Melanie's POV

I couldn't quite leave the courtyard just yet despite it being pitch dark out.

I wondered my eyes to the bandage Severus had wrapped around on my arm and part of my hand.

My fingers grazed gently over my bandaged injury as my thoughts drifted back to the way he had looked so attentively to my burn.

I took in every moment I could possible remember of how his dark eyes...so concentrated on me as if I was the only thing that mattered to him at that moment.

I wondered, was that how he looked when he worked on his potion making?

Maybe even...studying.

I wondered what his eyes looked like when he'd be in deep thought...how would his gaze come off as? Concentrated and calm or maybe more pensive and cold.

What was his favorite book if he even had one?

Has he ever loved a woman? And if so who would it have been? Was she pretty? Was she kind? Would I ever even compare to her?

Was it unrequited love? Or did she feel the same way back?

My heart almost ached as I tried to focus my mind to something else.

Because getting jealous over someone I wasn't even with really wasn't in my book of emotions I wanted to ever feel.

I should stop feeling this way about him...if I don't I'm afraid that if I stay with this feeling it'll only grow to something I won't be able to escape from so easily.

I looked up to see a large sized leaf dipping down toward me.

Before I could react in time water splattered on my face that had escaped from that very same leaf.

"Just great!" I spat water from my mouth as I tried my best to wipe as much water from my face as I could.

I was so distracted and lost in thought that I hadn't noticed it had started raining out.

I quickly grabbed my things to take cover from the rain before I was soaked any further.

I hurried to my quarters to find that when I had tried to yank on the door's handle that I was locked out of my room.

I tried to yank on it once more and then again.

It also dawned on me that I had left my wand inside from being in a rush to leave to see Severus a while ago.

"Just my luck." I muttered under my breath as I felt a cold wind at my neck from a sudden rush of wind.

A heavy feeling dropped inside my stomach...as though there was a presence of someone behind me...watching me.

Its presence alone, who ever it was...was cold and dreadful. Just as before.

Once I heard the sound of rustling leaves and footsteps behind me...I couldn't stay any longer as I made a run for it.

Whoever was stalking me threw something at me.

A dagger.

It had grazed the side of my face as I felt warm blood drip from the shallow cut just deep enough to let blood escape.

I had little time to worry about a small cut like that when my life was most possibly in danger and without my wand I was useless.

I had quickly made my way to Severus's quarters without realizing it.

Gee...I hope this wasn't going to be an ongoing thing with me finding myself at Severus's doorstep like a lost puppy.

With that thought in mind hesitation overcame me as I knocked on his door with shaky hands.

He opened it almost immediately as the creepy sensation had left me.

The person had vanished that had been on my tail.

"Oh-Umm. Evening Professor. S-sorry, I really wasn't expecting you to answer your door so quickly...or even a-at all really."

I was biting back my fear that was probably as noticeable as the cut with blood dripped from it.

As I smeared my tears away I also smeared the blood on my face as well.

While Severus looked unfazed by my appearance.

I nervously fiddled with a loose strand of bandage as Severus took the bandage away from me and tucked it neatly back in place.

"When -one- knocks, it is to -be- answered. And stop toying with your arm, you will only stunt the healing process if you end of hurting it again. And you'll be no different than the next idiot. Here, wait here." He spoke coldly as I became even more nervous than before.

He escaped behind the door he had opened and reappeared with ointments and healing herbs as well as a few cotton balls.

He allowed me into his place, sitting me down so he could start his work on fixing me.

"Should I be concerned." It was more like a statement coming from him than a question.

"Should you?"

He gave me a quick glare before resuming his aid to me.

"Well... Someone is stalking me at the intent to kill...so I'm most likely in danger."

"Most likely?"

"They could've killed me, from the distance it takes to get to my room to yours is quite the walk...enough time for a quick murder and run."

"How did you even manage to have someone follow you?"

"I don't know. But it started with me accidentally leaving my wand and keys in my own room... And I have no way of getting it unlocked. And from there my potential killer tried to at least injure me on my way here."

"Hence the cut." He said as I nodded.

