Monkshood (Juno and Pretorius) (HP Snape/OC)

[Pretorius]

In spite of Severus Snape's pretenses to the contrary, he remembered her. Gryffindor. Obnoxious. Less dense than some, more spoiled than most. It had been a few years since she had left Hogwarts, and it couldn't be long enough.

Now, as her interview drew near, he was decanting a Philtre of Focus for the seventy-first time. Soon it would be ready, and the miserable little imps he had been tasked to herd would cease to be a distraction for good. The annoyance could have been worse, perhaps - he could have been forced to remain Headmaster - but that was cold comfort. Everything had been easier when he had been roundly hated.

Just that morning, an idiot Gryffindor had smiled at him! What did a man have to do to make his stance clear? Now the very same people who had whispered 'Coward' for years wore the mask of affability, beaming, inviting him to drink. Doubtless they expected him to 'forgive their misunderstanding.' Worst of all, as always, were the students. Children who had lived in fear now lived in fatuous complacence, as if the Dark Arts had ceased to exist when the Death Eaters had disbanded. Potter himself was growing lax in his Occlumency, and Granger had taken 'time off' for 'personal reasons.'

Well. Nobody would ever accuse him of letting his pupils become fat and weak. When the next evil came, they would face it, secure in the knowledge that it couldn't possibly be as awful, as cruel, as horrific as Professor Severus Snape, Head of Slytherin, Potions Master, and Professional Greasy Git. And the new order would begin with this interview.

Twenty years old! Madness. Even if this 'student teacher' candidate was one of McGonagall's old favorites, and could thus be assured of her place, he would show her the seriousness, and tenuousness, of her position.

 

[Juno]

Whether it was a case of nerves or the simple fact that the bacon she had scarfed down for breakfast wasn't agreeing with her, one thing was for certain, Lexie felt terribly ill.

The moment she had stepped foot into Hogwarts, a strong feeling of nostalgia had struck her harder than one would expect. Of course, one couldn't truly admit to enjoying school without sounding completely pathetic but she would not lie to herself. Her years at Hogwarts had easily been the best she'd ever experienced in her short life. Many would expect a child born of great wealth to have a certain claim to a happiness robbed of the less fortunate and while she had been rightfully spoiled in material aspects, Lexie could not truthfully say that she was happy there. She had always been completely different from her parents. For one, she didn't care for their constant desire to mingle with those that they deemed superior, nor did she care for their negative influence. No matter how many times they had attempted to hammer this pure-blood supremacist thoughts into her young mind, Lexie simply had not listened.

Right from the beginning, her parents had feared that their daughter was not living up to their expectations and Lexie would not dissuade them from such notions. She had a fascination with muggles that could possibly rival that of Arthur Weasley and her habit of befriending those of a lower social class clearly worried the parental unit. But perhaps the greatest blow of all was when their precious child was sorted into the dreaded Gryffindor house, eternal enemy of Slytherin where both Mr. and Mrs. Stone had been sorted years ago.

Naturally, Lexie had been ecstatic. In her eyes, nothing could be more fulfilling than being sorted into the house she had secretly dreamed of for years. The rift that this caused between her and her parents only grew as the years passed and as the days darkened, so did their hearts. Many a family had been torn apart ever since the return of Voldemort who's name she refused to fear even then. It was no easy choice for her to abandon the parents who while had forced their own ideals onto her, had still clothed her and fed her and perhaps even loved her, faults and all. But there really could not be any other choice. Lexie would not side with those who agreed with such ludicrous ideas.

She was 17 when she last spoke to her parents. Every year at Hogwarts had been cherished and now that she was back, she intended to make the most of it. Even if she meant to teach now rather than learn.

As a student, Lexie had always been fairly adept. She had gotten top marks in transfiguration and charms and did quite well for herself in defense against the dark arts. Her only real weak point had always been potions. Lexie would have liked to think that she was nowhere near as incompetent as her old potions professor had led on but then, taking anything the man said to heart was foolhardy indeed. Anyone with a half a brain knew well enough that the old git went out of his way to embarrass and insult those belonging to Gryffindor house. She had been no different.

