Slytherin Hearts

Warning/disclaimer: All recognizable Harry Potter characters and places are not mine, They belong to J.K., I\'m just borrowing them and will give them back later slightly worse for the wear but perfectly fine. All the unknown people and stuff are mine. I make no money off this, please don\'t sue etc, etc. This is my first HP fic so be kind or cruel as you will but please review that way I know to keep adding to it.

CH - 4 ~ Five Points from Slytherin


Kavie peered at her at class schedule with a frown then looked at Hermione sadly.

\"I had Double Charms, Care of Magical Creatures and History of Magic today. I\'ve got Double Transfigurations, Divination and Herbology tomorrow. All my remedial classes are Wednesday. Then I have History of magic and Care of Magical Creatures again on Thursday, along with Potions and Divination. Friday is Double Herbology and Double DADA. To top it off I have a morning hour scheduled on Saturdays to whoever thinks I need the catch up. I have no idea how I\'m going to even get one O.W.L. not to mention any N.E.W.T.S.\" She looked glumly at the book in front of her. \"Oh and let\'s not forget I\'ve got a tutor for two hours Saturday evenings.\"

Hermione gave her hand a soft pat. \"You\'ll do fine. They put you in seventh year classes for the most part based on your evaluation testing over the summer. You\'ve only got remedial Potions, Transfigurations, and Charms which I think is simply caused from lack of practical application.\"

Kavie rested her chin in her hand and gazed around the library. It was completely deserted but that was not surprising considering it was after curfew. \"I\'m going to be spending a fair amount of time with my remedial teachers. What are they like exactly? I know Professor Flitwick is really nice and I heard McGonagall is pretty tough but fair. What about Snape though? Everyone just shudders when he\'s mentioned and Harry scowls and Ron mutters Greasy Git under his breath.\"

Hermione wrinkled her nose. \"He\'s awfully unpleasant and can be pretty mean, but then you\'re Slytherin so he\'d probably be loads less horrid to you. He constantly takes off points from Gryffindor for the slightest thing. He\'s always particularly vile to Harry because he hated his father or something.\"

Kavie yaw bli blinking at her. \"Snape hates his father?\"

\"No, Harry\'s father, they were rivals in school or something, like Harry and Malfoy. I swear you pay as much attention as Harry and Ron sometimes.\"

\"I resent that. \" said a sleepy voice to their right. \"And you aren\'t sounding so smart yourself tonight Miss Or Something.\"

Hermione stuck her tongue out at Harry who was sitting with his head laying on the desk using the Guide to Tricky Transfigurations book he\'d given up reading an hour ago as a pillow.

\"We\'re all tired. We\'ve been at this since dinner. \" She tried to stifle her own yawn without much success. \"Even I get a little sloppy after so long\"

\"Call the Ministry \'Mione Granger just admitted to being human.\"

His teasing grin turning into a grimace around his own yawn then a burst of startled laughter as Ron let out what sounded like a disagreeing snort but was actually a snore. Kavie clapped a hand over her mouth trying to stifle the giggles threating to burst from her but only causing her to let out her own snort. Harry hid his face in his arms, his shoulders shaking from laughter. Hermione was hiding her face in her hands rocking slightly to keep herself from letting out a loud guffaw. Kavie who now couldn\'t breath she was laughing so hard flopped her head down into her arms but miscalculated and thunked her head hard on a book. The thud caused Ron to let out a loud snore making them all lose control and laugh loudly. The raucous noise startled the sleeping Ron so much that he leapt to his feet letting out a yell of protest.

\"No, Fred! Stop stuffing Canary Creams up my nose! I don\'t look good in yellow!\"

\"That is it!\" Huffed Madame Pince as she bore down on them. \"Out! Get out the lot of you! See if I allow you in my library after hours again.\"

They all scrambled to their feet quickly, giggling and gathering up the books they were taking with them. Ron, who had stood there still processing what happened, was the first to leave his face red from embarrassment.

\"Thank you for letting us stay this long, Madame Pince. I\'m sure it helped Kavie quite a bit.\" Hermione told her gratefully.

She said nothing as she handed out the passes that said they\'d stayed in the library with her permission but the hard look on her face softened.

\"How in the world did you get her to let us study after hours?\" Harry asked as they made their way down the corridor.

\"I just told her the truth. That Kavie needed the extra study time desperately and she told me we could stay whenever we needed to.\"

\"Oh, lovely, makes me sound like a tard.\"

Hermione rolled her eyes. \"Honestly, Kay, all the faculty knows that you spent the last twelve years with muggles, without the slightest bit of magical knowledge. We all know that this will be a hard year for you. You\'ve learned so much in the last eight months, more then anyone ever expected. And to go to Hogwarts and try to graduate your first year, \" She shook her head. \"I swear if I were you I\'d have taken the extra year or two Dumbledore offered to ease some of the pressure.\"

\"Yeah,\" Ron said.\"I\'d crack under all that pressure. I don\'t know how I\'m going to stand this being an N.E.W.T. year. I couldn\'t hack having O.W.L.S and N.E.W.T.S months after each other.\"

\"Well I decided to do all at once because this your last year. You guys are my support system I couldn\'t do it all without you anyway, you keep me going.\"

Hermione beamed at her and Ron and Harry pulled her into a collective hug between them. Each taking a turn to kiss her forehead or in Ron\'s case the top of her head. He\'d shot up to an impressive 6\'3 while Harry seemed to have topped out at 6\' even. Kavie grinned at Hermione an arm around both boys\' waists.

