Chapter 4 – Teasing Cole

The sun was shining magnificently over the vast green Hogwarts grounds. The very castle stood prominent as ever, its many red turrets and windowpanes glimmering in the sunlight. The large wooden oak doors were closed and hid behind themselves an enormous labyrinth of corridors and pathways, rooms and halls. From the very Dungeons in the basement, through all the seven floors, to the very tops of the towers, Hogwarts was full of magic and mysteries, and no one dared to say he knew all the secrets of Hogwarts.

At the very bottom of Hogwarts, in the most distal corner of the dungeons was a small blue room, with no windows, but it was light nevertheless. It was a room offered to Elisabeth Cole, who had engaged herself in the biggest adventure yet. Although she thought what had happened so far was crazy enough, she had no idea what was yet to come.

A high shrill sound filled the little room. Elisabeth groaned something incoherent in the pillow and reached out to silence the infernal alarm clock.

“Oh God,” she mumbled and turned on her back. She lay in the bed for five more minutes, rubbing her eyes and yawning until she finally made herself to sit up. “This is torture,” she whispered, glancing at the clock.

Elisabeth stumbled in the bathroom, took off her nightshirt and stepped under the shower. The water was ice cold, and it felt like thousands of sharp little needles pierced her skin. She gasped and jumped on the spot, but bravely finished her morning shower. Although she had been very grumpy, the shower seemed to have lifted her mood. She even smiled at herself in the mirror.

“I wonder what the commode has for me today?’’ thought Elisabeth and opened its bottom drawer to examine its contents.

There was a pair of old-looking grass-green sneakers, light blue jeans and an enormous rumpled sweater. She decided in favor with the sneakers and jeans but put back the sweater.

“Sorry, I’m not wearing this,’’ Elisabeth said, patting the commode slightly.

Instead, after having rummaged around in the cardboard boxes for a while, Elisabeth decided to wear a plain white t-shirt of her own. All that together looked very nice. Needless to say, that the things found in the commode fitted her perfectly. It was a magical commode after all.

Having finished the usual struggle with her hair, Elisabeth stood beside the bed to scratch her newly acquired friend Theodore the cat behind his ears. He purred comfortably, putting out his claws in the blanket. While she was doing that, her stomach rumbled in protest of the lack of food. It was time to call the house-elf.

“What was his name,’’ Elisabeth wondered, “oh, yes, Melvin.’’

She cleared her throat and said in almost a whisper, “Melvin.’’ Nothing happened, so she tried again cautiously, “Melvin?’’

“Oh, bother it!’’ she said, “how did that man do it?’’

Elisabeth tried a few more times, a bit louder, but nothing happened. Then in frustration she yelled out, “Melvin!’’

CRACK, the house-elf appeared in front of her. Elisabeth screamed and jumped back, which was not a wise thing to do as she caught the leg of the bed and fell on her butt.

“What would Miss like?’’ asked Melvin, ignoring both her screaming and falling.

“Um, well …’’ Elisabeth said, getting up and frowning, “a boiled egg, a couple of toasts and a cherry tea. And something for my cat, please.’’

“Alrighty-mighty,’’ said Melvin and with a CRACK disappeared.

‘’Ouch,’’ said Elisabeth, rubbing her hip and sitting down on the bed.

In a minute Melvin was back with her breakfast. It smelled deliciously and she started eating, while the house-elf bustled around. Elisabeth tried to question the little creature about Professor Snape but he did not know much. She ended up with information that he was the youngest Professor at Hogwarts ever, however Melvin did not know his age. Melvin said that he teaches Potions, although he wanted to be a Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor. Also, the Professor seemed to have had a dark past. When Elisabeth asked more about it, the house-elf covered his ears and shook his head, “Melvin is not allowed to say more, Melvin is not allowed.’’

Elisabeth had to drop the subject. And the watch on her wrist was already pointing at ten to eight. She watched as Melvin took away the plates and then sat down to wait. She wondered what the lessons at Hogwarts would be like. She would probably learn loads of stuff.

