***another kind of serendipity

[aesop]

Mary Gem loped along the corridors until she reached the bathroom. It was just an easy way to escape Potions' class, running to hide in the bathroom for a few minutes. She adjusted her robes in the mirror, undid the braid in her hair and let the wavy locks fall as they willed. She killed time by turning on all the faucets then turning them off and flushing every toilet twice. As she was washing her hands, she started whistling an old favorite tune of hers and whistled until she could recall all the words. Then she decided she'd wasted about twenty minutes and everyone was going to think she got lost so she headed back.

She walked down the hallway back into the Potions' dungeon and entered without bothering to check if her professor had noticed she was gone. She was singing as she went to her usual desk at the back of the classroom. "Mama pajama rolled outta bed and she went to the corner station, when papa found out he started to shout and started the investigation. It was against the law, it was against the lawww. What your mama saw, it was against the lawww- Whoa, you're not Ryan."

Generally she sat next to Ryan or one of her other friends in this class. This boy was short with light hair and a Ravenclaw tie. She was positive she had been sitting beside Ryan when she left. Wait, was she? Maybe she was sleeping. NO! No, it had definitely been Ryan. Her eyes searched the room. She didn't see one familiar face. This class seemed to be full of Ravenclaws and Slytherins. Not even her house.

"Um, excuse me, I believe you're in my seat," said a girl with short black hair and a snobbish face. She was holding ingredients and eying the new girl disdainfully. Mary Gem looked at her, mouth slightly open and her expression bewildered. "I'm sorry, but you must be mistaken. I was just sitting here," Mary replied, and the boy beside her laughed along with the snobby girl. "Good one. Now, if you'd please," the girl went to push past Mary but Mary didn't budge.

"No, I was just in this class and I was sitting right here. See, this is- not my bag?" Mary had gone to grab her usual bag but the one she picked up was apparently not hers and apparently this girl's because she suddenly got very angry.

"Hey! Get your filthy hands off my stuff!" the girl snapped but Mary didn't let go, she just held the bag, lost for words. The students in the classroom had turned to look at all the commotion and Mary Gem dropped the bag like it had burned her. Suddenly, the bratty girl whined out, "Professor Snape, this girl won't get out of my seat. And she threw my things on the ground."

"Way to be a tattletale. That's not what happened, Professor- Wait. Professor Snape? Who's that?" Mary Gem looked ahead to the front of the room, and was suddenly aware that she was in the wrong classroom. Or else her teacher had suddenly been replaced by a tall, sallow-faced man who looked as though he was going to set whoever had disturbed his class on fire. Which was unfortunately her. "Huh, well, excuse me, my mistake but I really must be going to find my class at this moment. Sorry to interrupt Professor, um, sir, gentleman, I'll just let myself out." And with that Mary Gem made a beeline straight for the door.

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[Severus Snape]

“Turn to page 62.” Came the cold voice that belonged to no other than Professor Severus Snape. He was making his way to the front of the class. “I thought teachers weren’t allowed to be late to class.” One student said to another and Snape’s head snapped in that direction, his dark eyes gazed at the boy with such malice he thought he saw the boy shiver in response. “Where I’ve been is none of your business and I’ll have you know that Professor Dumbledor sent for me you dolt. Five points from Ravenclaw for talking out of turn and another five for being astoundingly stupid.” Snape hissed followed by a few sighs and moans from the fellow Ravenclaw house. First year students were becoming more incompetent and moronic with each passing year. One of the male students in the upper tears behind the boy launched a wadded up paper ball at the back of the other’s head in succession. Severus pretended not to notice.