\"How do you stand being around such height all the time, \'Mione? I\'m feeling dwarfed.\"

Hermione smiled and joined the hug her own arms going around the boys. She looked at Ron and Harry then looked pointedly down at Kavie from her own height of 5\'10. \"I don\'t think it\'s that they are tall so much as you are short.\"

\"Bitch.\" Kavie said affectionately.

\"I was so proud you got put into mostly seventh year classes but especially DADA.\" Harry grinned at her.

She slipped her arm from around Ron to give him a tight hug. \"Because of you. You\'re a good Defense teacher, Harry.\"

\"Aw, I just had a good student.\" He flushed slightly from the compliment.

\"I\'m so glad it\'s a double class so I\'ll have it with you guys.\"

Ron laughed. \"I never thought I\'d see the day when I looked forward to a class with Slytherin.

She gave Ron a quick squeeze and then stepped back. \"We\'d better get going, it is after curfew and these notes are time stamped.\"

They all nodded and made their way down the hall.

\"Want me to walk you down?\"

\"No thanks, Harry, I\'m good.\"

He nodded and gave her one last hug before they went their separate ways down the corridor. Kavie was humming softly to herself and had just reached the top of the stairs when a low dangerous sounding voice spoke to her right.

\"May I inquire as to why you are wandering the halls after curfew?\"

She gasped and jumped causing her foot to slip off the top of the step. She would have fallen head first if not for the tight painful grip on her elbow. Her bag full of heavy books swung outwards then back whacking her in the side. She let out a soft grunt of pain.

\"If you are finished causing yourself bodily injury I will let go of your arm.\" He said in a snide tone.

\' Such a wonderful impression you are making, Morganus.\' She winced as the hand left her arm knowing it would leave a bruise. She looked up at her reluctant rescuer and found herself staring into a pair of familiar obsidian eyes. Her own went wide and her bag slid from her grasp, the books, papers, and quills spilling down the steps with a loud clatter. She hardly noticed the noise as she looked over the man in front of her. Same greasy hair, same prominent hooked nose, same indifferent _expression. The eyes though they were what had always fascinated her. Her stomach rolled as a memory from her childhood flashed through her mind. The first in twelve years. The first since her parents were murdered.

It was of her sitting on this man\'s lap. She couldn\'t have been more then two, maybe three. Her tiny hands were patting his cheeks then honked his nose, delighting in the look of annoyance he gave her. She giggled and climbed up to kiss his cheek, managing to knee him in the groin.

\"Tell me story, Unca Sev, Tell me story.\"

\"All right, you horrid little creature, just one. Then it\'s bed time for you.\"

She was then swooped through the air causing her to shriek with delight. After she was settled in his arms she looked over his shoulder and stuck her tongue out at the rust haired little boy who was walking behind them. He glared at her with his father\'s indigo eyes. Kavie gasped raggedly, tears blurring her view of the man in front of her.

\"Uncle Sev.\" She collapsed to her knees, her breath coming in harsh sobs. \"Oh Gods, I remember them.\"

She looked up at him tears streaming down her cheeks while the memories flooded her mind. \"I remember my family.\'

She continued to look up at him her amethyst eyes liquid with tears. The look of disdain had slid from his face replaced with something she couldn\'t identify. She blinked at him dumbly when he took hold of her shoulders, firmly pulling her up.

\"Up, Katerina, stand up.\"

She resisted but then complied when his grip got tighter. After she stood he embraced her pressing her face into his shoulder. She was still for a moment or two her hands resting on his chest. She inhaled his familiar scent of sandalwood and patchouli with an undertone of something noxious. \' Potions, Uncle Sev teaches Potions.\' The knot of grief in her throat loosened and she began to cry, really cry, her shoulders shaking under the flood of tears. She remembered them. Memories of her brother had come first. Alex with his rusty Weasley hair and how he\'d always looked at her with irritation but had always been the first to come to her when she cried for help. Of course he was also the first to call her stupid for getting hurt in the first place. He and Ron were so much alike that it was uncanny. Her Daddy, who she looked so much like right down to her coffee hair and purple eyes, his had been darker only a few shades from black. He\'d had a great booming voice and had loved to tell her stories about unicorns and fairies. He always made her laugh and called her his purple sunshine. He\'d said it every night, \' You\'re my purple sunshine, Kitty Kat, the sun to Lex\'s moon. Now close those eyes, so I can have my happy sunshine girl tomorrow.\' Then there was Mama, a Weasley to her bones, she\'d had the darker version of the red hair and the clearest blue eyes. She was the savior of Kavie\'s world, she took away the sting from every scrape and the fear from every nightmare with a soft word and a tight hug. Daddy was the one for laughs and for filching cookies, Mama was the one for comfort and girlie tea parties with hats and gloves. But they were gone, had been for so long and yet she could still hear her father\'s booming laugh in her ears and smell the flowery scent of her mother\'s perfume.

Her sobs abated to soft sniffles and she realized that Severus was stroking her hair. He didn\'t rock her or make comforting noises like others may have. He just stroked from the back of her head to the middle of her back over and over again. When he realized she had stopped sobbing he set her away from him. He took a handkerchief out of his robe pocket and matter of factly wiped the tears from her cheeks. He then pressed the cloth into her hand and took out his wand. He levitated all the things that had spilled down the steps back into her bag. He handed it to her, giving her a curt nod and turned moving back down the hall.

\"Five points from Slytherin for being out after curfew. I suggest you go to your dorm before you lose anymore.\" He paused, his back stiff, facing away from her. \"Good night, Katerina. I\'m glad you\'ve come back to us.\"