Thread: Monkshood (Juno and Pretorius) (HP Snape/OC)

Whether it was a case of nerves or the simple fact that the bacon she had scarfed down for breakfast wasn't agreeing with her, one thing was for certain, Lexie felt terribly ill. The moment she had stepped foot into Hogwarts, a strong feeling of nostalgia had struck her harder than one would expect. Of course, one couldn't truly admit to enjoying school without sounding completely pathetic but she would not lie to herself. Her years at Hogwarts had easily been the best she'd ever experienced in her short life. Many would expect a child born of great wealth to have a certain claim to a happiness robbed of the less fortunate and while she had been rightfully spoiled in material aspects, Lexie could not truthfully say that she was happy there. She had always been completely different from her parents. For one, she didn't care for their constant desire to mingle with those that they deemed superior, nor did she care for their negative influence. No matter how many times they had attempted to hammer this pure-blood supremacist thoughts into her young mind, Lexie simply had not listened. Right from the beginning, her parents had feared that their daughter was not living up to their expectations and Lexie would not dissuade them from such notions. She had a fascination with muggles that could possibly rival that of Arthur Weasley and her habit of befriending those of a lower social class clearly worried the parental unit. But perhaps the greatest blow of all was when their precious child was sorted into the dreaded Gryffindor house, eternal enemy of Slytherin where both Mr. and Mrs. Stone had been sorted years ago. Naturally, Lexie had been ecstatic. In her eyes, nothing could be more fulfilling than being sorted into the house she had secretly dreamed of for years. The rift that this caused between her and her parents only grew as the years passed and as the days darkened, so did their hearts. Many a family had been torn apart ever since the return of Voldemort who's name she refused to fear even then. It was no easy choice for her to abandon the parents who while had forced their own ideals onto her, had still clothed her and fed her and perhaps even loved her, faults and all. But there really could not be any other choice. Lexie would not side with those who agreed with such ludicrous ideas. She was 17 when she last spoke to her parents. Every year at Hogwarts had been cherished and now that she was back, she intended to make the most of it. Even if she meant to teach now rather than learn. As a student, Lexie had always been fairly adept. She had gotten top marks in transfiguration and charms and did quite well for herself in defense against the dark arts. Her only real weak point had always been potions. Lexie would have liked to think that she was nowhere near as incompetent as her old potions professor had led on but then, taking anything the man said to heart was foolhardy indeed. Anyone with a half a brain knew well enough that the old git went out of his way to embarrass and insult those belonging to Gryffindor house. She had been no different. The girl couldn't help but frown at the unpleasant memories of dealing with the overgrown bat's leering presence behind her as she mechanically chopped her ingredients. He was truly terrifying in those days. Regardless of how well she did, the git had no praise in him and as such, there came a point where she simply stopped caring. Sighing, the considerably tall young witch straightened out her posture, long black hair now held in a tight bun. She felt rather odd dressed the way that she was. Usually she would let loose her dark locks and stroll about in the finest of gowns but she did intend on making a good impression and she hardly expected Snape to care for physical attributes. Lexie held a natural grace that allowed her to appear as if she were utterly calm and collected even if she were anything but. The sight of the potions master was already making her stomach knot uncomfortably. The old embarrassment of having him talk down to her was already beginning to colour her cheeks, despite the fact that he hadn't even said anything yet. Though, she was a Gryffindor for a reason and she wouldn't stand there idly and allow him to intimidate her anymore. She was no longer the student. He would have to respect her as an adult. She hoped. Clearing her throat to get his attention, Lexie put on her most reserved of expressions before speaking out in a formal tone. Professor?