Turning his back on the class he walked to his podium and tapped his wand on the closed book, in turn the book obeyed his silent command and flipped open to the correct page before it was picked it up. Still with his back to the class he began; “Today, you all will be learning how to brew a Boil-Cure Potion.” A few voiced their disgust with noises emitting from the back of their throats or just simply voicing ‘Eww’. “Quiet.” He drawled, “This potion’s name is self-explanatory but no doubt some of you.” Severus paused and turned his torso just so that it allowed him to look back at the boy before turning back around and continuing, “Are going to question me on what it means. This simple potion allows you to –if brewed and administered correctly- cure any boils.” He paused to let that sink in and pivoted about forty-five degrees to where his side was no facing the students. “The ingredients that you will need and undoubtedly will forget or screw up are; dried nettles, crushed snake fangs, stewed horned...” His voice was overrode when a young teen came cantering into his class while singing an atrocious song. His nostrils flared and his eyes widened as he witnessed such prospect in mild awe and shock. This girl had the audacity to waltz in here like that? She was either cursed or stupid; his bet was on the latter. As these shenanigans continued Severus watched in silence thinking over what his next course of action would be. Anger flared within him, this girl dared disrupt his lessons? Was she mocking him? This thought flared his anger more, though his outward countenance showed nothing of the sort, he remained calm and collected, only his eyes glinted dangerously. Snape slowly closed the book and lowered it as he now faced the disruptive Hufflepuff. Severus took this time to look the girl over putting her face and form to memory. Wait. Now that he thought of it, he hadn’t any Hufflepuffs in this particular class.

Now one of his students began to whine; only a first year would whine to him. “Professor Snape, this girl won't get out of my seat. And she threw my things on the ground.” The student’s drawn out griping made him grind his teeth together in frustration but he wouldn’t take action now, he would wait for this to cease before he spoke for he was intrigued, but he made a mental note to deal with the arrogant whiner later. Clearly the girl had not thrown her things to the ground, and she looked more confused than ever which told Snape that this wasn’t intentional. Perhaps she was cursed? No, there would e other signs than the bewildered look on the Hufflepuffs’s face, still this did not excuse Mary’s sin, which of course was perturbing his lessons. Cold unforgiving eyes bore into the girl. She must’ve registered this look for she made the appropriate assumption to leave, but he wouldn’t allow her to do so. “Stop! Right there…” Severus demanded. The first word shot from his mouth with such force he heard his voice bounce off the walls, but the words following that were quiet. He had only wanted to gain her attention. “Who… are you?” He asked slowly. Severus eyed the girl curiously as he moved ever so slowly to his podium to place his book down. Like a snake Severus made his way closer to the girl and stopped about a yard from her. The Slytherin’s obsidian eyes still held that glimmer of quiet malice and still held that dangerous look about them. His hands were set in front of him, his right loosely grasping his left.

ooc//
Ew ew ew ew ew. That was aweful! D:
But I posted it anyhow for I felt bad for denying more time, possible another day to post.

[aesop]

Mary Gem felt the nervousness build inside of her. Dread was welling in the pit of her stomach. This man, she knew him. Well, knew of him. But it was impossible, unthinkable, that he would be here. He was dead; he died years ago, way before her time. For him to be the Potions Master at Hogwarts was ridiculous. Severus Snape had been murdered by Lord Voldemort, and that was just plain wizarding fact.

"I... I think I'm dreaming," she managed to stutter, shaking her head. She closed her eyes and shook her head violently, hoping to jolt herself awake. Nothing happened. She opened her eyes, staring into the face of a man whose eyes were bottomless. Could this really be the same Severus Snape who died tragically and heroically? He looked the same as the pictures she'd seen of him but his demeanor was unexpected. He was cold, distant, and frightening.

She knew she should probably walk out and go to the Headmaster's office. However, Professor Snape, if that was really who he was, had such a commanding, deliberent air about him that she was afraid to cross him. Instead, she put her hands on the sides of her face, palms flat against her skin which felt warmer by the second. She looked at him, bewildered and pathetic. "I'm Mary Gemma Sinclair and I am so sorry for interrupting your lesson but I have no idea what's going on."

Never in her life had she seen these students before. Never in her life had she felt so entirely out of place. Yes, this was Hogwarts, but no, something was different. "That is the last time I ever visit the loo during Potions," she murmured to herself, sliding her hands over her eyes.

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