The girl couldn't help but frown at the unpleasant memories of dealing with the overgrown bat's leering presence behind her as she mechanically chopped her ingredients. He was truly terrifying in those days. Regardless of how well she did, the git had no praise in him and as such, there came a point where she simply stopped caring.

Sighing, the considerably tall young witch straightened out her posture, long black hair now held in a tight bun. She felt rather odd dressed the way that she was. Usually she would let loose her dark locks and stroll about in the finest of gowns but she did intend on making a good impression and she hardly expected Snape to care for physical attributes.

Lexie held a natural grace that allowed her to appear as if she were utterly calm and collected even if she were anything but. The sight of the potions master was already making her stomach knot uncomfortably. The old embarrassment of having him talk down to her was already beginning to colour her cheeks, despite the fact that he hadn't even said anything yet. Though, she was a Gryffindor for a reason and she wouldn't stand there idly and allow him to intimidate her anymore. She was no longer the student. He would have to respect her as an adult.

She hoped.

Clearing her throat to get his attention, Lexie put on her most reserved of expressions before speaking out in a formal tone.

"Professor?"

 

[Pretorius]

Snape raised his left hand in the universal gesture for 'Do not interrupt this delicate and dangerous work.' Stir clockwise. Clockwise. Clockwise. Clockwise, but more slowly. As the brew reached the turning point, a cloud of choking, green smoke rose from the cauldron and dissipated away from Snape; his visitor may, perhaps, have caught a whiff of Ashwinder eggs. Now counterclockwise, slowly. Then counterclockwise again, but faster, faster, and faster still. Add a half-pinch of Siberian Ginseng. Hold the phial up to the light, and wait for the very instant the green liquid begins to cloud... there. Decant at once.

It was done. As Snape stoppered the bottle and sealed it with wax, he spoke without looking up from the task. "Miss Stone. You are late."

The girl could hardly argue with the looming grandfather clock, could she? Surely she could see that the big serpent was on the nine, and the little snake was on the one. And even if this wasn't absolutely accurate, it was absolutely right. Any clock could show you an accurate time, but this one showed visitors the time they ought to see. The time they deserved.

A little peevishly, Snape waved Lexie to a chair, like a grown man forced to tolerate someone's misbehaved child, then settled behind his desk and appraised her appearance. Once again, matters could have been far worse. She had unusually reserved dress-sense for a Gryffindor, and her hair was almost practical. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he noted that she hadn't dressed this way as a student. Therefore, either she genuinely respected the 'interview process,' or she genuinely feared his disapproval. Better to keep her off-balance, then. He leaned forward slightly, causing a few strands of disheveled hair to fall into his eyes, and humorlessly smiled. "A student teacher! How interesting."

He settled back slightly and steepled his fingers, unconscious that this revealed an unseemly rent in the left elbow of his robes. Had he known that even a newcomer could see how the past month's revelations had worn on him, he'd have been mortified. A spy should not wear their heart on their sleeve, or at their elbow. Nonetheless, uncharacteristically blind to these signs, Snape confidently baited his hook.

"It makes one wonder if I should treat you as a student, or as a teacher. What do you think, Miss Stone?"

 

[Juno]

Of course. One could never dream of interrupting such a delicate procedure. He was practically performing some sort of muggle method of open-heart surgery, wasn't he?

Lexie resisted the urge to roll her bright blue eyes and reminded herself that her esteemed potions professor had an obvious hard-on for such things. She could almost remember his little speech during her first year. It was hard to forget. What was it? Bottle fame, brew glory, even stopper death? Right. At that age, she had been far more fascinated with the uncanny billowing of his robes than putting a stopper in anything. Though, she couldn't think too poorly of him now. He had really shown his true colours throughout this entire nasty ordeal with Voldemort.

