Dianthus Stories
Chapter Seven - Nasty Rumors
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Anything you
recognize belongs to someone else, namely, JK Rowling.
the HP universe, characters from same.
Sadly, I have no hope of publishing this story outside the fan fiction
characters I’ve created. Feel free to
give me critical feedback, including flames and harsh criticism.
personal embarrassment, but I do promise to read it and incorporate it if I
feel it improves the story.
*****
This is Chapter
Seven. Smut begins in Chapter Twenty
Six, so if you’re only looking for that, feel free to skip ahead.
of the stuff in those later chapters if you don’t stick it out.
*****
Chapter Seven –
Nasty Rumors
Dianthus might not
have been studying for her N.E.W.T.s, but she spent
the entirety of the Easter holidays studying with her roommates
nonetheless. Her first year exams were
only six weeks away, after all, and she wanted to do well.
except History of Magic. It was an
all-lecture class, taught by the most boring ghost teacher ever inflicted upon
students. Dianthus spent hours going
over her notes on the Goblin Rebellion and Ulrich the Ugly.
Snape was no help,
as he made several snide comments about the first year exams being unbelievably
tough, when she made the mistake of voicing her concerns to him.
“Are they really
that hard, Severus?”
“I almost didn’t
pass myself,” he said darkly.
“I – I don’t
believe you,” she said, more bravely than she felt.
had struggled, what chance did she have?
“Believe what you
will,” he replied, shrugging. “But
that’s how Dumbledore weeds out the dolts – some of the dolts.
even than O.W.L.s.
what you’re up against.” His eyes were
firmly on the board, and he spoke as though what he was saying was common
knowledge.
He murmured to his
chess pieces, and she heard the familiar shattering of marble against marble,
but she was staring at him, too terrified at the thought of the upcoming exams
to look down at the board and see which of her men he’d just demolished.
“Severus, don’t
tease me,” she whined.
“Surely you
jest. I would never tease you about
something as important as this,” he said, but his eyes were glinting when he
glanced up at her. “Checkmate, by the
way, Dianthus.”
She didn’t want to
believe him, but co’t h’t help worrying that he was telling the truth.
the entire vacation.
“Not like a
vacation at all, even,” grumbled Melanie, as they hunkered down in their room
for yet another study session that Saturday night.
“But look how far
you’ve come, especially, Mel,” said
History of Magic.”
“Yeah, but what
does that say? There’s no practical bit
to that class at all,” sighed Melanie.
“Oh, but you’re
doing good in Potions, too,” Dianthus assured her over her stack of notes.
frog brain last week, remember?”
Melanie made a
face. “That class is so icky, Di, I
don’t know how you can enjoy it.”
“Well,
grows, and seeing how it’s used in the end.”
Just then the door
to their dormitory opened and a pudgy girl with lots of curly hair
entered. It was Desdemona Graf, a
seventh-year, and one of their house prefects.
“Clear out, you three,” she said, gesturing to Dianthus’ roommates.
their beds and scurried out of the room, throwing scared glances over their
shoulders as they went. Dianthus sat up
on her bed, feeling her palms getting sweaty.
“What is it,
Des? Is my Grandpa okay?”
“No, no, it’s not
your family,” said Des, sitting next to Dianthus on the bed.
Snape.”
“Oh,” said
Dianthus, looking blankly at the prefect’s profile.
at the carpet.
“I – I’ve heard
some things, and I thought you ought to know what people are saying,” Des went
on.
“What
things?” But Dianthus thought she could
guess.
“Well, Potter came
to me last week–”
“Potter?”
Dianthus squeaked.
“You know, the
Head Boy.”
“I know who he
is,’ Dianthus replied, unable to keep the distaste from her tone.
“Dianthus, are you
studying the Dark Arts with Snape?”
This was so far
from what Dianthus had thought Des would ask her that she actually burst out
laughing. “Do what?” she finally
said. “Why would you think I’m studying
the Dark Arts?”
Des frowned.
the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom.
With Snape.
Learning the Dark Arts.
has.”
Now Dianthus was
angry. “So Potter thinks Severus is
teaching me the Dark Arts, huh? That’s a
laugh, coming from that arrogant jerk.”
“What are you
talking about?”
“Jeez, Des, Potter
was dying to hex Severus the first time I met them.”
“So it’s Severus,
then, is it, on a first name basis with him?”
Des looked at her suspiciously.
Dianthus
sighed. “Okay, okay, I have been meeting
Snape in the Defense against the Dark
Arts classroom. But he’s NOT teaching me
the Dark Arts. That’s disgusting,
Des! He’s been teaching me to play
chess.”
Des scrunched up
her face. “Come on, Di, do you expect me
to believe that story?
Dianthus jumped to
her feet. “I do, Des, because it’s the
truth! He brings a
chess board, we play chess for a bit, we leave.
“They say he’s
going to join the Death Eaters,” said Des, quietly.
“
Dianthus couldn’t believe it. The
Death Eaters, followers of He-Who-Cannot-Be-Named, were nasty cowards who
terrorized wizards and Muggles alike – they even killed people.
in the Dart Arts, but to protect himself against curses and stuff!”