“Magic – that’s what you’ll be learning,’’ she thought to herself.

She checked her watch again. Five minutes to eight. Elisabeth looked around the room. Melvin had made her bed neatly while she had been eating and chattering. He had also folded her clothing and stacked books in a neat pile. Nothing was out of place. All she had to do was to wait.

***

Professor Snape was sitting in his office and hypnotizing the clock on the wall, his fingers drumming on the solid surface of his desk rhythmically. It was five to eight and he had been sitting like this for good twenty minutes already. He knew that it would take him precisely one minute and forty-seven seconds to leave his office, lock the door, cover the length from his office to the end of the main dungeon corridor, then turn to left, walk eleven more steps and bang on the door, behind which Elisabeth Cole would be, or at least should be, waiting for him.

He did not want to go. He had no desire at all to socialize with confused little Muggle girls. Well, she was not Muggle, but she had lived her whole life like one and was completely ignorant of the Magical world. And now he had to introduce her to it. Snape gave a little exasperated sigh. As if he did not have enough to do. The school year was about to start in less than a week. There was still a lot of work to do. He had to prepare all the potions ingredients, make sure he had everything. Yet, he was pestered with her now. Elisabeth Cole, she was a disaster for his weak patience. Of course, if he really strained himself, then he could understand that Magic might be quite alarming for someone who faced it for the first time, but her reaction to common things like house-elves and goblins and such was annoying. If she jumped and screamed at the sight of those, what would she do, seeing a Dementor or a Giant? Drop dead, most probably.

He had almost dropped dead when he saw her for the first time. Now, remembering that, he wanted to laugh, but then it had been quite a frightful sight. But then again, who could blame her; she had had a house crumble over her head. And what on earth was up with that Gryffindor sweater? Of course, she did not know about the houses, but still he had a feeling that it had been on her just in spite of him. Stupid commode. Now, that Snape though of it, he should have made her change. He could not believe that he had gone in the streets with someone wearing a Gryffindor sweater.

Dumbledore had already come to visit him this morning, to instruct about how he should behave, “be nice, Severus, remember that she needs a friend, I think you could take her outside, it’s such a lovely weather.” All those words cut like a knife in his ears. He could not understand how Dumbledore still had not gotten a hint about what kind of a man he was. He was definitely not someone who might become friends with Elisabeth Cole, or anyone else, for that matter.

Snape sighed deeply. It was two to eight. He got up, stretched and started making his way towards the blue little room. When he came to it, he stood behind the door, breathing deeply for a moment, and then knocked. After quite a moment she opened the door, looking up at him fearfully.

“Good morning, sir,” she said in a small voice.

Good, at least she had learned to speak to him properly. And, thankfully, she was not wearing the hideous Gryffindor sweater.

“Morning,” he replied carelessly, “come, I am supposed to take you outside.”

“Oh, that’s great,” Elisabeth said, smiling a little.

Snape noticed a movement on the floor and looked down. That pubescent black stripy cat of hers was sniffing around his shoes.

“Sorry,” Elisabeth said, bending down to scoop the cat up, while Snape rolled his eyes towards the ceiling.

He briskly led her out of the Castle, and as they reached outdoors, Snape felt the heat of the bright sun, falling on top of him as a heavy blanket. He was standing, his eyes narrowed, thinking which way to go, when he heard a soft voice behind him. Oh Gods, she was talking to her cat. How lovely. Snape snorted and turned around just in time to see her, putting the cat on the ground. Then he started walking towards the lake slowly. Elisabeth was walking next to him, looking up expectantly.

“You must know that magic is not easy to explain,” Snape started, “it is almost impossible. Very few are able to perform it. The ones, who are able to, are called witches and wizards. Those unable to perform magic are called Muggles, as I’m sure, you know by now.”

He held a pause, which Elisabeth used to ask a question, “how does one become a witch, sir?”

“They are born one,” Snape said simply.

“I wasn’t,” Elisabeth whispered.