Lexie tilted her head to the side, almost as if this allowed her a better view of Snape at work. She wasn't as guilty as others. Oh no! She had definitely been among those rare few who deemed Severus Snape a good guy, as it were. Dumbledore was the reasoning behind this. She had always put her full faith in the old wizard, partly because her parents had done the complete opposite. Aside from all that, Lexie had always deemed his malevolent appearance too obvious. Perhaps she spent too much time watching those muggle horror films but if that were the case then Snape would definitely not be the bad guy. Nay, in some strange twist he would be the one to save them all! In a sense, he had. The man had done a lot and Lexie did not easily forget.

Gaze softening considerably, Lexie broke away from her thoughts only to be met with the usual reprimanding tone that only Snape could dish out so well. Her eyes immediately found the clock and she couldn't help but frown just the slightest. Late? It had not even occurred to her that she ought to check the time. The momentary panic that washed over her was quickly masked by a look of utter neutrality. Choosing not to honour him with a reply unless absolutely necessary, Lexie strode over to the directed chair across from the potions master, crossing one impossibly long leg over the other as she sat. Her posture felt stiff to her but she refused to allow her aching spine some release. Impressing Snape was no easy task and she was the farthest thing from Slytherin without being Godric Gryffindor himself.

As a student, she had always felt terribly uneasy under that stare. She always had the nagging suspicion that he was invading her mind and discovering all kinds of nasty things to use to his advantage. Naturally when she had discovered his being a Legilimens she hadn't been the least bit surprised. Still, it was unsettling all the same.

Resisting the urge to chew her lip raw as she always did when nervous, Lexie attempted the impossible task of occluding her mind to any and all probing he may have deemed necessary. One could never tell with Severus Snape. The sarcasm in his tone was not missed and Lexie made it a point to not react. Why play right into his hands and give him what he desired? She would not lose her temper and she would not lose this job.

All at once, the fierce Gryffindor determination seemed to return, those blue eyes practically blazing with ambition. Her gaze dropped down to his fingers and for a moment, all thoughts of Occulumency escaped her as she studied the slender fingers. This was perhaps one of the few things, if not the only thing that she had always admired about Snape. He had the most beautiful hands she had ever seen. The fingers were long and pale and capable of performing all kinds of near-impossible tasks. They appeared to her, the hands of an artist and while Lexie had no real love for potions, she could grudgingly admit that it could be seen as an art-form.

For what seemed like the umpteenth time, those smooth, velvety tones cut through her reverie and Lexie had enough sense to catch the bold question. She could already feel the anger flaring up in the pit of her stomach. What kind of a ridiculous question was that? She was here to teach, not to be bullied into submission by some git who could not even afford to mend his robes when they clearly needed it!

Quite forgetting herself, Lexie narrowed her eyes and directed her cool gaze at his elbow. "You might want to take care of that, professor."

Never mind that she had no business saying anything about his attire but then, she would silently justify her actions by reminding herself that he had no business treating her like some sort of incompetent child.

"While life is a continuing learning process and believe me, sir, I do intend to learn from the best," here her eyes would flicker back to his face and linger there for as long as it took for the message to be made clear, "I think it would be counter-productive of you to treat me as a pupil if I intend to break past those boundaries and become a full-fledged teacher."

There. She had said her piece and now she could only await his scathing rebuttal with bated breath.

 

[Pretorius]

Legilimency wasn't even a remote temptation. If Snape were caught prying into a student teacher's mind, it would mean a scandal, but his reluctance ran deeper than that. As much as he scoffed at Gryffindor ideas of chivalry, the war's end had left him the luxury to establish cleaner rules, and one of them was that Legilimency was for special circumstances only. He was a private man, and if he infringed upon the privacy of others without reason, how could he possibly consider himself their better? It was different for a spy, of course, but he was a spy no longer.