The older girl
sighed. “Dianthus, you’re still pretty
young. Trust me when I say that Severus
Snape is bad news. He’s sneaky and mean,
and you’d be better off ending it now.
Whatever it is you’re doing, that is.”
Dianthus glared at
her. “You know what, Des?
who’s sneaky and mean.”
“Potter’s Head
Boy! He’s a good guy – everybody likes
him. He normal\'>hates the Dark Arts.”
“I think he’s a
puffed up little toe-rag,” Dianthus retorted angrily.
Desdemona got to
her feet. “I’m just telling you what’s
going around, that’s all.
to Snape.”
Dianthus
groaned. “Oh, that’s great.
“Look,” said the
older girl, very seriously, “I’m trying to do you a favor, here, Dianthus.
into the Dark Arts. You should stop
hanging around Snape. That’s all I’m
saying.” She left, and Dianthus threw
herself back onto her bed. Seconds
later, all three of her roommates came bursting through the dormitory door,
breathing heavily.
“What the hell was
that all about?” panted
downss.”
onto Dianthus’ bed.
“Is it about your
boyfriend?” puffed Melanie, then she quickly corrected
herself. “I mean,
that guy?”
“Yes,” grunted
Dark Arts.”
All three girls
gasped in unison. “What?” shrieked
“Yeah, he heard it
from somebody that I’ve been studying the Dark Arts.”
“But,” said
Melanie, timidly, “you said you’ve been playing chess.”
“I have been, you
bozo!”
“So why would they
think you’re doing…doing something else?” asked
Dianthus
scowled. “Because I’ve
been playing chess with a Death Eater, apparently.”
what they’re saying.”
“What are you
going to do, Di?” whispered Martine.
“I
“I have to think about it. Come
on, let’s get back to studying.” To show
them the matter was closed, she picked up her History of Magic notes and began
reading through them. Her roommates
found their own notes and did the same, but each of them continued to cast her
worried glances, and Dianthus had to admit that she didn’t get much out of the
study session.
She looked for
Snape the next morning, but he wasn’t at the Slytherin table, nor did he come
to the great hall at all. She did find
Potter at the Gryffindor table – sitting with three boys who looked like
seventh-years as well. His back was to
her, and she was glad of it. She didn’t
know what he thought of her now – probably thought she was a stupid little
first year who got mixed up in something over her
head, and that he had saved her from some great tragedy.
breakfast and jumped up from the table.
“I’ll see you back in the common room,” she told her roommates.
reassure them with a smile as she left the great hall.
She ran to the
owlery and pulled out her writing supplies.
She wrote,
piece of parchment, and held out her arm.
An owl fluttered down immediately.
After scribbling his name on the blank side of the parchment, she folded
it and attached it to the owl’s scaly leg.
“Severus Snape. Safe flight,” she
called, watching it wing away. Not
feeling much like going back to the common room, she leaned against the window
sill and watched the owl flying off toward the castle.
morning sun warm her.
She hadn’t been
there more than five minutes when she heard crunching behind her, and she spun
to see Severus Snape scowling at her, his arms folded tightly across his skinny
chest. “What are you doing here?’ he
sneered.
“Sending an owl,
obviously,” she sneered back.
He spat on the
ground. “I guess I’d better leave, then,
before Potter shows up.” He turned on
his heel.
“God damn it,
Severus, where are you going?” she yelled.
She sprinted over to him and grabbed his arm, but he pulled away.
breakfast?” she blurted out.
He turned to face
her. “Potter and his little friends
found me last night,” he spat out. “I
spent the night in the hospital wing. I
only just left.”
Dianthus drew a
deep breath. “Des told me Potter told
her he was going to talk to you, not beat the shit out of you.”
Snape
scoffed. “Potter would never dirty his
fists by touching me,” he said viciously.
“He and his buddy Black took turns hexing me after they put me in a full
body bind.”
Dianthus squeezed
her eyes closed and rubbed her forehead.
“That’s terrible, Severus.”
“Yes, I was just
coming here to send you an owl. We can no longer play chess together.”
this statement when an owl flew through the window and hovered over them.
it, but it raised itself out of her reach.
Snape glanced up, and held out his arm.
The bird landed lightly on it, and allowed him to remove the
parchment. Then it rose to join the
other owls in the rafters.
“I sent you an
owl,” said Dianthus, needlessly.
“I see that.
bothered her.
“Obviously you can
read it. I sent it to you.”
He unfolded the
parchment, read it in a glance, and looked at her.
his face.
“Severus, come on,
now,” she pleaded. “Are you telling me
we can’t even talk to each other?”
“I lost an entire
evening of studying,” he whispered harshly.
“No, we bloody well cannot talk to each other!”
He turned again to
leave. In desperation, she cried, “I
didn’t think you were a coward, Severus, but I guess they were right about
you.”
He wheeled around
and grabbed her wrist. “I am not a
coward,” he hissed, a grimace twisting his features.
arm with a jerk, and stalked away. There
was such finality in his rapidly retreating figure that Dianthus made no effort
to follow him. Some moments had passed
before she realized that angry tears were streaming down her cheeks.
across her face, and left the owlery at a run.