Brewing

Elya had never had a particularly large appetite. In fact, she never really had an appetite at all. It was something that had happened shortly after Fenrir's attack, and was the probable cause of the girl's thin frame. When she had been in St. Mungo's, the doctor had assured her father that she had not been marked badly enough to transform, but was infected enough to possibly suffer from mood swings around the time of the full moon. He also mentioned getting cravings for meat, especially red. Since then, Elya refused to eat any of it.

Her habits at meal times may have been alarming had anyone actually paid attention to how little she actually consumed, but it wasn't a disorder by any means. She truly just had no appetite, and by the time she went to bed at night, the mostly empty feeling in her stomach was soothing in a way. It was a reminder that no matter what that bastard had done to her all those years ago, she was not like him. She was not a monster by any means, though those mood swings could get a little nasty at times. Elya had learned to shut herself away from others when those occurred, though.

Two weeks into the term, and the Ravenclaw had settled into a nice routine and could easily pick out her favorite classes: Potions, Astronomy, and Defense Against the Dark Arts, and each for different reasons. She liked Potions because it challenged her, which made succeeding in it even more satisfying, Astronomy simply because its tower was one of the girl's favorite spots of the castle to visit, and DADA because she had always been good at it and because this year, unlike most, Hogwarts seemed to have a good Professor.

Professor Jephyrs was not a large man, but what he lacked in build, he made up for both in knowledge and skill. Their first lesson alone had just consisted of one big battle. Everything had been banished from the large stone room, save for the blackboard, which had a list of spells that were not to be used written on it. Jephyrs divided the class in two, as if a real war had broken out then told them to, "Have at it!"

Cleaning up would have taken tremendous effort had it not been for magic, and not one person got severely hurt. The professor had been making his way around the room the entire time, shooting off his own hexes and defense charms, giving tips as he went, improving stances and wand flourishes, and taking note of what everyone was capable of so far.

It was, by far, the most exciting Defense Against the Dark Arts lesson Elya had ever had, and each of the following had been just as exciting in many other ways.

Aside from her classes, nothing was too exciting. She spent a little bit of her time with Annabella and Dervish and sat in the Ravenclaw common room in hopes of making it at least seem like she was interacting with her peers, but she mostly just read by the fireplace. Her roommates only really addressed her at meal times, ignoring her when they had their long conversations at night in their dormitory.

Elya liked it, though. She liked being back at Hogwarts, and she liked that the only people who really expected anything from her were her teachers. The weekends were spent doing homework and studying her textbooks, mostly Potions, and when Monday rolled around again, she was surprised to see Rowan joining the horde of mail- carrying owls. A small package was clutched in the owl's talons, and the ball of feathers landed in front of Elya instead of just dropping the box in her food, earning a nice pat on the head. The tawny bird nipped affectionately at the girl's fingers then stole a biscuit and flew off.

The raven-haired girl frowned at the parcel, untying the yarn that bound an envelope to it. On the back of it, her name was written in her father's neat scrawl. Receiving post from Nicolai Vavilov was not common for Elya, and she looked at those sitting nearest to make sure they weren't too interested in what she had just received. She was sure that whatever he was writing to her about was to remain private.

Deeming it safe, she opened the letter and read:

Elly,

Forgive me for using you as an owl, but I need for you to give what's in this package to Severus. I would have sent it straight to him, but I'm positive that Dumbledore keeps an eye on his mail, and I would prefer for him not to know that his Potions professor has this in his possession.

I hope your first week back at school went well. Luka will be returning home this Thursday, and a meeting is going to be held at Malfoy Manor the following weekend so that he can share any evidence of our friend's whereabouts. I'd like for you to join us. Bring your school work if you must. I've written to Dumbledore, telling him only that you need to see your brother.

Study hard. Make me proud, little raven, and don't be afraid to write.

Dad

He was always much kinder through writing, Elya noticed. That was the man she had been raised by. That was the compassion he had learned from Elya's mother before her death. He was uncomfortable with showing it outwardly, now, but letters like this one reminded the girl that it was still there within him.

