Snape's Evaluation
1991-First Year
December was fast approaching and with that, the first sprinkles of snow were covering the ground. The air was crisp and biting.
With only a month left before the break, students were crowding the library. Projects and papers often being due on the last class before leaving for two weeks.
Elizabeth wasn’t excluded from this pressure. She mostly spent her time in the library herself, tucked in her favourite corner. With her headphones on, she focused on her work by herself. One thing about her is that she could not study with other people around her. She would only focus on them and not what was in front of her. Her friends were also studying, but she didn’t know where they were.
Two weeks before the end of classes, her and Malfoy spent more time in the library on Tuesday evenings. They often only finished right before curfew when Madame Pince would kick them out. It turns out that their subject for the class was much more complicated and they kept arguing over who was right. It seemed to never end.
“I don’t get why you think Harnply was of any importance to this,” Elizabeth said exasperated and tired. They had already been sitting there for two hours.
“He launched the attack!” Malfoy rebutted.
“Yeah, but the attack on Gornsborough isn’t important. Our paper is long enough. We just need to review it now.”
“Not important! The attack on Gornsborough was the biggest massacre of the strike.”
“Fine. Add a paragraph about it if you want, but I remind you. We are looking at the causes of the strike, not the strike itself.”
“Fine. I’ll leave it out. You review the first half and I’ll do the other.”
The split the pages and started going over their respective portions. Most of it was already pretty good because they did double check everything they were writing, but some things could have been moved around.
They had 30 minutes before Madame Pince would come to let them know it was time to leave. As Elizabeth switched papers, a movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up. Strolling in was Pansy Parkinson.
“There you are Drakey!” she screeched in her high pitch voice. “I was wondering where you were.”
“I come here every Tuesday, Pansy. Not that big of a mystery.”
Elizabeth let out a small chuckle. She couldn’t really help it. It was rather stupid. Granted, they had been spending more time on it.
“Why are you laughing half-breed?! This is none of your business…Hussy!”
“It’s just…it’s not rocket science to guess where he was. That’s all. I’m just going to finish going over this back in the dorm. It’s late,” Elizabeth was already putting her stuff together.
“Are you calling me stupid? Using made-up words to make me feel inferior. Just so you know, I’m the one who is of pure birth here. I’m better than you.”
Elizabeth blinked at them. Both of them were looking at her: Malfoy with a confused stare and Parkinson fully glaring.
“No. Um I mean I wasn’t calling you stupid. Just like rocket science is very complicated subject for Muggles. Apollo 11 for example. The one that brought Man to the moon?”
Was she rambling. Probably. Also rockets seem like something they would know about. It was like major news around the world, but to be fair, Olivia and Luna were very confused about televisions. They were still looking at her like she grew a second head.
“Well. This was fun. See you later.”
She got up and left. She walked very quickly away. She didn’t need to be called more names and stared at like an alien. Do they even believe in aliens?
…
There was only a week left of classes and exams were mostly done. Elizabeth was stressed like never before. Or at least that’s how it felt. She was also scared about the winter break. She was going stay with her uncle’s friend and not see her parents. It wasn’t the first time she hadn’t spent Christmas with them, but it still hurt a little every time she thought about it.
Her and Malfoy were going to give in their project on Tuesday and boy was she happy that was over. She did not want to interact with him more than she needed to.
It was currently lunch time on Monday and Elizabeth was going over her notes for Potions. They had a potion experiment on Wednesday and that would be the last of it. Snape had sprung a couple new things that morning and her hands were shaking from nerves.
“You know, I highly doubt that he is going to ask us about this on Thursday,” Olivia said while chewing on her sandwich.
“You never know.” That’s all Liz said in response. This was the one class she wanted a good mark in and she was going to get it.
…
It was on the written portion of their experiment. Elizabeth heard Olivia groan from her side of the room. Elizabeth got through the written stuff pretty quickly. Most of it engraved into her brain. The experimental part wasn’t particularly complicated. It was based off a potion they had done earlier in the year with subtle differences.
Those subtle differences were supposed to make it stronger, but from she understood, it would actually do the opposite. So, Liz questioned Snape, but he, as always, said to do what she thought was best. He would not give further instruction. She saw, however, a little smirk form in the corner of his mouth. She knew she hit the nail on the head. It was a trick to see if people were paying attention to their notes. It was mean, but at least she wouldn’t get caught in it.
The exam finished with no explosions luckily, but many of the potion vials were off colour. Some weren’t including her own.