“Yes, you were, just your magic was sleeping, that’s why it is called, Delayed magic. You are a special case, Miss Cole,” he added and saw her smiling slightly.

“Magic is in our genes,” he continued, “and magical genes are usually stronger. For instance, if a Muggle and a witch have a child together it will be a wizard not a Muggle. People born in such alliance are called Half-bloods. A child of two magical people is a Pureblood.”

“Oh,” Elisabeth said, “so, is it possible that two Muggles produce a wizard?”

Snape hesitated for a moment, “yes it is.”

Elisabeth frowned, “now, how can they do that?”

Snape looked at her, his eyebrows raised, “surely, you don’t need me to tell you where children come from?”

“No!” she exclaimed, blushing furiously, “I mean, how they can have a wizard if they’re Muggles?”

Snape smirked to himself at her awkwardness, “I told you, Miss Cole, that magic is in the genes. In this case, it means that somewhere in the family there have been wizards. The genes have lasted over the generations, even if they have all been Muggles.”

“So,” she was apparently thinking hard, “then there must have been a witch who gave birth to a … Muggle?”

“Yes, but in this case it would not be called a Muggle, but a Squib.”

“I see,” she said in a small voice, still a little embarrassed.

At this moment her cat went stumbling and somersaulting past them, after a dragonfly, his little legs, working feverishly under his body. Snape scowled at the little animal, while Elisabeth burst out laughing. He turned to scowl at her and she fell silent immediately, biting her lip nervously.

“So, Hogwarts,” the Professor said after a while, “is divided into four houses, each bearing the last name of its founder: Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor, Rowena Ravenclaw and Helga Hufflepuff. Each student is sorted into one of the houses on the first day of school and that is the house they belong to for all seven years spent in school, and, life too.”

“Sorted? How?” Elisabeth asked, frowning slightly.

“By the Sorting Hat - it is put on your head and then announces the house you belong to.”

“So …,” Elisabeth hesitated, “the Hat can … talk.”

Snape snorted gently and something like a smile formed his lips, “yes, Miss Cole, the Hat can talk,” he said in a bored voice.

Elisabeth smiled triumphantly, “how do you think, sir, in which house do I belong?”

“I don’t know for so long to tell.”

“Well, have a guess then,” she pleaded, “please, sir.”

He sighed and stopped, watching her face closely, for a moment. “I think you might be in Ravenclaw,” he said finally and they both continued walking.

“Oh,” Elisabeth said, “is that good?”

“Ravenclaw is for wise and clever,” Snape said shortly.

“Huh,” Elisabeth said and smiled in a very pleased way.

“Of course I might be wrong,” he said just to tease her, “you might just as well be a Hufflepuff.”

She scowled at him, “and what is Hufflepuff for?”

“Oh, nothing special, just those who don’t belong anywhere else,” he said indifferently and with satisfaction saw the dirty look the girl gave him.

“And in which house did you go sir?”

“Slytherin,” Snape said a little stately, “which is obviously the reason why I am the Head of Slytherin.”

She stopped suddenly, “you are?”

Snape turned to look at her and saw her surprised and awed expression.

“Yes,” he said curtly, surprised at her reaction.

“Cool,” she said quietly.

He rolled his eyes and resumed walking, “very cool, indeed.”

Elisabeth giggled quietly again.

“Why do you think I wouldn’t be in Slytherin, sir?” she asked after a moment.

“I know what qualities Slytherins require.”

She looked at him in surprise, “you just said you don’t know me well.”

“I know enough to tell that you’re not a Slytherin.”

“Well, you might be wrong, what -.”

“You don’t even want to be in Slytherin,” he cut across her.

“Why not?” she asked surprised again.

“I give a lot of detentions,” he answered sarcastically.

“No really, Professor, tell me!”

He sighed, “Slytherin is supposedly the worse of all the houses. Everyone from Slytherin goes the wrong way,” he finished, remaining sarcastic.

“Do they?” she asked warily and Snape shrugged for an answer.

Elisabeth smiled a little mischievously, “Have you?”