Looking to the package she wondered what was inside of it. Nicolai hadn't told her she couldn't look and see, but he also didn't say she could. Plus, whatever it was, it most likely wouldn't be smart to open it around so many people, especially if Dumbledore wasn't supposed to know about it (though, he'd probably find out anyway, bloody genius that he was).

I'll just take it to Sev, she concluded. I probably don't want to know what's inside anyway.

Her time table showed that she had Transfiguration right after breakfast, then a break until lunch followed by Double Potions, dinner, and an evening Astronomy class. Mondays and Fridays always had fewer classes, but each held a double of either Potions or DADA. The middle days of the week seemed more crowded, but Elya liked the schedule well enough. She couldn't find any real problems with it.

The Ravenclaw left breakfast early to put the package in her dorm, safely hidden under her bed. She planned to just bring it to Potions with her, shrunken and in her robes pocket.

Already, the bat-like man was the most hated professor at Hogwarts, as he was every year. He was mean, arrogant, and had a way of making even the cleverest of students feel incredibly stupid. Not to mention, he assigned more homework than anyone else. His appearance didn't help either, as he dressed in black from head to toe every day, robes billowing behind him importantly wherever he went, making his sallow skin appear inhumanly white. The normal rumors of him being a vampire circulated and were shot down as quickly as they had risen, though they would never die all the way; they never did. First-years told each other stories that their older siblings had used to scare them about the Potions Master using the Cruciatis as punishment for failing assignments, and most of the older students went along with it just for fun.

Elya could understand where everybody's fear of the man came from and was thankful that she had known him before he had become a professor. Class with him was easy for her, though the work was very difficult at times. Already, she had pulled three all-nighters in order to finish his homework, and one of the following mornings, the man even had the audacity to pass her in the Great Hall and sneer, "You look like death, Miss Vavilov. You should make it a point to get more sleep at night, or do you think my class is so easy that you can pass it while sleep deprived?" He had strode away gracefully before she could even formulate a witty comeback and settled instead for a careless wave of her hand in his general direction.

Similar to previous years, he did not mock Elya in class, though he did call on her to answer questions more often, as she was one of the only students who could get them correct. The professor's infamous temper flared at least once every class period, and his target was almost always O'Malley, though he had been getting into the habit of telling a chattery Hufflepuff girl to be quiet pretty often as well, and he was never very nice when doing so.

It was a class that people just had to get used to every year. None of the students were ever at ease in the Professor's presence, but he did become just another part of everybody's routine after a while.

Transfiguration was spent conjuring random pieces of cutlery and turning them into small animals. It was entertaining and light-hearted, a nice break from the several review quizzes that McGonagall had been subjecting the seventh-years to.

The Slytherins were in the room with Ravenclaw, and though Elle knew some people around her, she didn't pair up with anybody. Working alone was always much easier and enjoyable.

During her break, Elya wrote out a reply to her father, simple and to the point.

Dad,

I'll get the package, whatever it is, to Severus. Don't hesitate to send other things through me. I understand your need for secrecy.

School is going well. Our Defense Against the Dark Arts professor actually knows what he's doing (a first), and Potions, though difficult, is enjoyable.

I'll see you at the meeting. Stay Safe.

With love,

Elya

She made the somewhat lengthy trek to the owlery when finished and sent Rowan off with the letter, deciding a nap would be nice when she returned to the dormitories, as she had stayed up well past two AM to finish an essay for Flitwick and a star chart for astronomy.

The room was empty, and the Ravenclaw basked in her solitude, stripping her uniform off for the time being and crawling into her welcoming bed. The sheets were cool and felt wonderful on her bare skin, and soon, she was drifting off to sleep, fragments of familiar dreams taking over her subconscious.

Panting. Growling. Scratching. Biting. Pain.

And, shame. There was also shame.

The little girl felt tainted, dirty, and extremely violated.

She knew it was wrong, that the man, the monster, shouldn't have been hurting her like he was, but he was there. He was on top of her, and he had no intentions of stopping.

Light freckles were covered by blood, and a once sweet voice was strained by screaming.

And, just as the last bit of hope she had was drained from her, there was a loud bang, and she was safe.

