The Room of Requirement
Mar. 7th, 2004 04:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kittydesadeI'm 68% freak!!
Heh Heh Heh.
and more fic. A real entry later, I promise, when something interesting happens. Maybe I'll start putting up my Matrix fic here too.
The room, whatever it had been since no one else seemed to know of its existence, had served very well for her studying. So well, in fact, that she went back again two days later. The past forty eight hours had been a great deal less stressful just knowing that there was at least one place she could go where no one would stare or ask questions or try and involve her in games she didn’t understand. She had even relaxed enough to chat a bit with other members of Ravenclaw house, making a few acquaintances. She was beginning to think that she would survive her first year here.
Rowan was also hoping that when she went back to the room it would be empty this time. Handkerchief or no handkerchief, the boy had been rude and beastly. But when she pushed the door open on her third try of looking for the room (and how she could have missed it with the door right there she didn’t know) his bookbag was already by the door, his pen already scratching on the parchment.
“Oh bother,” she said quietly, going in anyway. She wasn’t about to let one rude boy stand between her and her refuge, not this early in the school year. Later, when she’d explored more of the castle and grounds, she might find somewhere else to study. Not now, though.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped, looking almost fearful until the door closed. “Get out.”
“It’s my right to be here as much as yours, this isn’t your castle,” she retorted, going over to the couch and pulling out her books as though she intended to stay. His eyes bulged slightly, his lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl that gave him an even more frightful appearance. “And stop making faces, I won’t bother you and I’m not blubbering, this time.”
It seemed to put him off his game when she wouldn’t roll over and succumb to his bad temper immediately. “Well… see that you don’t start, then,” he retorted lamely, and turned back to his books.
“Rowan.” She said clearly as she opened her Transfiguration book and began to read the assigned chapters.
“Excuse me?”
“My name is Rowan Mayfair,” she explained. “In polite circles it’s considered the usual thing to introduce oneself, even if one intends to be a beast afterwards.” There. She could be nasty too, if she wanted.
“Severus,” he muttered, “Severus Snape.”
“Severus…” she rolled the name around in her mouth. It was a handsome enough name, although a bit odd for such a strange and grumpy lad. “Nice to meet you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Well, that’s what we call a polite lie,” she snapped, looking up at his hunched-over back with a glare of impatience. “It’s the little things that keep us all from killing each other. I know this isn’t a charm school but you could do a little to learn the basics of grace and decency, couldn’t you?”
He whirled in his chair, blinking at her. Either no one had talked back to him like that or he hadn’t expected such a tart response from a girl who had come blubbering into the room a few days ago. She was a little startled, herself. But she’d also had enough of just sitting back and watching and taking it, and simple rudeness was something she could deal with. It was almost a relief, actually, something familiar. Back and forth exchanges of snarky words she could handle. Spells were different and confusing.
But that was no reason to take it out on Severus. “I’m sorry,” she said then, and meant it. “I shouldn’t be so mean to you, myself. I’m just… it’s all very strange.”
“Hmmph,” he said, and looked surprised that she would apologize to him. Still angry; she was starting to suspect that he was just angry all the time, at anything, at the world. But the apology put him on the wrong foot, and he didn’t know what to do anymore.
“I’m not …” she didn’t want to use the term ‘Muggle,’ it sounded so clumsy somehow. “I wasn’t born into all this. I’m still getting used to the idea of wands and things.”
That was definitely the wrong thing to say. His mouth curled to a self-satisfied smirk, cruelty warping his stance as he got to his feet. “And they put a stupid little Mudblood like you in Ravenclaw? Dumbledore’s really slipping this time.”
“A what?” She didn’t understand the words, but the meaning was all too clear. “You really are a…”
“I,” Severus started to walk over to her, drawing his wand with the dramatic satisfaction of a victim who has finally found someone else he can bully. “am a Slytherin pureblood. People like you shouldn’t even be let into the school…”
He was going to do something horrible to her, she just knew it. She’d already seen three Slytherins and a Gryffindor dueling it out in the hallway when they weren’t supposed to. A teacher had interfered then, but there weren’t any teachers now. She had a split second, probably, in which to decide what to do. But she’d already decided what she would do in such a situation from the moment she’d seen the Gryffindor with boils sprouting out of his face.
“Expelliarmus!”
It worked far better than she’d expected. The boy’s wand went flying out of his hand and into a pillow, sending feathers everywhere. She kept her wand pointed at him and hoped he couldn’t tell that it was the only spell she really knew of that would work. She’d practiced it on suits of armor, silverware in the Great Hall, whatever she thought she could get away with. Just in case the bullies came after her. Severus, she was pretty sure, was more bullied than a bully himself. But given half a chance and someone who might be weaker than himself…
“I thought you said you didn’t know any spells!” he said, sounding injured, as though she’d cheated.
“I said I was getting used to the idea,” she corrected calmly, and lowered her wand as a gesture of peace. “I didn’t say I didn’t know any spells. Now if you’re quite done bullying me, can I get back to my studying already?”
“Hmmmph,” he repeated, picking up his wand and returning it to his robes. “Typical Ravenclaw. Nose always in a book.”
“Typical Slytherin,” she retorted, doing just that. “Bullying the weaker set.”
“I…” he started, and she glared at him with one hand hovering above her wand. “Hmmmph.”
Two for two, she thought triumphantly, wondering how long this little victory would last.