He looked at her, smirked maliciously and the said in his most silky voice, “I might have.”

Elisabeth looked shocked and scared, but tried to hide it. However, she did step a little further away from him. That was not missed by Professor Snape, who chuckled silently to himself. She was so easy to scare. Maybe he will enjoy this day after all.

They had arrived at the lake, and with a sigh of relief, Snape hid from the sun in the enormous shadows of the willows.

“Oh, can I?” Elisabeth asked, pointing at the lake.

Snape raised his eyebrows, “have you brought a bathing suit?”

“No,” she laughed, “I mean, can I walk in the water a little, sir?”

“If you must,” he shrugged and watched her as she took off her sneakers and socks and rolled up her jeans.

Smirking, he watched as she waded in the lake slowly until she was in water up to her knees, and then called, “I wouldn’t go too deep if I were you.”

Elisabeth froze and stared at him, “why not?”

“You might not wish to become a breakfast for the Giant Squid.”

“What?” she cried out, her voice quavering.

Snape was laughing quietly as he watched her darting out from the water, splashing herself up to her head.

She came to a halt in front of him, panting and trying to wipe the drops of water away. As she looked up, her eyes met the amused expression of her Professor. Shock and disbelief crossed her face, “there is no Giant Squid, is there?” she asked outraged.

Snape suppressed his urge to laugh out loud, “yes, there is,” he pointed a good way away from where she had been just a minute ago, where the Squid was swimming lazily, it’s tentacles outstretched towards the sun.

Elisabeth stared horrified at the creature, “well, you could have mentioned it sooner.”

Snape looked at her in satisfaction. Her angry and flushed face was hidden by her hair, as she was still trying to somehow dry her clothing. He took a step closer and she looked up scared. Snape leaned a little closer and said quietly, “it’s not very interested in humans.” Then he started walking away slowly, along the shore of the lake.

He heard her angry growl behind his back and smiled. Soon, she was walking next to him again, holding her shoes in one hand by the laces, looking affronted.

“Do you treat all your students like this, Professor?” she asked after a little while.

Snape looked at her, smirking, “no, only those who allow themselves to be treated like that.”

“I don’t think I did,” she muttered angrily.

He sighed a little impatiently, “you’re so credulous, Miss Cole. Did you honestly believe that I, being a teacher, would have allowed you to go into a lake, if something endangered you there?”

Elisabeth seemed to be considering this, as she just kept walking next to him wordlessly.

“Can I ask you something?” she spoke minutes later.

“Sure.”

“Melvin said that you are the youngest Professor ever -,” she said.

“Did he now?” he interrupted her.

“It’s not true?”

“I suppose it is.”

There was a silence again.

“What did you want to ask, Miss Cole?”

“How old are you, sir?”

“Is that important?”

“Well, he said you’re the youngest, so I just thought …,” her voice carried away.

“Twenty-five,” he, Merlin’s-pants-know-why, decided to answer. Usually he would not have.

“Really?” she looked surprised.

He looked at her meaningfully, and she averted her eyes, smiling a little.

“Any other questions?” he asked.

“Do you wear black, pointed hats?”

“Me? For Merlin’s sake, no!” he said harshly and she giggled again, “others do, occasionally. I believe you saw Professor Dumbledore wearing something like that. You will be wearing one on the first day of school.”

“Will I?” she asked smiling, “ok, do witches really ride broomsticks?”

“Both witches and wizards, yes we do,” he nodded.

“What, you too?” she asked, staring up at him.

“Why it is such a surprise to you? Broomstick is not the same as a hat, after all.”

She laughed, “I know, I just thought …”

“What?” he turned to look at her.

“It might be uncomfortable for you.”

He frowned, still looking at her.

“Well …,” she seemed to be choosing her words carefully, “being a man and all,” she gestured towards him awkwardly.

He pressed his eyes shut and turned his head away, as if seeing something indecent, “Miss Cole, keep that to yourself.”

“Sorry,” she mumbled blushing.

