Chapter 44: Wishing You Happiness, Professor Snape

As Nolan groggily stirred awake at the Slytherin table, the first thing he saw was Cho Chang handing him a glass of tomato juice. "Good morning" Cho said cheerfully, setting the drink into his hands. "Maybe this will help wake you up. By the way, why do you like this stuff? It tastes so weird." "It helps me stay alert," Nolan mumbled before obediently tilting his head to the side, allowing Cho to use her large brush to comb his hair. It wasn't until he noticed the younger Slytherins giving him odd looks that he spoke again. "Why are you all looking at me like that?" "Oh, Nolan, maybe you shouldn't be so cozy with Miss Chang today," Montague teased with a laugh. Camille Smith, who shared a dormitory with Eve Stock, remarked sourly, "The girls giving you Valentine's gifts are going to be heartbroken." "What's going on?" Nolan asked, still looking dazed. "Is it Valentine's Day?" Miles Bletchley, who had stopped eating his sausage to count the pile of gifts in front of Nolan, chimed in, "You've got a fair few presents! Even some from older girls! I don't know how, but the third-year girls seem to think dating you would boost their reputation." Nolan accepted the stack of cards Miles passed to him, flipping through them with a puzzled expression. "Why, though? It's so cheesy," he muttered. Montague, rummaging through the pile of gifts, pulled out a few items excitedly. "Wow, some of these are top-notch Honeydukes chocolates! I've always wanted to try them, but Mum says they'll rot my teeth. Nolan, can I have one?" "Take whatever you want," Nolan said casually. "Hey! Montague!" Cho snapped, snatching a blue-wrapped gift from Montague's hands. "That one's from me!" Turning her annoyed gaze to Nolan, she huffed, "How could you let people just take these? The girls who gave you these gifts would be heartbroken!" "I didn't ask them to give me anything," Nolan replied quietly before glancing toward Eve Stock at the far end of the table. "Eve, do you have a gift for me?" "What?" Eve gasped, mid-bite of her vanilla sandwich, her mouth agape. "A Valentine's gift," Nolan clarified softly. "Oh, yes... yes!" Eve stammered, her cheeks turning crimson. "It's the white-wrapped one! It's not sweets since I know you don't like them. You can try it..." Cho froze, her expression souring as she turned to Nolan. "You don't like sweets?" Before Nolan could respond, Eve piped up, her voice soft yet distinct. "Didn't he tell you?" "No!" Cho grumbled irritably. "Well, he didn't tell me either, but I figured it out!" Eve said, focusing on her sandwich and pumpkin juice. Despite her nonchalant tone, her words grated on Cho. Nolan unwrapped Eve's gift to reveal a set of meticulously crafted cookies, each one shaped and decorated with care. "These are handmade! She's declaring war on me," Cho muttered, then leaned closer to Nolan to whisper angrily, "You should've told me your preferences earlier instead of letting me embarrass myself!" "What?" Nolan asked, still baffled. At that moment, a ripple of excitement swept through the students. A late-arriving owl soared into the Great Hall, carrying a package in its talons. It flew straight to the staff table, landing in front of Professor Snape. The entire hall fell silent as the gift was deposited in front of the Potions Master. For a moment, the Great Hall was eerily still. Then, about thirty seconds later, whispers began to spread like wildfire. "Did someone actually fancy the old bat?" "Merlin's beard, who on earth would send that?" "Who knows... maybe a female troll?" "His has gone completely green." "Oh no, we don't have Potions today in Gryffindor, do we?" As the professors exchanged glances and the students whispered among themselves, Professor Felicia Von Draugr suddenly stood up, her usual half-asleep demeanor replaced with cheerful curiosity. "Oh my, has Professor Snape received a gift? Why not open it? I'm sure the sender must be an exceptionally charming witch. She'd be delighted to know you accepted her gift, Severus. Don't you agree, Professor Dumbledore?" Dumbledore, enjoying a piece of chocolate from his own Valentine's stash, smiled warmly. "Why not indeed, Severus? After all, it's from an admirer. It seems that Felicia isn't the only popular figure at our school these days. The young ladies are quite thoughtful these days, aren't they?" Severus Snape's lips twitched. His instincts screamed to obliterate the package with a spell, but instead, he begrudgingly unwrapped it with his hands. No sooner had he undone the wrapping than a piece of pink stationery fluttered out. It was adorned with hearts and flowers, and to the stunned gaze of the students, it transformed into a pair of lips that began to speak in a syrupy, high-pitched voice: "Oh, my dearest Severus... Please allow me to address you so intimately! I can no longer endure the days and nights without seeing you! I yearn for your sleek, glossy, tantalizingly fragrant hair! I adore your majestic, aquiline nose that stands like a proud mountain, and your steadfastly unmoving lips when you speak..." Snape's face turned an alarming shade of green. Furious, he stood and incinerated the note with a flick of his wand, leaving nothing but a smoldering wisp of smoke. The Great Hall was silent. Professor McGonagall was the first to break the hush, her voice tinged with alarm. "Professor Snape, you've frightened the children!" Dumbledore chuckled and winked at the assembly. "It seems our dear Professor Snape has indeed captured the admiration of someone. And why not? Severus has always been a rather compelling wizard." "He's lying," one of the Weasley twins whispered in Gryffindor's corner. "In what way is he compelling? Among bats?" the other replied, mimicking the syrupy tone of the letter. "Or is it his sleek, glossy, tantalizingly fragrant hair that's so captivating?" Lee Jordan was barely containing his laughter. "Oh man, whoever did this deserves a medal. Snape's expression looked like he was constipated!" Nolan Von Draugr wasn't sure about Snape's digestive state, but he was certain of one thing: for the next month, Snape was in a full-blown temperamental storm. The Potions Master unleashed his wrath indiscriminately—berating Gryffindors at every opportunity, cruelly mocking Hufflepuffs, assigning impossibly complex tasks to Ravenclaws, and turning the school into a vortex of misery. Potions lessons became even more dreaded than usual. Not that Potions had ever been a class anyone looked forward to. The students buzzed with speculation about the sender of the infamous letter, but the truth was never uncovered. Far away in the secluded Randall Gorge, a black cat stretched lazily, a mischievous glint in its eyes as it murmured, "Oh, my dearest Severus..." ~~~---------------------- Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com / HPdreame