Tweak

InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Let's get it!"

millie v. (unresisting) wrote in resurrectio_rpg,
@ 2009-04-18 02:27:00

Who: Millicent Bulstrode & Open
Where: Knockturn Alley
When: Sometime late night
Why: She's on an errand for her father

Millicent couldn't believe she was going to go into Knockturn Alley alone for whatever reason to get some stupid item from a shoppe down there. The girl dressed in her favourite green jacket, pants and a nice-looking top in black and green before she fixed her clothing to they stayed pressed. Her steps lead her down there, her stomach felt nervous and tight, had she been eating, she might have vomited just now from nerves.

Once she was inside, she took a walk down a nearby alleyway, her body was shoved by and unseen force and she moved into the shoppe without saying anything. It was late, but it was open so she figured she could go looking around.

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professor_snape
2009-04-22 10:55 am UTC (link)

Why the landlord wanted to show him the property at this time of night, Severus hadn't been sure. Perhaps he was only a well-disguised vampire. Seeing as the weekend was the only time he could reasonably get away from Hogwarts for any length of time, however, he couldn't afford to be choosy. Well, he supposed he could get away at this hour on a week night, provided he didn't have patrol rounds and early lessons the next day. Still, the place had been wholly unsuitable for an apothecary, and late hour or not, the trip had been mostly wasted. Or so he thought, until he saw a familiar form duck into a shoppe just ahead of him down the alley.

"Miss Bulstrode?" he called out, wondering what on earth the girl was doing out and about at this time of night, though come to think of it, she could have just as easily asked the same thing about him.

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unresisting
2009-04-22 01:28 pm UTC (link)

Millicent very rarely heard her name called by anyone and thus turned around and came out of the shoppe. She figured the shoppe could wait and left it to find the voice until she saw Severus there and shoved her hands into the pockets of her jacket and her eyes redirected away,"Hello, Professor. How are you?" Ever since she allowed him to know that she was a parselmouth, she'd bee apprehensive about it.

"Am I in trouble or something?" Millicent, although more mature, had been more reclusive than she was in school.

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professor_snape
2009-04-22 03:04 pm UTC (link)

"No, you aren't in any sort of trouble," Severus answered, shaking his head slowly and frowning slightly as the girl averted her eyes. He probably shouldn't be surprised at such a question, since he had been an authority figure in her life for so very long, but somehow it had caught him off guard, all the same. "I merely wished to say hello." He paused momentarily, debating whether he should attempt to continue the conversation or simply leave her be. In the end, he thought exchanging a few pleasantries certainly couldn't hurt. "I am quite well, thank you for asking. And how are you?"

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unresisting
2009-04-23 10:22 am UTC (link)

Millicent seemed quite different from school, she wasn't really snappy or confrontational or domineering anymore. Her face seemed insecure and actually kind of sad as she messed with the front of her coat,"Oh....I'm alright, I suppose, I'm working. I don't really do much else as everyone seems to be short for time. It doesn't really matter." She muttered softly, seemingly disappointed,"....Y-you didn't tell anyone what I told you, did you?" She frowned, thinking he may have.

Last thing she needed was one of her two secrets getting out, the one had been obvious as she seemed to be withering away in body mass over the years. "...I don't want to get in trouble for it."

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professor_snape
2009-04-23 10:47 am UTC (link)

"No, I haven't told anyone," Severus answered, with another shake of his head, his frown becoming more pronounced. If his Slytherins with ties to Death Eaters were merely persecuted under the new regime, a Parselmouth was certain to be crucified, so the girl's secret was quite safe with him. And besides, she looked quite downtrodden enough, as it was. It would take a far colder man than he to remain unaffected by the sight. "Is there anything I can do for you, Millicent?" he asked quietly, and then -- almost against his better judgment -- he reached out to grasp her upper arm.

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unresisting
2009-04-23 07:06 pm UTC (link)

A relief to see that he hadn't done something to make her regret ever opening up enough to tell someone. The black haired girl stood there with little to say until he reached out and touched her, grasping her arm in a way to make her eyes gaze up in his direction,"N-No, Professor. I suppose, I'm alright..." She pursed her lips a little, finding it difficult to keep his gaze.