"Yes. Hence the cut. But I thought since you were the person I knew that would still be here- despite the holidays...it seems you may be the only to help me...but it's only an ask."

"You need my help?" He lifted in eyebrow like he wasn't amused at this point, but really when was he ever amused.

And with a quick few taps of cleaning the rest of the blood after defecting he placed a small patch to keep my wound from any further infection.

"Yes but...I did not mean to disturb you Professor."

He sat up from his seat, returning his supplies to their designated places in his quarters in which he resided.

All dark and dreary.

"Hardly. But may I ask why you're drenched from head to toe?"

"It was raining..." I spoke, the last thing I was thinking about was how cold I was getting and how my top stocked to me like a napkin over drenched in butter.

The color of my skin peaked through some of my white colored areas of my shirt as I blushed.

He gave me a cloak of his to wear as I nodded a 'thank you'.

I stood up to follow him when he was heading for the door.

"Let's make this quick shall we." He snapped his fingers to close his own room door as he waited for me to lead the way.

It has seemed that I had disturbed him from an important discovery with his magic and potion making from the way I seen his room filled with unfinished projects which scattered his room.

I felt terrible for disturbing such a busy man as himself.

Always had his head buried in a book or two, if not that...teaching students or potion making on the side.

And whatever else kept him busy besides what I was aware of.

I wondered if he ever truly slept alright with the way he carried himself at times.

Maybe we'd finally have something in common besides tragic backgrounds if that was the case.

———

And before I knew it we had made it to the entrance of my room with the door still locked.

And within moments, with just a flick of his wand and a single word of a spell he had my door unlocked and opened.

"There. From here on out your -evening- shouldn't be so unfortunate as it's been. And for gods sake, dry yourself before you get sick again."

"Thank you Professor. And despite everything...it hasn't been half bad."

"You really are tiresome."

"Sorry...and thank you again."

"No need to thank me Miss. Lockhart. Just try to keep yourself from getting into too much trouble. It's becoming quite a nuisance to clean up after you so much."

"Sorry."

"Just like a child. Stop apologizing." He looked at me with sharp eyes enough to kill.

"Yes. Of course."

He gave me an odd look.

He seemed to mutter an enchantment or charm of some sort before looking at me once more.

"There are markings of a dark presence but you shouldn't have to worry about whoever wishes to harm you." He then vanished into the dark, escaping into the night without a trace.

———

The next day was still my second and final day of recovering from my old and new found injuries.

As I recovered I decided to work on some charms of my own just outside Hogwarts' grounds at a small town.

Bumping into Professor Snape so often was a problem for both him and I.

Mostly me...because emotionally I was growing quite fond of him.

So I thought it better to be away from school grounds all together for now until I could get my bearings again.

———

The place I decided to stay at for a while was a small pub that allowed for me to reserve myself at its second floor.

Since it was the holiday almost everyone was away so that made for better alone time.

Just then a memory entered in my mind without consent.

Crimson blood smeared across a shattered mirror as well as all over the carpet and floor.

A cold knife drenched of blood was held tightly in a woman's hand.

My blood was what covered the woman's hands from inflicting injury upon me.

The figure that stood overhead of me as I was engulfed in her very shadow...she was someone who matched my features to the T...so alike in physical features but yet she was someone who totally and utterly despised me.

She was none other than my biological mother.

I was only nine at the time.

I had just discovered my abilities that day and I thought she would've been proud of me...of course...I was completely wrong.

The first thing she tried to do was to attempt to murder me with the same knife that had just cut my birthday cake just a moment ago...

The warm smile she once had turned into a deadly scowl with a added wild stare.

Fortunately enough my father persuaded her to keep me alive.

But her condition was that I use no magic what so ever, no matter if I was in a near death experience or not.

I swore I would never be a monster like her parents were.

Even I knew as much but she never believed in me...she thought I'd kill everyone with my new found abilities.

She was afraid that I'd become a beast of some sort or something awful like her parents who killed her brother...and she never once mentioned how or why it happened.

Only that she wouldn't see it happen a second time.

