[Chapter 19 - The Glares and Consequences]

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Ever since learning about Severus' dark secret, both he and Genevive had grown distant, reverting back to their old ways of bickering and childish altercations. The everyday tasks were just another way to take a dig at each other.

On this particular morning, Genevieve had slept in, only having, give or take, four minutes to get ready and be down at the Great Hall.

"Bugger, bugger, bugger, bloody bugger!" Genevive cursed, wrestling with her trousers.

Already ten minutes behind, she didn't even bother trying to style the rat's nest that was her hair, instead, plopping on the nearest hat from her coat rack.

Grabbing her wand off the side table, Genevive dashed out the door, flicking her wand to shut the painting behind her.

Nearly sprinting down the staircase, she arrived outside the large oak doors at exactly half-past nine.

"Sorry I'm late, seems to have become a bad habit of mine." Genevive apologised, sitting down in the open seat between Pomona and Filius.

The rest of the professors brushed her off, handing down the basket of croissants to the younger witch. Though she was chatting with Professor Sprout, Genevieve could feel a pair of eyes burning glares through the back of her head.

Lo and behold, she was right, a certain brooding man itching to make a comment. Just as Genevieve began to pour herself a cup of tea, Severus made his presence known.

"Professor Blackwell, a word."

Irritated that after their weeks he decided to speak to her, Genevieve curtly responded, "If you have something to say, Severus, you can say it in front of everyone, I've got nothing to hide."

"I'd rather not share, so if you could join me outside-" Severus clenched his jaw, visibly angered though the witch ignored this as she butted in.

"Well, I am in the middle of something-"Genevieve was cut off.

"Now! If you don't mind."

The entire hall was silent at Severus rise in tone, Genevive glaring intently at her antagonist, rising sweetly from the table, "Excuse me Pomona, I won't be a moment."

The pair walked briskly out of the hall and down to the nearby courtyard. Let's just say Genevieve was fuming.

"What do you think you're doing?" Severus accused her.

"What am I doing? Really? You're the one that brought me out here." she retorted.

Rubbing his forehead to try and contain his anger, Severus snarled, " Just look at you! What are you trying to prove here?!"

Only realising now what she had on, Genevive still didn't see what he meant. A tight cream v neck sweater showed off a few more curves than normal and with her hair curled, she looked rather attractive.

"After three weeks of blatantly ignoring me, you, out of all people, have the audacity to comment on my dress choice?! Get a life, Severus!" Genevive quarrelled, shoving a finger at his chest as she walked away in a huff.

Severus yelled out after her, "Runaway like you always do Genevieve!"

Holding back her rage, Genevive kept on walking, heading up for her morning class with 5th year Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, now in a bad mood.

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Now, today's class is going to be rather simple. I'm going to ask you the same question I asked the headmaster when I applied: what is magic?"

Iveta's hand rose in an instant, causing Genevieve to raise a brow, "You didn't give my question much thought, Ms Merik. Are you sure you have the answer?"

Her hand wavered, but she kept it up all the same.

"Very well. What is your answer?"

"It's the power of influencing events by using mysterious or supernatural forces."

"Exactly what Albus said. How amusing." the which though to herself.

"Correct," Genevieve said, Merik's expression brightening before the professor went on. "Correct by the textbooks."

"My goal in this class is to persuade your minds into thinking critically about the magic you learn at this school, to question the fundamentals and to come by a better comprehension of the why behind the remarkable victories you cast with a flick of your wand."

Glassy eyes stared back at her, causing Genevieve to rethink her lesson, "Perhaps a bit of a demonstration is in order? Does anyone have an apple?

One of the taller boys rummaged through his bag, pulling the fruit out and leaving it down at the professor's desk.

"Excellent. Now, I'm going to cast the levitation spell on the apple so watch what it does."

The apple rose up to the witches eye level, staying there as she went on.

"Now, we can all see that the apple is floating, levitating. To understand the magical theory, we can break down events into simple steps. First, we had an apple. Second, we applied a spell. Finally, the apple floats." Genevieve stood up from behind her desk, walking over to the side so as to not block the demonstration.

"Mr Weasley, can you guess how the Levitation Charm is making the apple float?"

The red-headed boy swallowed as he looked up at the professor standing at the side of his desk, "Um, it makes it really light?"

"Good guess, Charlie, but let us think more critically on this matter. What gives something its weight?"

Looking around the class, Genevive settled on the girl with purple hair at the back, "Ms Tonks, how about you? Do you know what makes something heavy?"

Focusing on the apple, Nymphadora made an educated guess, "Its mass?"

Genevive smiled, strolling along the other side of the aisle. "Very good. Gravity and mass are two factors that change the weight of an object. Gravity is...well, I will explain it in straightforward terms. Gravity is what draws objects with mass together. It's what makes the stars in space, drawing together all those bits of dust and gas that makes those pretty lights in the sky. For us, gravity is what makes things fall down."

Genevive brushed Charlie's bag off his desk, hitting the floor with a bang. "See? Now there's a whole host of different factors that affect the exertion of gravity upon an object, but let us get back to our apple and its mass."

Turning back to the front of the room, Genevive flicked her wand, causing a few diagrams to write themselves up on the chalkboard, "Mass is, simply, how dense an object is. It is why a Galleon weighs quite a bit more than a Sickle, though they are comparable in size."

"Gold is much heavier than silver. It's denser. It has more mass. So, in order for the Levitation Charm to work, it must take into account the major factors of gravity, and mass. For magical theory, we now understand in order for this apple to float—." She gestured at the fruit. "The Levitation Charm must affect its gravity."

The scratching of quills reverberated around the room as Genevieve sat on the corner of her desk.

"Ms Merik, tell me: how is the Levitation Charm working?"

Iveta smiled as she said the answer. "It's counteracting the gravity of the apple."

"Yes." Gen turned to face the rest of the class. "This may seem a bit silly to you all, but if you have been paying attention to the discussion, then you will have gained a better understanding of how the Levitation Charm operates. You have become more efficient in its casting because you understand what you are directing your magic to accomplish, rather than just flicking your wand about and hoping for the best. The intent is often more important than any motion of your wand or any pronunciation of a spell."

Gen leaned back on her desk, seventeen watching faces turned in her direction, "Understanding what magic is and how it works, even the most ordinary of spells will help you become better witches and wizards. For today's assignment, I want you each to choose either a spell you know or one that you are learning and examine how that spell works. I want you to write, let's say twelve inches on what you discover. Keep it nice and concise."

More scribbling ensued as they noted their assignment down.

Now, let's move on and start reading chapter seven of your textbooks...."

When the class came to a close, Genevieve took a deep breath, gathering up her papers as she left for dinner. A sombre smile made its way to her face, only adding to the feeling of doubt bubbling in her chest.

With this morning's conversation still fresh in her mind, Genevieve wondered if things would ever be the same between her and Severus.

~*~*~*~*~*~

A bit late but here we are none the less :) What up with Severus? Being very opinionated today. Will all work out in the end?

*The_lost_flower*