Gods, she was considering the safety and comfort of wizards’ manhood in her little head. Snape did not think he wanted to use Occlumency on her. Merlin knows what else there might be.

He looked sideways at her. She was staring down at her bare feet, looking embarrassed. Just now he noticed that there was a far cry from the dirty girl he had seen that evening in Dumbledore’s study and the girl that was walking next to him now. Her honey blonde hair was clean and fell in neat little curls over her shoulders. Her face had small and delicate features, which would probably still change as she grew. She was rather tall for her age, but not too much. And she was quite skinny, which would probably change soon too. All in all she was very good-looking for a thirteen-year-old. Snape looked away again, thinking that he should finally cut his habit of checking out his students. He had been doing it ever since he started teaching here. But, who could blame him? Seeing them every day … And those school uniforms … Well, he thought that the skirt could be longer yet, to not distract him from work.

“Who’s that?” Elisabeth suddenly asked, stopping dead in her tracks.

Snape looked in the direction she was staring wide-eyed. Hagrid, the Hogwarts Gamekeeper, was clumping in their direction. He was beaming all over his face. He raised his enormous arms and waved at Snape, “Hey there Professor!”

Snape groaned, “Hagrid,” he greeted.

“Hello, little one,” he smiled down at Elisabeth.

The girl looked so utterly terrified of the man standing in front of her, that Snape felt a mad desire to laugh. He decided against it. Who knew what would happen to her if Hagrid decided to join in and started booming his awful laughter.

“I’ve jus’ had a talk with Dumbledore,” Hagrid said conspiratorially, winking at Snape.

“Have you really?” Snape asked indifferently.

“Yep, decided I’d come a’ say hi,” the enormous man nodded importantly.

“That’s nice of you,” he said in a bored voice, “Miss Cole, this is our Gamekeeper Hagrid,” he introduced.

“H-hi,” she barely managed to say.

“Hello,” Hagrid beamed again, “well, t’was nice seeing you Professor, I’d bett’a go now, got a load to do. Unicorns are about ter have tha’ babies.”

With that he stomped away towards his cabin.

Elisabeth was standing unmoving, her mouth open, “unicorns,” she whispered.

“Yes, Miss Cole, now can we move?”

They started walking again, Snape led her slowly back to the Castle. He had had quite enough walking for today.

“Why was he so …,” she hesitated.

“He’s half-giant,” Snape said airily.

She stared at him wide-eyed, but did not say anything all the way back to the Castle. When they came to the entrance stairs they stood silent for a moment, watching Elisabeth’s cat that was sitting on the stairs and washing its ears, by licking one of its paws and then rubbing it against the ear. As he was so little, he did not quite know how to do it and kept loosing his balance. Elisabeth took the cat in her arms and Snape led her back to her room again. She entered her room, thinking about what she should do next.

Professor Snape had already turned to leave when Elisabeth called out, “Professor, wait!”

“What is it Miss Cole,” he asked in his most annoyed voice.

“What am I supposed to do for the rest of the day?” she asked.

“Surely you will find a way to entertain yourself within these four walls,” he said with a mocked expression of surprise, “read your books, play with your cat or talk to the commode.”

Elisabeth glared at him, but his lip curled in a sneer.

“I could go back outside and –,” Elisabeth started.

“Forget about it Miss Cole, you’re not going anywhere alone.”

“What?” she asked in outrage, “why not?”

“Because I said so, Miss Cole,” he said in his most dangerous and silky voice, stepping towards her, “and if I find out that you’ve been outside this room, and trust me I will, you will have the chance to experience what happens with students who dare to disobey me.”

Elisabeth stared at him in horror. Terrible images of screaming and crying students trapped in a slimy basement full of spiders and a laughing Professor Snape filled her head. He looked deep in her eyes and suddenly Elisabeth felt very queer and a bit dazed, as if she really was seeing those images. They floated in front of her eyes. Then it stopped. Professor Snape smirked in a very nasty sort of way and left, snapping the door shut behind him. Elisabeth was left scared and confused, and alone in her room.