It'd been so long since any one had even touched her kindly or unkindly at all, months even. She struggled not to get overly emotional from just a simple arm grasp, her face moving from upset to stern and back again. "Why are you talking to me or care about me at all? No one else really seems to." Granted, there were people, they were just too busy for Millicent.

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professor_snape
2009-04-23 08:11 pm UTC (link)

The spasm of emotions that crossed the girl's face made Severus instinctively want to release her arm, for fear that he had hurt her or done something else horribly wrong. Before he let go of her, however, he gave her arm a small but hopefully reassuring squeeze. At her question, he started to answer that it was because he knew how she felt. Somehow he couldn't bring himself to show anything approaching what he hated to call "weakness" when one of his Slytherins needed him to be strong. "Once my student, always my student, I suppose," he finally answered, quietly, almost afraid that if he spoke in normal tones, he might startle her.

Again he started to say something -- in this case, if she would rather he left her alone -- but again he couldn't bring himself to do so. Instead, he cleared his throat and, still trying to make eye contact, added, "I am always available, should you ever have need of me. I'm never more than a journal entry away." He gave a small shrug and then added, "If you need to talk. I, ah ... get lonely sometimes, too." Then he gave her a ghost of a smile, hoping she might look up long enough to see it.

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unresisting
2009-04-25 01:11 am UTC (link)

The small reassuring squeeze made her feel good, it let her know that she wasn't completely alone. Millicent felt completely exposed for some reason, as if he were some kind of parental figure that she really never had. As if her father had ever care enough for a gentle pat of reassurance.

Instead, she leaned forward and her arms wrapped around Severus' waist, she clutched him with her fingers and refused to let go. "Everything is so hard...nobody understands at all." She sighed.

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professor_snape
2009-04-25 10:53 am UTC (link)

Good Lord! That was the very last thing he had been expecting. Severus stood stunned for only a moment, feeling more than a little exposed himself, before he came back to himself enough to realize that the girl might have found his inaction rude, or worse. He wasn't used to being embraced, apart from by Draco when he was a much younger child and the occasional homesick first year who needed comforting. A bit awkwardly, he raised his arms and wrapped them about her shoulders.

He thought momentarily about asking what it was that nobody understood, but he decided that might not be a good idea -- especially not given their present location. "Millicent, what did you need from this shop?" he asked finally, nodding toward the doorway she had entered earlier. If she preferred, he would accompany her inside for her errand, and then they could go somewhere cozier to talk. If she didn't like that idea, he intended make the purchase for her, and then they could be on their way. Either way, he imagined she could do with some company for a while.

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unresisting
2009-04-25 11:28 am UTC (link)

There were so many things that were complicated, it was difficult to always feel alone in the first place. Millicent gave no insinuation that she'd been so insecure or unsettled in school, but now that she wasn't, she didn't need to hold up everyone's standards anymore. Millicent was just about to withdraw from his seemingly lack of wanting to return the affection, but she was stopped when his arms went around her.

Millicent untensed and relaxed her arms a little, raising her head slightly and looking like she might have as a child. Her green hues staring right back at him while he mentioned something about what she was doing,"O-Oh, it's a daft vase with some dark magic on the clay, he heckled it from the owner." Millicent moved her arms and took a deep breath,"I...I'm sorry for that, Professor. I should not have been so weak." But she was and she did.

"...You won't tell anyone how pathetic I'm being, right?" She took a step back finally, moving her hair behind her ear to expose some of her face.

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professor_snape
2009-04-25 11:42 am UTC (link)

Severus shook his head at her apology. "If I thought you were being pathetic -- and I assure you that is not the case -- I still wouldn't tell." He gave her a small smile when she brushed her hair back, happy to see a bit more of her face. He had a bit of experience with that feeling, as well -- wanting to hide his face behind a curtain of hair -- so he knew that the must be feeling a bit more comfortable with him now.

"I was wondering, when you are finished, if you would care to accompany me to the Leaky Cauldron for a bit of tea and conversation?" he asked, raising his eyebrows expectantly. He started to add that they could engage one of the private parlors is she was hesitant to talk in front of the other patrons (even if most of them would be well on their way to complete inebriation at this hour), but he decided to see if she would accept his invitation first.

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unresisting
2009-04-25 11:14 pm UTC (link)

Hearing that Severus didn't think she was pathetic had lifted her spirits a little. Unlike the other Slyths in her year, she tried to seem off, aggravated and like she needed nobody to help her or aid her. Millicent was a bit more comfortable around him, feeling much better now that she could relax around someone.