In any case, why bother? As far as he was concerned, the girl had little mind to read. At best, he could hope to see the idealistic hero fantasies of a young, dense teacher. At worst... he preferred not to contemplate the worst-case scenario for the contents of this girl's psyche.

Snape's brow furrowed ever-so-slightly when she looked at his elbow. Ah. Lamord must have struck closer than I thought. Not terrible, as first strikes go - from him or her. But if he was surprised that Stone had taken the offensive so quickly, it didn't register on his face. After all, this was how Gryffindors were; doubtless she would get on splendidly with Minerva. "Thank you for bringing that to my attention, Miss Stone. Perhaps you'd care to recommend a tailor? A shampoo?"

If she rose to the lure, he would crush her like the impudent thing she was. Simple as that. But if her first sally had been reasonably adept, her next response left her so vulnerable that he'd have been a fool not to press the offensive.

"'A continuing learning process?' 'Counter-productive?' 'Break past those boundaries?'" said Snape, a touch incredulously. "Such language may pass at the Beauxbatons Business School, but we are civilized here. Answer again, if you please..."

He drew himself up to full height, and peered at her over his hawklike nose. "... in English."

 

[Juno]

Lexie, who had been clenching her hands so tightly only became aware of this when her sharp nails threatened to break skin. She may have been high-strung but she would never be accused of ever interrupting. Regardless of the fact that she was being talked-down to by the most infuriating of individuals that she had come across, she would always manage to allow others to say their part. What Snape had to say would have been enough to instigate a verbal argument of epic proportions if it weren't for the sudden realization that she was there for a reason.

Breathing through her nostrils, the girl silently composed herself and focussed on the spot just between Snape's eyes. She didn't dare look directly into those dark pools of black now. She was almost certain that it would cause her to erupt and royally destroy her chances.

"What I meant to say is, professor that you may treat me as you see fit but I'm here for one reason alone and that is to teach."

All right. So perhaps the frank bitterness in referring to him in such a manner was a little more apparent than she ought to have made it but her answer was the plain and simple truth. As much as she loved these little battles with the potions master, she had come there in hopes of becoming a part of what she liked to call the Hogwarts family. It was true that she was often too easy-going to even be considered for such a position but she was ambitious and held a fierce love for Hogwarts that could not be easily tarnished.

Lowering her gaze for the briefest of moments, Lexie observed the sharp indents that were now visible on her pale palms. She really did need to learn how to control that anger. Perhaps it came with being a Stone or perhaps Snape was just that much of an arse. She opted to believe in the latter as her eyes once again found that horribly pallid face.

By Merlin, that nose was extraordinary! If it weren't completely inappropriate to do so, Lexie would have laughed out loud at her own silly but perfectly valid thoughts.

Unable to conceal the slight smile tugging at her lips, Lexie felt the former anger momentarily evaporate as she spoke out in what she hoped was a respectful tone, or at least enough to placate the bastard.

"Teaching at Hogwarts would be most rewarding, sir, and I believe you'll find that I am quite capable of performing the necessary tasks required of my position."

Lexie paused, almost as if having an after-thought. "It'll be fun."

 

[Pretorius]

(I'm sorry for the delayed reply.)

It took no special gift to see the fire here, the anger, the ambition that could flare and fade at a moment's notice, as needed. This was no mere Gryffindor defiance; ending on the rebuttal would have been that. But relaxing into a smile, as if nothing had been said... the girl had promise. But Snape did not smile back.

"'Treat you as I see fit?' I shall hold you to that." A moment's pause. "But if you are to succeed, you must not be here solely to teach. Not even if you find it more 'rewarding' than the Flamel Prize and more 'fun' than... whatever your friends do to amuse themselves." His gaze waxed intense. "You must be here to protect and punish, to stand fast and move swiftly, and to learn. If you do not learn quickly..."

He slid a notice across the desk to her. "... this man will kill you."