“Miss Blanchet, please stay behind. I would like a word.” Snape called out at the end of the class.
She walked to his desk.
“You have questioned every potion recipe we have done so far this year. I would like to know why.”
“Isn’t that what you’re supposed to do when learning?”
He didn’t say anything. He just pulled out her paper from the pile and grabbed her potion vial.
“It is a good thing that you don’t accept things blindly, but it can lead you in to trouble. Your potion is perfect and your answers are also perfect. It makes me question the validity of it. Did you truly write this?”
“Are you asking if I cheated? No. I can show you all my work. I can brew the potion again if you’d like.”
“That won’t be necessary. However, I have something else I would like you to brew yourself. I will not give you a recipe, only a list of ingredients and what it is supposed to do. I want to see what you come up with.”
“Why?”
“You show great promise much to my dismay. The Headmaster wants me to see how gifted you actually are. So, here is the list and what it is supposed to do. Go for it.”
She looked over the list. “Can I modify the list?”
“With whatever is in the cupboard, but I ask to not be excessive. I want the same result.”
She nodded and got to work. It was the migraine cure potion. The horrible one that she had to take in infirmary. She had asked for it, but her uncle just ended up sending her a couple bottles instead. Like she thought, he was very protective of his recipes.
Snape stood across from her and watched her work. It was a little never wracking with him watching so intently. She kept her notes to the side, writing down each step as her uncle did.
Liz had seen him make a few times at home and she had good knowledge of the ingredients. Together she hoped would be adequate enough.
Dinner time was approaching and her hunger was making itself more and more known.
With the last sprinkle of vanilla and two spins, she took the cauldron off the heat. The smell of it flowed around the room.
“The vanilla was an interesting touch.” Snape commented.
She strained the potion into vials and placed them in front of him.
He proceeded to test it and even took a swig from one. The surprise on his face was something she had never seen on his face before.
“Thank you, Miss Blanchet. You may leave for supper.”
“Is it good?”
“I must speak with Dumbledore first.”
“Okay. Thank you, Professor.”
She cleaned up her station and left. She got to supper and was obviously questioned by her peers. She briefly explained what happened, but honestly Liz didn’t want to bring more attention to it than needed.
Elizabeth would be going home in two days and that’s all she wanted at the moment. He must have thought it was safe enough to consume, but he seemed so surprised by it. What was surprising? Was it bad surprising or good surprising? She wanted to know. While eating she could see Professor Snape speaking to Headmaster Dumbledore. What were they saying? Was it about her?
She needed to know.
…
Friday was the day they went home. Her bags were packed and were already at the station before she came back from breakfast. Her friends were also going home except Isaac. His parents were off travelling somewhere and weren’t keen on him joining them.
They said their goodbyes and got on the train. Snow was fully covering the ground and evergreens. The sun was blocked with snow filled clouds. A snow storm was surely about to hit the castle.
The ride back was quiet. Luna, Olivia and Erin were all tired from packing their trunks at 5 am. They left things very last minute, not wanting to say goodbye. Luna and Olivia were fast asleep on one side of their compartment while Erin was flipping through her bible.
She had mentioned that her parents were part of a church and made her participate in the Christmas Pageant every year. She had a whole monologue that she needed to memorise from some section.
So, it was quiet. The only sounds coming from the chugging of the train and from other compartments. Elizabeth pulled her sweater down her hands and picked up her newest book. An Agatha Christie. It was set on a train in winter and it felt like the right time to pull that one out.
The train pulled into King’s Cross and Elizabeth saw her uncle standing on the platform. He was in his usual suit and bow tie, but a large jacket engulfed him. She stepped off and ran towards him.
“There’s my little coccinelle. Oh, I missed you.”
He gave her a big hug. One that only a parent could give their child.
“On va prendre tes choses and on sort d’içi. (Let’s grab your things and leave this place.)”
At the pile of trunks, they ran into Olivia’s family and Erins’s. Elizabeth introduced them to her uncle and she met their parents.
They pleasantly chatted for a bit, but she could tell her uncle was getting a bit uncomfortable as were Erin’s parents.
Elizabeth started saying goodbye and her uncle took her trunk’s handle.
“It was nice meeting you, but we have some other arrangements to get to.” He nodded a goodbye and they both left for the magical wall. She saw a tuff of platinum blonde hair and grey eyes looking at her when they stepped in line for the wall. He was staring at her, but she realised so were his parents.
However, soon they were out of sight as she was pulled through the wall into the Muggle World.