Her head perked up at Severus' request, she even turned a bit pink. How ridiculous she felt having never been asked to go anywhere with a male and her first outing with one would be with her teacher. It didn't seem like she would ever get a better offer and she nodded,"...I would really like that, it will only take me a minute if you don't mind waiting." For some reason, she felt slightly excited at an outing and sped inside the store, took only moments and came out with a bag with a vase in it.

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professor_snape
2009-04-26 12:11 am UTC (link)

"I don't mind," Severus answered, shaking his head again, and he smiled at the sudden spring in the girl's step as she headed inside the shop. When she emerged a few minutes later, he smiled again and gestured toward the end of the alley in the direction of the inn.

If it had been earlier in the day, and more people were about, he likely wouldn't have done so, considering the girl was half his age. Since it was so late, however, and she seemed as though she could use some reassurance, he put his arm about her shoulders as they started toward the inn.

Millicent had never been so timid in school that he could recall. In fact, she seemed as likely to bloody someone's nose as talk to them. He wondered what, besides the war, had happened to affect such a transformation. Despite the dearth of passersby, he leaned his head a bit closer to hers and dropped his voice, just in case. "What is it that nobody understands?"

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unresisting
2009-04-26 04:00 am UTC (link)

Millicent felt a little more unsure, but turned more pink when he finally rested his arm around her shoulders, directing them. She raised her eyes to Severus when he inquired to her problem that nobody understand,"...I..I tried so hard to be what everyone wanted...I just got tired of being something nobody wanted...not that it mattered anyway." Millicent lowered her eyes and sighed gently.

"...I know, y--you think I'm strange..but I was trying to be something I'm not in school." Instead of asking, she moved her hand and arm to go around his waist. "...I've not been taking care of myself really...."

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professor_snape
2009-04-26 10:33 am UTC (link)

That's where she was wrong. He did understand -- did he ever. Not that he had tried to be what people wanted, necessarily. Rather, he had turned himself inside out to be what they expected, and fulfilling the conflicting preconceptions of so many for so long had been nothing short of exhausting. "I think I may understand that better than you think, Millicent, and I don't think that makes you strange at all. We all have expectations that we think we need to meet, whether external or self-imposed."

Severus frowned ever so slightly when her hand stole about his waist, and he wondered momentarily if he might have given her the wrong impression. He shook his head a second later at his own presumptuous folly. No girl, no matter how attention-starved, would likely have designs on her ugly old head of House. Perhaps Lupin might have to contend with such things, but him? A snowball would have a better chance escaping the fires of hell.

Once he realized that he had been silent for a bit too long of a stretch, Severus quietly cleared his throat. "Is there anything I can do to help you better take care of yourself?"

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unresisting
2009-04-26 02:50 pm UTC (link)

The attention he gave her was more than welcomed, there had been nobody else that would do so. Some thought she was weird, confrontational and some things here and there that she wasn't; most were a turn off to people. "..Really? You don't think I am strange for that?" Millicent almost smiled, the inclination that she might have been understood to some point was more of a relief. "....I .."

Don't say it, Millicent.

Millicent needed to think of something else to say, the thought was difficult and caused her to clutch the fabric on his side tightly.

"...You..could come visit me? No one else does." She said lowly, as if ashamed.

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professor_snape
2009-04-26 03:57 pm UTC (link)

"Not at all," he said, shaking his head. "Or at least, no stranger than I consider myself." He smiled then, noticing the beginnings of a smile in her expression and hoping that his might encourage her.

When he felt her hand bunch in the material of his robes, Severus automatically gave her shoulders a squeeze. Yes, he knew what it was like. Perhaps he appeared a veritable tower of strength most days, but that was only due to being such a good Occlumens and his ability to shut down his more troubling emotions at will.

"I will, then," he said firmly, hoping to reassure her some more with his tone, and choosing for the moment to ignore the fact that no one else seemed to think she was worth visiting. He'd had a bit of experience with that, as well.

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unresisting
2009-04-26 05:17 pm UTC (link)

Alright, if Severus could smile, she could too and she mimicked the expression on her face. It only took her a second to feel sightly better then before,"Really? You would do that for me? Gosh, that's more than I could really hope for." Whether it was because he was giving her attention or because it was a man giving her attention, she didn't know.