A handsome wizard in his fifties smiled gamely from the notice, poised and confident, projecting a wholesomeness that belied the text underneath:

RODERIC LAMORD
Known aliases: The Edge Wizard; Mr. Black; Mr. White

Wanted for murder, treason, conspiracy, and traffic in the Dark Arts.
Do not approach!

---

We will meet in three hours, twenty-two minutes, and five seconds to discuss this threat.
This meeting is ABSOLUTELY MANDATORY for all staff and prospective staff!

- Prof. S. Snape

As if on cue, Lamord's grin twisted into a sadistic rictus, lips parted to reveal teeth filed to vicious points. As the fugitive preened, the time continued to tick down as Snape spoke. "I would have preferred that you remain off our campus while we attended to this... but it seems that Professor McGonagall wishes you tried in the fire, as it were."

He gave a bemused shrug. "I do hope you are as competent as you claim to be."

-

At that very moment, unknown to either of them, a two-headed crow swooped low over Hogwarts. Three caws split the air, and it was gone.

 

[Juno]

The air in the room had suddenly grown chilly and while Lexie was one of those rare cases who actually preferred cold weather to the the warmth, she still couldn't help but rub a soothing hand down her goosebump-ridden arm. Whether Snape noticed this or not, he gave no indication and she ceased her movements entirely, gaze now fixed upon the notice he had slid forth.

It was true. Ever since Voldemort's fall, wizards and witches alike had lulled themselves into this false sense of security. Many people had begun to think that with the likes of Potter and Snape himself alive, they were perfectly safe. Lexie would never have considered a realist by any means. She had a habit of daydreaming about a desired life and often such dreams could cloud her judgement but one look at the maniacal wizard and she knew that safe wasn't exactly the operative word.

Did she feel even the slightest bit of fear? Not exactly, but this was partly due to the fact that she had yet to see what she was up against. As expected, the daunting weight of her responsibility was becoming more and more apparent to her now as she continued to study the notice, the words long since having stopped making sense. Was she ready for that kind of responsibility?

Finally tearing her lovely eyes away from Lamord's unpleasant mug, Lexie rested her gaze on Snape who easily could have been scrutinizing her and just waiting for her to cave and submit to cowardice. Hey, she couldn't contradict her Gryffindor tendencies now, could she?

All thoughts of presenting a desirable demeanour now diminished and she was left with nothing but understanding and compliance that rarely crossed the beautiful features of her youthful face.

"I understand, sir, and I'm willing and..." A pause, albeit a short one. "...and able to do what is required of me. I give you my word that you'll receive nothing but my best effort in ensuring that I'm valuable to Hogwarts and its students."

Eyes darting to her delicate hands for just a moment, Lexie quickly glanced back up at her former professor and finished off what she meant to say. "...and its staff."

 

[Pretorius]

Snape relented, almost. As vital as it was to assert his position, it wouldn't do to rub Minerva the wrong way right now. She'd suggested that he restrain himself, and, while he resented the implication that she knew better, her point was taken. He didn't have to put on a front for the Dark Lord anymore. Showing Gryffindors their place was enjoyable, but it could harm her chances of synchronizing with her Slytherin partner.

And the last thing he wanted was to get his own candidate of choice killed. The boy was one of the few Slytherins with the sense to oppose the Dark Lord, and he would make a marvelously principled teacher, the kind that brooked no nonsense and suffered no stupidity.

"I suppose we'll see," he said, turning away slightly to check how his philtre was settling. "I'm not impressed with your performance thus far, Miss Stone, but I've seen worse."

A compliment! He never thought he'd see the day he'd so extravagantly compliment an insouciant Gryffindor. Tempora mutantur.

The fight - at least, the fight against him - had gone out of her, for the most part. As much as he enjoyed their sparring match, it was time to move on to better things. He put down the potion and gave the girl his full attention once more. Two more questions, and they would be done. "I have another question for you, Miss Stone. Answer well."

He had been told that he 'talked like he couldn't let his lips touch his teeth,' and that may have been true right now. He spat the words like venom:

"What do you need to live?"