He was across the room, away from her, and the little girl was in a pair of strong arms.

"Elya, I am not going to hurt you."

"Promise?"

"Yes, I promise."

The seventeen-year-old woke up frowning. She wasn't startled, as she usually was when she had her nightmares, but she was trembling lightly.

Usually, she awoke from dreams of the attack before Greyback was hexed into the wall. The sheer horror of remembering it all was enough to kick her back into consciousness before she could be saved. However, waking up to the memory of Severus barging in and more or less rescuing her left her feeling almost at peace. Almost. She was still a bit shaken.

Sighing, Elya raised unsteady arms, pressing her palms into her eyes out of habit and groaned. There was no way she hadn't slept through the entirety of lunch. She felt much too rested to have only dozed for a short time.

She checked the time with a simple flick of her wand once she found it and about fell out of bed when she saw that it was five minutes past three. Elya was late for Potions.

Extremely late for Potions.

An hour and thirty-five minutes late for Potions.

"Fuck, fuck, fuck," the girl cursed, quickly tugging her sweater on and slipping into her skirt. She pulled her socks on almost violently, shoving her feet into her shoes before grabbing her textbook. Somehow, she remembered to retrieve the package for Snape, hoping that maybe by her delivering it, the man would show a bit of mercy.

Running down to the dungeons was not enjoyable by any means, and her heart was pounding furiously, not only because of the exertion, but also because she was sure to receive some sort of scolding. Not even she could get away with showing up late to class.

Elya had never skipped before, not unless she was ill. She couldn't believe she had slept through the first half of the double period.

Of all classes, she thought, it had to be Snape's.

Taking a very deep breath, she opened the door to the classroom, bracing herself for a storm.

Every head turned to look at her, and the usual chill of the dungeon seemed ten times worse. Elya bit the inside of her cheek, grasping the shrunken package tightly in her hand as she began to walk to her seat.

It was deathly silent, and she could feel the looming man's eyes on her from the front of the room. She couldn't bring herself to look into them, though, and chose to focus on his mouth instead.

Finding her voice as she walked up the aisle, she managed, "I'm sorry, Professor. I just- I just fell asleep during my break, and-..."

His harsh voice cut her off, "I don't care if your owl brought you news of your mother dying. I expect you to be in my class on time and conscious, Miss Vavilov." She swallowed hard and exhaled as she let the blow roll over her, more than surprised that he would speak about something like that even in a hypothetical sense. His lips curled into a nasty sneer, and Elya finally met his dark gaze. His words had stung, and his eyes held no relief.

Ice in her stomach, she clenched her fists, a very unfamiliar feeling of indignation welling up inside of her. Before she could even think, she glared at him and muttered darkly, "Good thing my mum's already dead, then," before she moved in a close-to robotic way to her seat.
Snape said nothing, only pressed his lips together tightly and sat down at his desk.

Most of the students were still staring at Elya, but she ignored them, asking Bell what they were supposed to be doing.

"Um, we're making calming draught, though I don't know if you can call what's in the cauldron anything close to that. I think I've damaged it beyond repair." The Hufflepuff sounded wary and was eyeing her friend curiously. "Now, what was that all about? I've never heard you talk back to a teacher before!"

Elya waved her off and examined the mixture the other had started on, knowing the potion better than any other. She was lucky this was all they were working on. It would be an easy task, even if she had to right all of Anna's wrongs.

"Why were you late? Did you actually fall asleep?" The brunette pried, keeping her hands clear of any of the ingredients so that the Ravenclaw could work her magic.

"Yes, I was telling the truth," she answered tersely. "And, I didn't really mean to talk back to Snape. He just... struck a sore spot."

"Your mum," Bell stated quietly. "I'm sorry, Elly."

The girl shrugged and began stirring the liquid, adding ingredients here and there. "I don't miss her much. I barely knew the woman, but it still hurts sometimes, mostly when I'm reminded like just now."

Anna nudged her in the side with a bony elbow. "You'll be fine, love. 'Sides, Snape's a git anyway. Don't put too much into what he says."