It didn't matter to her, she'd been longing for company over her flat. For someone to intervene in her own downward spiral enought o give a damn outside the pleasantries.

"Professor? Thank you for giving me a little time."

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professor_snape
2009-04-26 06:49 pm UTC (link)

Severus momentarily thought about asking, "Why wouldn't I?" but he imagined that question would not be met with anything like a smile, and so he refrained. How sad it was that the girl seemed so moved by the promise of a visit from her former professor. On the other hand, he could recall several times in his life when he would have been, as well, and so he couldn't fault her in the slightest.

"Thank you for accepting, Millicent," he said quietly, still smiling. "I also would like you to know that while you may occasionally be lonely, you are never truly alone. Not so long as I live and breathe."

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unresisting
2009-04-27 01:11 am UTC (link)

Everyone had always seemed to be so busy that she never really understood why they could make time for others, but never herself. How strange it must be to be someone so lonely when one had so many brothers, then again, she spent most of her time with the annoyances of dealing with them when they never did the same to her.

Millie stayed silent until her ears picked up what he said, the sentence alone had been enough to move her. "...Gosh, you are so nice to me without me having to do anything at all..."

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professor_snape
2009-04-27 11:04 am UTC (link)

"It wouldn't be nice of me if I expected something in return," Severus answered, with another smile and a small shake of his head. Of course, he did rather have an ulterior motive, though it was hardly a nefarious one: he wanted his Slytherins to be happy. Millicent quite obviously wasn't, but if giving her a little of his spare time could change that, he was all for the idea. Besides that, he saw the shadows of his teenaged self in her downtrodden look. But he had gotten past that stage with a bit of help, and he knew she could, too.

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	unresisting 2009-04-28 12:22 am UTC (link)
	Millie walked with him into the Leaky Cauldron with him, feeling insecure when she saw the crowd of people and ultimately feeling discouraged. "There are a good bit of people in here, Professor." Millicent said, raising her head up towards him and lowering them back to the scenery around the two. Granted, she could live with it, she just didn't want to. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

professor_snape
2009-04-28 10:57 am UTC (link)

"I imagined there would be more than a few," Severus answered, finally removing his arm from about Millicent's shoulders to hold open the door for her. "So I thought we might engage a private parlor, if are any free." He looked up, trying to catch the barman's eye, and called over the general din, "A private parlor, Tom?"

The landlord nodded at the request and stepped out from behind the bar to lead them both down a passageway to the parlors. Severus wasn't sure he liked the look the man gave the pair of them. Of course, if he had intended anything improper, he would have bypassed the parlor altogether and would have opted to hire a room for the night instead. Still, it wasn't that long ago that most of the wizarding world thought him a Death Eater and murderer, so his reputation had withstood far worse than raised eyebrows from a bartender.

Once Tom had unlocked the parlor door for them and lit the lamps, ignoring his smirks, Severus took off his cloak and turned to Millie. "Would you prefer biscuits, crumpets, or scones with your tea, Millicent?"

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unresisting
2009-04-29 03:00 am UTC (link)

Millicent grinned as he removed his arm from her and she stretched slightly as the lamps were turned on. She was gazing her eyes around while Tom dealt with getting the room ready, once it was ready, she removed her coat and revealed her quite....unhealthy body; thin, gaunt and her shirt hung off of her. Granted, through the years she lost her weight, but she'd been much more sickly looking that before.

Finding a chair, she set down and raised her eyes,"Scones, please?" She lost her smile and sunk into her chair with a comforted sigh. Raising her one leg and crossed it over the other.

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professor_snape
2009-04-29 11:47 am UTC (link)

Severus nodded, and once Tom had finished making up the fire, he added, "A pot of tea, scones and clotted cream for the lady, and a plate of biscuits for myself." He had actually planned to share the scones at the outset, but when he caught sight of Millicent's dreadfully thin form, he changed his mind. Not that he wasn't thin himself, but in his case, his slenderness was a result of an exceptionally high metabolism coupled with a nervous disposition that tended to put him off his food at the slightest agitation.

