The Joys of Herbology - Chapter Five

The next couple of weeks were relatively uneventful.  Mariah and Severus continued to meet clandestinely to work on their project.  Most times they worked in the evenings down in the Potions Dungeon, where few besides Professor Fellis saw them. 

“I don’t understand these results, Severus.  We’ve tested for just about every known vitamin deficiency and by rights these plants should be healthy as hippogriffs.”  Mariah sighed as she cleaned out the vials after yet another useless test.

“Obviously the problem then is not a vitamin deficiency,” stated Snape, “so our strategy must adapt.  Perhaps we ought to be looking for an infection or parasite?”

So their testing began anew.  Mariah’s knowledge of herbology and Snape’s command of potionmaking did allow them to quickly eliminate several possibilities, but they still had many tests to perform.  They soon hit a stumbling block; they’d run out of the reagent needed to test for several of the more obscure infective agents.  Professor Fellis had agreed to order some more, but it would take several days to arrive. 

“Well, that’s that then,” said Mariah. “I suppose you’ll enjoy having a break from all this.  I think I’ll use the time to write my Transfiguration essay, I’m afraid I’ve left it on the back burner lately.  How about you?”

Snape stared back at her, surprised she’d asked such a question of him.

“Never mind,” she sighed, “I forgot…no idle chit-chat.  Well, have a good week and let me know when the supplies arrive.”

Snape watched her leave.  They’d been working together for about two weeks now, and he’d noticed something strange about her, that he’d only just now put his finger on.  She treated him like she treated everyone else.  She didn’t tease or insult him, or make rude comments about his appearance or manners.  When she spoke to him, she just talked.  She’d kept most of the conversation to the task at hand, like he’d requested of her back when they’d first paired up, but she didn’t act as if she disliked being around him.  She was almost…friendly.  He couldn’t remember when the last time anyone not a Professor had wished him a good week.  Very curious, and if he would let himself admit it, somewhat pleasant.

Sirius had not had as productive a two weeks as his nemesis and his girlfriend.  Everywhere he went, he saw her, smiling and laughing with her friends.  In the evenings, when he could get away from James and Remus, he’d follow her.  She always went down to the Potions dungeon.  To be with him, no doubt.  Snivellus himself acted as he always did, skulking about alone most of the time, sneering whenever he saw Sirius and his friends.  Earlier this morning, he’d seen Mariah pass Snape in the hall.  She smiled at him, and he didn’t so much as look at her. What a git, thought Sirius.  If I she were my girlfriend, I’d treat her so much better that he does.

Snape’s cavalier attitude toward Mariah incensed Sirius the most.  He spent hours each day trying to figure out what she saw in him, why she’d bother with a boy who ignored her in the halls and only treated her well in private.  He couldn’t get the night in the meadow out of his mind;  he continually replayed the scene in his head… Snape and Mariah kneeling on the ground, her hands on his face, their faces together…

Damn him…Sirius kicked a rock along the path as he headed towards the tree where he was meeting Remus, James, and Peter.  He imagined the rock were Snape’s head as he followed it down the path, kicking it harder each time.  He gave it one last swift kick as he approached the tree where his friends sat, and plopped down beside them.

“What’s got you all worked up, Sirius?”  James was lying on his stomach with his feet in the air, chewing on the end of his quill as he stared at the essay he was trying unsuccessfully to write.  “You sure did a number on that poor rock over there.”

Sirius started plucking strands of grass from the lawn underneath him and shredding them with his fingers.  “Just thinking about our least favorite Slytherin, and how I’d like to teach him a lesson.”

Remus looked up from his book and rolled his eyes, turning to Peter, “So, Peter, how many times has Sirius said that this week so far.”

Peter didn’t even look up from his book, “Seventeen, if we include the times he’s wanted to ‘pummel Snape senseless’ and thirteen if we don’t."

James laughed, “I think they’re trying to tell you something, Sirius.”

Sirius scowled back at him. “I can’t believe you’re mocking me.  You can’t tell me you wouldn’t relish the opportunity as well.”

“Of course we would, but you don’t see us obsessing about it either,” James remarked, “the rest of us aren’t letting it take over our lives…what are you looking at?”

Sirius wasn’t listening to his friend anymore.  He was staring beyond him to a tree about fifteen yards away, where Mariah had just joined a small group of Hufflepuff girls.  They were standing in by the tree, holding their books and laughing about something.  Sirius noticed that Mariah tended to lean forward and then toss her head back when she laughed, and he found this rather endearing.

James turned his head to follow Sirius’ gaze, “Ah!  So a Hufflepuff has taken your fancy…you sly dog!  Which one is it?  The one with the long blond hair is a real looker.”  When he failed to get a response from Sirius he poked him in the leg. “Sirius!”

Sirius reluctantly turned his attention back to his friend.  “Not her, the one to her left.”

Remus nodded appreciatively, “She’s a nice girl.  Gives good hugs too.” This remark earned him a glare from his friend.

James though was not so easily convinced and said inquisitively, “She’s not bad, but she’s definitely not your normal type.  What’s so special about her?”

Peter rarely had such an opportunity to be In The Know, so he jumped on that question. “She’s Snape’s girlfriend, silly! He’s just jealous!” 

Everyone turned to look at Peter.  James and Remus with incredulous stares and Sirius in anger.  Peter gulped and continued, “The Slytherins were all talking about it a couple weeks back, it was a big scandal.  I can’t believe you didn’t know.”

Remus snorted and replied, “Well, not all of us pay as much attention to scandals in Slytherin house as you apparently do, Peter.”  He turned back to Sirius, “It all makes sense now.  Your recently intensified desire to ‘pummel Snape senseless’ comes not from his recent redesign of your face (which would have been a good enough excuse in my book) but from his daring to have an attractive girlfriend.  How noble of you,” he finished sarcastically.

“He doesn’t treat her well at all, Moony.  I’ve seen it!  She’ll smile at him in the hallway and he doesn’t even look at her.  Oh, he’s happy enough to snog her in private but in public he treats her like flobworms,” Sirius ripped up another chunk of grass in frustration.

James cringed, “Please, no mention of snogging in relation to Snape, I don’t wish to lose my lunch.”

Peter laughed hysterically at this, more so than was appropriate, then quickly stopped when Remus gave him a little shove on the shoulder.

“Well,” said James pragmatically, “are you going to try to woo her away from Snape then?”

Sirius’ cheeks began to redden, and he began to hem and haw…

“Because obviously you’re too obsessed with this girl to concentrate on anything else…and I’d hate for your grades to suffer as a result.”  Now it was Remus’ turn to snicker at James’ suggestion.

Sirius’ eyes narrowed, “You don’t think I can, Remus? You just watch me.”  He stood up in a huff and started walking purposefully towards the group of girls.

“But Sirius, that’s not what I meant…” Remus trailed off.  Sirius was too far away to hear.  “I just didn’t think his grades could get much worse is all,” he mentioned to Peter as the three of them shifted position so as to get a better view of the show to come.