Elya didn't bother telling her that she kind of had to take his words seriously. She basically owed the man her life. Plus, he wasn't always a royal prick. She did, however, realize exactly why the Hogwarts student body disliked him so much. The teenager had seen him chastise children too many times to keep track of, but she had never experienced it first-hand.

She spent the remainder of the period perfecting what had been a complete failure of a calming draught. The cold feeling in the pit of her stomach never went away, and when the period ended, she was overcome with dread. Elya was not surprised when she heard the Potions Master call out a stern, "Miss Vavilov, if you'll stay after class."

Anna shot her a look of sympathy before she left the classroom, and her peers whispered as they filed out. Then, just like the first day of term, they were alone. Elya stood and approached his desk on shaky legs but said nothing. She had no idea what he was about to say and readied herself for more painful jabs.

Without looking up from the essay he was grading, the black-clad man spoke, "I must apologize for my insensitivity toward the loss you experienced as a child."

She inhaled sharply. That was not what she had expected to hear.

"The tragedy somehow slipped my mind temporarily," he explained. "I should have chosen my words better. However," this was the part the Elya had been waiting for. "That does not change the fact that you were late to my class. Would you care to explain to me why this occurred?"

Swallowing hard, the petite girl fingered a strand of her long dark hair. "I told you, I fell asleep. I wasn't lying." She looked up to meet his stare and suppressed a shudder. Now, he was watching her. "I must have been more tired than I had thought when I went up to the dormitories. I- I'm sorry, sir."

Severus eyed the girl curiously. She was trembling very slightly, and an odd part of him hoped it was due to the chill of the dungeons rather than her being frightened of him. Elya had always been a meek girl, never outspoken, but she had never been afraid. She was strong, and the idea of beating her down was not a pleasant one.

He had known her for many years and never minded having her in his class. In fact, he almost enjoyed it, that was if Severus Snape enjoyed anything at all. She was tolerable, quite witty, too. When he attended Death Eater meetings or was invited to social gatherings that involved that specific circle of wizards, he found her company refreshing, as she was not nearly as arrogant or outwardly opinionated as the rest of the lot. Sometimes, he even sought her out specifically when he grew too frustrated with the dark wizards, not that she knew that. Something about the girl just calmed him, an effect she had even as a child.

It was why scolding her in front of the class had left an ache in his stomach and why punishing her would more than likely do the same.

Sighing, he sat back in his chair and steapled his fingers, willing his cold edge to make itself known once again. He wouldn't say he liked the girl, exactly, but he did care for her in a sense.

She stood straight, hands stroking the long braid of ebony hair as she stared at him with hauntingly light amber eyes. Her skin was paler than usual, but her thin lips were dark red, probably from her nibbling on them through class out of anxiety. The sweater she wore was tight on her torso, and the white collar of the shirt underneath poked out from the top a little crookedly. It was obvious that she had rushed to dress.

As disheveled as she appeared, though, he couldn't help but appreciate her form. She really was a lovely piece to look at-- a little small, maybe, but not sickly so, and for the flash of a second, Severus thought of the awkward end to their first day conversation. "... think I've got you gagged and bound in my office." He shook the mental images from his mind as quickly as they'd come and cleared his throat.

"I know that you won't make a habit of arriving late to class, but, unfortunate as it is, I still have to make an example out of you."

Elya nodded and looked down at her shoes. "Of course, sir." Her voice was a bit stronger than before. Perhaps she could sense his softening attitude.

"Detention tonight, after your last class."

She glanced up at him and said, "I've got Astronomy, sir. Are you sure you want me that late?"

Severus did his best not to turn her question into an innuendo, a little surprised at himself that that would even be a problem, and nodded. "It will be fine, Elya. Now, get to dinner. If you slept through lunch, I'm sure you must be famished."

The girl forced a smile and nodded. "Yes, thank you, sir, and uh, sorry again."

The professor raised a hand and made a shooing motion, willing her out of the classroom.

He was finding that the easier it was to talk to the girl, the more difficult it got as well. Seemingly out of nowhere, his thoughts began to take a turn for the worse whenever they were alone together, and that was something that he was not thrilled about.

Break it before it turns into a habit, Severus told himself. Break it before something bad comes of it.