When she had been in school, he wouldn't have called Millicent overweight, exactly, though she always seemed ... "sturdy" was a good word to describe it. Now she looked anything but. "Frail" was the first word that came to mind, actually. Severus attempted to keep his expression from betraying the rush of concern he felt, however, as he sat in the chair nearest the one she had chosen. "Thank you, Tom, that will be all," he added firmly, when he noticed that the bartender seemed to be paying an undue amount of attention to how sickly the girl looked.

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unresisting
2009-04-30 01:04 am UTC (link)

Millicent leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs for a second time she she could lean in the direction of Severus. Her arms folded over the arm of the chair and crossed, her head resting on it. "..I am tired, --Why did he look at me like that?" She frowned when he noticed that he left. The girl stretched her arms and back slightly, shifting so she didn't feel so uncomfortable in the chair.

"Ah, thank you for ordering for me. -- I can't believe you called me a lady."

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professor_snape
2009-04-30 10:16 am UTC (link)

"He likely thought you were ill," Severus answered gently, "and I can easily see where he might have gotten that impression. You certainly don't appear to be eating enough." He nodded at her thanks, deciding for the moment not to address calling her a lady. It was only polite, after all, and they could come back to that later. A second later, Severus paused to lick his lips, wondering if she might take offense at his next question. "Is everything all right at home, Millicent?"

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unresisting
2009-04-30 11:54 pm UTC (link)

Is everything alright at home, Millicent?

Millicent didn't say anything, she'd been hiding from ever talking about her former home life. "I...er..I live alone now, I don't really know anyone who would live with me. --I eat enough, I do..." Millicent was lying, she was so easily thought she couldn't control something, she sought to control her weight. It would fluctuate between thin and regular since her fifth year, now she seemed to be much thinner than she was in school.

The black haired girl couldn't even remember the last time she ate.

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professor_snape
2009-05-01 09:02 am UTC (link)

If he had been using Legilimency on her just then, Severus would have told her that he understood that feeling far too well, too: when your life was so far out of your own control that you would have given anything -- anything -- to take charge of your own fate once more. That had been one of the main reasons he had joined the Death Eaters at around her age, after all.

He wasn't invading her mind, however, but he didn't need to. He had been a teacher quite long enough to tell that when somebody wasn't being entirely truthful with him, even without the evidence of obvious malnutrition staring him in the face. (Though, as it happened, he was uncomfortably familiar with that particular subject, as well.) Still, the girl had a job, and though her clothes weren't anything flashy, they were far from threadbare, so lack of funds evidently wasn't the problem.

"Do you know how to cook for yourself?" he asked quietly, hoping not to embarrass her any more than absolutely necessary with this line of inquiry. Cooking magic could be difficult, and as a pureblood, he imagined she had little to no familiarity with Muggle methods of doing so.

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unresisting
2009-05-01 10:58 am UTC (link)

Millicent shifted uneasily in her chair in her position, squirming whenever she was thinking that he might have known. Her head rested there against her folded arms on the chair while she stared at him, her hair kind of curtaining around her face some. It was clear that she felt slightly humiliated with his questions, but there was little else she could do in terms of that.

"Er, I.....do. I know how to cook. Why are you asking me? I'm fine, I really am..." Sadly, lying had never been her strong suit, it was far too easy to tell that she had been not fine.

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professor_snape
2009-05-01 11:50 am UTC (link)

"I'm asking because you don't look fine -- far from it, in fact." He paused, however, at a quiet knock on the door, which would be the landlord with their refreshments. "Come in!" Severus called, turning his head in that direction, and he kept quiet the entire time that Tom bustled about, making a great show of placing the tea tray on the small table between their chairs, rather than draw any more embarrassing attention to Millicent.

When the other man had finally finished serving them, Severus thanked him again, in the same firm, dismissive tone, and he turned back to Millicent only after the door clicked closed. Rather than ask her if she had some financial obligations unbeknownst to him that prevented her from purchasing adequate foodstuffs, he simply waited to see what excuse, if any, she might offer up for her appearance being what it was as he poured himself a cup of tea.

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unresisting
2009-05-02 02:27 am UTC (link)

Millicent withdrew from where she was so she was sitting with her back in the chair, relaxing with her most stern face she could muster. Now that she knew Tom's thoughts on her appearance, she was reluctant to look at him and kept her head away, her thumb nail being bitten on from uncomfortable tension.