Heh Heh Heh.
and more fic. A real entry later, I promise, when something interesting happens. Maybe I'll start putting up my Matrix fic here too.
The room, whatever it had been since no one else seemed to know of its existence, had served very well for her studying. So well, in fact, that she went back again two days later. The past forty eight hours had been a great deal less stressful just knowing that there was at least one place she could go where no one would stare or ask questions or try and involve her in games she didn’t understand. She had even relaxed enough to chat a bit with other members of Ravenclaw house, making a few acquaintances. She was beginning to think that she would survive her first year here.
Rowan was also hoping that when she went back to the room it would be empty this time. Handkerchief or no handkerchief, the boy had been rude and beastly. But when she pushed the door open on her third try of looking for the room (and how she could have missed it with the door right there she didn’t know) his bookbag was already by the door, his pen already scratching on the parchment.
“Oh bother,” she said quietly, going in anyway. She wasn’t about to let one rude boy stand between her and her refuge, not this early in the school year. Later, when she’d explored more of the castle and grounds, she might find somewhere else to study. Not now, though.
“What are you doing here?” he snapped, looking almost fearful until the door closed. “Get out.”
“It’s my right to be here as much as yours, this isn’t your castle,” she retorted, going over to the couch and pulling out her books as though she intended to stay. His eyes bulged slightly, his lips peeled back from his teeth in a snarl that gave him an even more frightful appearance. “And stop making faces, I won’t bother you and I’m not blubbering, this time.”
It seemed to put him off his game when she wouldn’t roll over and succumb to his bad temper immediately. “Well… see that you don’t start, then,” he retorted lamely, and turned back to his books.
“Rowan.” She said clearly as she opened her Transfiguration book and began to read the assigned chapters.
“Excuse me?”
“My name is Rowan Mayfair,” she explained. “In polite circles it’s considered the usual thing to introduce oneself, even if one intends to be a beast afterwards.” There. She could be nasty too, if she wanted.
“Severus,” he muttered, “Severus Snape.”
“Severus…” she rolled the name around in her mouth. It was a handsome enough name, although a bit odd for such a strange and grumpy lad. “Nice to meet you.”
“I doubt that.”
“Well, that’s what we call a polite lie,” she snapped, looking up at his hunched-over back with a glare of impatience. “It’s the little things that keep us all from killing each other. I know this isn’t a charm school but you could do a little to learn the basics of grace and decency, couldn’t you?”
He whirled in his chair, blinking at her. Either no one had talked back to him like that or he hadn’t expected such a tart response from a girl who had come blubbering into the room a few days ago. She was a little startled, herself. But she’d also had enough of just sitting back and watching and taking it, and simple rudeness was something she could deal with. It was almost a relief, actually, something familiar. Back and forth exchanges of snarky words she could handle. Spells were different and confusing.
But that was no reason to take it out on Severus. “I’m sorry,” she said then, and meant it. “I shouldn’t be so mean to you, myself. I’m just… it’s all very strange.”
“Hmmph,” he said, and looked surprised that she would apologize to him. Still angry; she was starting to suspect that he was just angry all the time, at anything, at the world. But the apology put him on the wrong foot, and he didn’t know what to do anymore.
“I’m not …” she didn’t want to use the term ‘Muggle,’ it sounded so clumsy somehow. “I wasn’t born into all this. I’m still getting used to the idea of wands and things.”
That was definitely the wrong thing to say. His mouth curled to a self-satisfied smirk, cruelty warping his stance as he got to his feet. “And they put a stupid little Mudblood like you in Ravenclaw? Dumbledore’s really slipping this time.”
“A what?” She didn’t understand the words, but the meaning was all too clear. “You really are a…”
“I,” Severus started to walk over to her, drawing his wand with the dramatic satisfaction of a victim who has finally found someone else he can bully. “am a Slytherin pureblood. People like you shouldn’t even be let into the school…”
He was going to do something horrible to her, she just knew it. She’d already seen three Slytherins and a Gryffindor dueling it out in the hallway when they weren’t supposed to. A teacher had interfered then, but there weren’t any teachers now. She had a split second, probably, in which to decide what to do. But she’d already decided what she would do in such a situation from the moment she’d seen the Gryffindor with boils sprouting out of his face.
“Expelliarmus!”
It worked far better than she’d expected. The boy’s wand went flying out of his hand and into a pillow, sending feathers everywhere. She kept her wand pointed at him and hoped he couldn’t tell that it was the only spell she really knew of that would work. She’d practiced it on suits of armor, silverware in the Great Hall, whatever she thought she could get away with. Just in case the bullies came after her. Severus, she was pretty sure, was more bullied than a bully himself. But given half a chance and someone who might be weaker than himself…
“I thought you said you didn’t know any spells!” he said, sounding injured, as though she’d cheated.
“I said I was getting used to the idea,” she corrected calmly, and lowered her wand as a gesture of peace. “I didn’t say I didn’t know any spells. Now if you’re quite done bullying me, can I get back to my studying already?”
“Hmmmph,” he repeated, picking up his wand and returning it to his robes. “Typical Ravenclaw. Nose always in a book.”
“Typical Slytherin,” she retorted, doing just that. “Bullying the weaker set.”
“I…” he started, and she glared at him with one hand hovering above her wand. “Hmmmph.”
Two for two, she thought triumphantly, wondering how long this little victory would last.
