbidden to all students." Now here she was, six years later, clearly avoiding his advice and now stuck in a situation she accidentally created.
Zoe felt the waterworks turn on and in an instant, she was crying. Her shoulders shook as she violently sniffled, her eyes blurring from the hot, salty tears that dripped down her equally red cheeks. She couldn't live with herself if she caused serious, life-long, and permanent damage to her Professor. Zoe looked down at the man, her tears dropping onto his face, sizzling and creating steam as they hit his burn marks.
This made Zoe weep even harder, the trauma of the sound scaring her. Tears began to flow out her eyes, a waterfall of sadness as they continued to splash on his face. Zoe felt an immense amount of guilt as she swept his hair away from his face, hoping that he'd wake up on his own soon- what was that?
Zoe suddenly stopped crying as she watched the inflamed skin on Snape's face began to patch up. She watched as his molecules and atoms began to stitch up, creating a barrier of new, untouched, fresh skin. The few remaining teardrops on Zoe's face hit Snape and on contact, his skin began to heal.
Zoe watched in pure amazement and complete shock. Was she imagining this? Was she seeing this right? Zoe couldn't quite comprehend that her tears saved him. As his face slowly began to heal, the man below her began to shuffle and groan. In a matter of minutes, Snape was sitting up by himself, rubbing his head and looking around, confused.
"I can explain everything to you once we get out of here, sir," Zoe rambled, quick to intervene before Professor Snape had to chance of loading thousands of questions on her.
Zoe quickly stood up and gathered both of their baskets, going over and helping her Professor get to his feet. By the time they officially left the Forbidden Forest, the pink, strawberry sky fell to a dark blue, stars twinkling as they became brighter the darker the sky grew. Zoe was glad that they didn't spend any more time in there after his accident and even more relieved that he was walking alright.
The walk back was deadly silent. Zoe could tell her Professor was deep into his train of thought. She didn't want to interrupt him or put him into another state of shock so she waited until they both safely made it back to his classroom. Zoe never thought she would be as happy as she was to feel the cool and dampness of the Slytherin dungeons until this very second.
Inside Snape's classroom, Zoe placed the wicker baskets on top of his desks, watching him as he slowly sat down in his chair. He stared at the baskets, once filled to the top of Bursting Mushrooms and one barely making a dent into it. Instead of lashing out, Snape simply looked up at Zoe and asked, "What happened?"
Zoe bit her lip, unsure if she wanted to fully tell him the truth. "Sir, maybe you should go see Madame Pomfrey? Just in case-"
"Miss Kingsley, what happened to me in that forest?" Snape demanded.
Zoe shut her eyes, breathing out a sigh.
"You got injured and you knocked out for a while. But then you woke up and now we're here so-"
"You got hit with a Bursting Mushroom that I was too slow to pick. You pushed me out of the way before it could get to me and you took the fall . . . I'm so sorry, Professor!" Zoe said, randomly bursting out into tears. She covered her face with her hands, embarrassed.
"I know I should've been watching what I was doing, it was an honest mistake, I didn't mean for you to get hurt!"
Zoe cried into her hands, overwhelmed by the number of emotions she felt in one day. Zoe heard the scrape of Snape's chair and a heavy hand on her shoulder. Her hands were taken away from her face as Snape wiped away her tears.
"I know, Miss Kingsley," He said in a soft, soothing voice.
"I won't hold this against you. I thank you for taking care of me and watching over me at that moment."
Zoe nodded, her bottom lip quivering as she took a couple of deep breaths to regain her control.
"I won't pressure you tonight, but there's going to be a day where you tell me exactly how you saved me, Miss Kingsley. Bursting Mushrooms don't give you typical cuts or scrapes."
Zoe nodded, licking her dry lips, exhausted.
"You're free to leave, Miss Kingsley."
Zoe felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she turned to walk towards the door. She wanted nothing more than a warm shower and a nice, long sleep. As her hand grasped the cool metal of the door, Snape called out to her one last time.
"And keep this little incident between us, Miss Kingsley."
Zoe looked over her shoulder at her Professor who was storing the mushrooms in a glass jar. She gave him a small smile and headed off to her dorm for the night.