She hated being in the spotlight, she felt like an audience was looking at her.

Her stomach tensed, she wanted to refuse to eat, but obligations had been placed. Taking her tea, she took a scone only for good measure and swallowed it. Millicent instantly felt guilty for eating what she had.

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professor_snape
2009-05-03 12:36 pm UTC (link)

It wasn't the most nutritious "meal" imaginable -- far from it -- but at least she was eating. That was the important thing, Severus thought, stirring milk into his own tea. As much as he would have liked to watch over Millicent constantly and make sure that she got enough to eat, however, he knew that would be impossible. Though he couldn't put his finger on why exactly he thought so, he imagined his help would be less than welcome. After all, her old Head of House acting the part of mother hen was hardly conducive to making her feel as though her life was under her own control again.

Severus forced himself to look away from Millicent, staring down at the white cloud of milk swirling into his tea cup and gave a soft sigh. He supposed he could do what little she would allow him to -- such as buying her this tea and coming to visit and writing back and forth. Perhaps if she knew that someone cared, she might be a bit more motivated to take care of herself in the future. Or so he hoped, at any rate.

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unresisting
2009-05-03 03:09 pm UTC (link)

Millicent didn't like the fact that she was being watched like a snake underneath a table. It was difficut for her to allow herself to eat while he watched with uncompromising eyes. When he finally turned away, it gave her a sense of relaxation and lack of pressure,"Are you angry with me, Professor?" She tilted her head to the right, drinking her tea and eating what was on the plate without much problems.

It was easier when she knew there were no forceful eyes, trying to remember her eating and if she enjoyed it or all the other complications that came. Hah. Paranioa. Rock on.

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professor_snape
2009-05-07 10:13 am UTC (link)

"Of course not," Severus answered, shaking his head. "If I were angry with you, you would know it. I am, however, more than a little concerned." Whilst weighing his words carefully, he paused and took a sip of his tea. He didn't want to put the girl on the defensive, so he would have to approach this delicately. Asking her why she was so thing seemed unnecessarily blunt, especially given his own wiry and excessively lean frame. Though asking outright if she could afford food didn't seem to be much better. Nor did asking when last she ate.

"Why haven't you been taking care of yourself lately, Millicent?" he finally asked, careful to keep his voice low and concerned, rather than sharp and accusatory.

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unresisting
2009-05-08 12:20 am UTC (link)

Millicent put her tea down, her hands moving to her lips and she didn't turn to him, she shut her eyes and figured it'd be easier to explain this way. "....I..am..." She was going to admit it to him, but retracted her staement and shook her head,"...taking care of myself.." She frowned, her head looking straight at him.

"...Not like you will care once I leave anyhow. You have more important things than me to worry about probably." She seemed to get emotionally worked up.

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professor_snape
2009-05-08 03:09 pm UTC (link)

"While it is true that I have many things to worry about," Severus added primly, after taking another sip, "I will thank you to let me determine their relative importance, Millicent, if you don't mind."

It was an old habit he had fallen back on almost automatically. The tone of voice and stiff posture were something he had affected often as her instructor and Head of House, and he had also done that very thing countless times since. This wasn't meant to put her in her place, as such. Rather he had started out as a young teacher imitating Professor McGonagall's way of dealing with her students. His first year teaching at Hogwarts, the seventh years remembered him, as they had been first years when he had been in his seventh year. Initially, it had been a way to keep order in his classroom -- Potions being one of the more dangerous disciplines taught at Hogwarts -- but eventually it became second nature, when anybody dared to cheek him, adult and student alike.

"You said earlier, however, that you had not been taking care of yourself, and though I was hesitant at first, I must say now that I fully agree." He paused for another sip and raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "The question is, why? And it may be easier for you to dismiss my concerns by telling yourself -- and me -- that I will cease to care once we have parted this evening. But I have not ceased to care about you yet, in all the years that I have known you, so I do not see why I should alter that precedent simply to bring about your little self-fulfilling prophecy."

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unresisting
2009-05-09 12:57 am UTC (link)

Millicent pulled her hair behind her ears, looking over towards Severus,"....Professor, I...--" She growled and stood up, she thought of leaving but her temper died before she could. Her eyes lowered to Severus,"....Prove it." Millicent needed to hear it or see it, just saying it meant nothing to her.