—————

After years passed doubt arose in me, as I feared...doubt of knowing who the monster really was.

Day by day such thoughts etched in me almost as if my mother wanted me to doubt my own abilities...to stay away from ever using them.

I knew I wasn't a monster...but she'd forever wait in the shadows...ready at any moment to be the one to strike me down first if I tried anything.

My mother and my brother...if one left the other took their place to keep an eye on me, both of them made my life a living hell.

And I hated and despised them both for it.

My father on the other hand was one I could never really come to hate.

Despite having no spine to stand up for what was right...he wasn't crazy like my mother and brother...he was just too afraid to stand up for what he believed in.

And that was me.

He had always believed I had the ability to do great things...but because of the built up fear my mother installed upon him ever since they married...he never had the chance to show that he cared for me.

But once my mother passed away my father finally started to show how he really felt around me.

But when it came to the concerns of my brother, my father pulled himself away from him due to my elder brother's near rampancy.

With my brother secretly joining the dark arts as well as becoming a death eater on top of my mothers death...he some how still wanted to be worthy enough to our father so he joined the council to please him.

But it was more for a cover up than anything.

As a sort of police officer of law to put in simpler of terms.

Obviously my father and I knew better. He knew who my brother really was...he wasn't the same little boy he had grown and raised.

He was a true monster like his mother.

And my father and I both knew he wouldn't change. Anytime soon. Maybe never.

—————

Black rose petals came from my charm as I made it all disappear with a flick of my wand.

What was I doing moping around with old memories?

I shouldn't have to worry so much when that brute of a brother is half way across the world doing who knows what.

It shouldn't matter to me...but knowing that he was still alive and breathing somewhere...just that thought alone was enough to have me unable to sleep most nights.

I wanted to rid my head of these thoughts so I paid in full for my drink and left the pub earlier than anticipated.

As I walked the crisp fall morning streets...not many were yet awake.

After all it was still six in the morning.

Not even the sun was up yet.

Luckily there was a shop that sold trinkets, odd and ends.

The more I browsed the more interesting items I found, such as those needed for advanced potion making so I decided to buy a few things with Severus in mind.

But really, I never meant to buy him anything.

I only meant to window shop for myself but found nothing of interest except a small locket that was already on hold for someone else.

So I had moved on to buying just a few items that I thought Severus might have had an interest for.

And before long I had a small basket of items such as bezoar, peppermint, and lacewing flies...in which were tucked inside the basket that now laid beside Professor Snape's door along with his cloak he had lent me.

I didn't care to knock...only because I did not wish to disturb him again as I left.

But before I could even leave his door opened.

"Will this be an ongoing habit with you?"

"I was only wondering if you might be able to teach me some of your potion making? Since it's the holidays I was thinking of brushing up on making new charms but I then realized that maybe potion making would better expand my learning capabilities."

He looked at me suspiciously as he picked up the basket I had set for him.

"You will not win me over with bribery."

"I have no intention of bribing you in anyway Professor Snape. I only wish to better understand that in which you have spent your whole life devoted to."

He lifted an eyebrow at me as he turned around in one swift motion as his black cape followed.

"Why must you -patronize- me Professor?"

He seemed to be annoyed by me and I didn't know what to say.

"I assure you I am not."

Severus' eyes looked at me sharply as he returned my basket...which I did not take back.

"You are not a student, therefore you do not need to be taught."

"Who says i can't?" I pushed the basket toward him this time.

"-Why- are you so persistent on this matter? It's not like you'd be someone who'd enjoy what ends death."

"I must insist that you teach me. I want to know why you find it so fascinating."

"And in doing so you'd regret even saying those words let alone knowing the reasons for my interests Professor. What interests me is none of your business. Therefore you are crossing the line."

Before he could stop the door I halted its complete close with my foot.

He opened it quite surprised as he held a stone cold glare my way.

The slight flare of his nose indicated to me that he was at wits end with me.

"Leave at once before my temper can longer be contained Professor Lockhart."

"Why must you push people away?"

He didn't say anything as he opened the door fully again.

He stepped close to me to close the door behind him.

"That is none of your concern."