She moved her hands to roll past and into her black hair, pulling it away from her face.

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professor_snape
2009-05-09 09:18 am UTC (link)

Spoken like a true Slytherin, Severus thought, with something akin to a smirk twisting his mouth momentarily. A second later, he repressed the expression in hopes of not offending the girl. He had taught them all well, hadn't he? Words did not matter in the slightest, as people would almost always tell you exactly what you wanted to hear. Only actions were the true measure of a person's intentions. Though, he thought wryly, in his case it had always been the exact opposite: he hardly ever sugarcoated his speech, and his actions had contained every bit of the ambiguity his words so often lacked.

"I intend to," he said at last, "but as such proofs would be difficult to supply you with tonight, I see no need to end our pleasant tea so abruptly -- even if you still doubt me for the present time." He paused for another sip and then gave a slight shrug. "Do you?" For a second, his actions reminded him uncomfortably of how Dumbledore might have approached this, but he quickly dismissed the notion. He was not attempting to maneuver the girl into an untenable situation for his own selfish or manipulative ends. His concern for her well being was genuine, regardless of whether she believed him, as yet.

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unresisting
2009-05-11 01:41 am UTC (link)

Millicent waited with a unpleased expression on her lips, waiting for empty words on a liar's tongue to spew from his mouth. When he told her of nothing that would make her feel otherwise, she stood back and his words caused her to finally reseat herself and she frowned back at him. There seemed to be no way she could really know and she would never make him do that otherwise.

The black haired girl took her tea, drank a bit and shook her head in response to his words. ".....Thank you, thanks for talking to me."

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professor_snape
2009-05-12 08:21 am UTC (link)

Severus nodded in response to her thanks. He was tempted to add that the pleasure had been all his, but as those were simply more of those empty words he knew she would scorn, as well as something else Dumbledore might have said, he decided against it. "No need to thank me, Millicent," he added with a slight shrug, raising his cup to his lips once more. Once he had taken another sip and swallowed, he set down his cup and turned to pour himself another. "As I said earlier, I get lonely, too." Then he gave her a small smile.

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	unresisting 2009-05-14 12:02 am UTC (link)
	Millicent went quiet after finishing her tea, her arms rested on top of her thighs again and rubbed them nervously. She didn't want to admit that she felt a rush of excitement that Severus had shown mild interest in her to some extent. The smile offered was received and given back just as lightly. "I should probably go, my father will be right angry." (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

professor_snape
2009-05-14 11:49 am UTC (link)

"Very well," Severus answered with an understanding nod. "I've no wish to get you into any more trouble with your father." He thought about asking if she would like to take the remainder of the scones with her, but somehow he already knew her answer. Instead, he pulled a pad and a stub of a pencil from the pocket of his robes and handed them to her. "I'll need to know your current address, if I am to visit you."

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unresisting
2009-05-14 03:21 pm UTC (link)

Millicent was honestly going to leave him without the address, but he caught her before she could escape. She turned around and took the paper and pencil, writing some of the basic information of which flat she was in, which building and all that. Once she finished scribbling, she handed it back to him and darted her away away.

"There. You can come over whenever you want, I must go." She said, crossing her arms and allowing her hair to sheild her face some.

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professor_snape
2009-05-14 03:57 pm UTC (link)

Though everything about her body language said she couldn't wait to get away from him, Millicent still scribbled down the information he had requested. Severus hadn't been sure she would, and at the moment, he still wouldn't have sworn to it that it was a real address. Still, if it was her actual abode, it was progress, and it if wasn't ... well, he could likely find her anyway.

"Very well," he answered, nodding and putting the pad and pencil away. "Would you like me to walk you out?" he asked, half-rising from his chair. The crowd in the main area of the pub had likely thinned a bit whilst they had been holed up in the parlor, but if she needed the extra comfort and assurance, he would be happy to provide it.

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unresisting
2009-05-15 08:44 pm UTC (link)

Millicent was about to turn when she heard his request to walk her out, her breath came quick to her for a moment. She knew he knew something about her and her stomach wouldn't be able to keep whatever she had down for very much longer. As much as she wanted to ask him to go with her, she felt the need to run off quickly.

"N..No..I've taken up your time, I am fine." Millicent made a unhappy face, shifting her things and waving as she abruptly left.

Clearly, she was running away.

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