Arithmacy is now truly dreadful (Snape/Open)

[Emily Carlson]

Emily Carlson walked into the library angrily. She slung her book bag off her shoulder onto the ground. She dropped her books on the table making a bang. This caused the librarian to shush her. She simply rolled her eyes and sat in the seat holding her head in her hands. Her dark brown hair was down midback. Most of it covering her face. She took her Arithmacy book and opened it to the chapter they were doing. Might as well get some solo studying in before he came. "He" was Severus Snape. The Arithmacy teacher made him tutor her. She was doing bad in the subject and he was actually doing good. If that was even possible.

Why? Out of everyone, why does he have to tutor me? Lily or Remus could've been assigned to tutor me. But of course it had to be him! she thought to herself angrily while glaring at the book. She was pretty sure the dislike between them was mutual. Truthfully, she never really talked to him. But they still hated each other. Since her 1st year she was expected to hate him, considering the closeness between her and the marauders. But she always stayed out of the teasing for one reason. To stay on good terms with Lily. But since last year she actually really did dislike him. She hated how he called Lily a "mudblood". After everything Lily did for him. She got angry just thinking about it. Then there lastly was the death of Maura Leighton. He was one of those people who thought she was worthless. This was who she would have to study with.

[Severus Snape]

Severus stalked down the second floor corridor. A group of first year Hufflepuffs blocked his path and he stopped, just barely resisting the desire to curse them into next week.
"Move," he snarled. "Now."
They parted instantly and he strode through them without a backward glance. He continued on his path. In front of him, another group of students blocked his path, but he flicked his wand and an invisible barrier forced them apart. He didn't break stride, despite the cries of indignation coming from behind him. They were fifth years. He was still superior. Reaching the stairs, he waited impatiently for them to change. The school day had finished, and now there was nothing between him and an afternoon tutoring session. The Arithmancy professor had assigned him to tutor a fellow pupil. That wasn't so bad, right? Wrong. Of all the struggling Arithmancy students in the world, he had to have been paired with Carlson. Carlson. A Gryffindor who was friendly with the "Marauders". She was also the best friend of the recently deceased Leighton. Could this get any worse? Probably. Situations always did. He took a deep breath and schooled his face into a carefully neutral expression. The stairs finally changed and he made his way up to the fourth floor. As he entered the library, he looked around for his pupil. Expressionless, he made his way toward her, noting the glower that was mostly hidden by her hair. It had not escaped his notice, of course, that her Character Number was two, the same as his own. That implied compatability. Ha. Fat chance.

"Carlson," he said, before pulling out a seat opposite her and sitting down.
He placed his bag carefully on the ground beside him. Not sure what to bring, he'd packed most of his Arithmancy textbooks, including everything from the very basic, but ever useful, Numerology and Gramatica, to the books that they wouldn't refer to in class until next year, if at all.

[Emily Carlson]

Emily was reading through her textbook. It sort of surprised her that she managed to keep herself focused on it. But even though she was focused, she still didn't understand any of it. It used numbers in the most unique way and quite frankly gave her an extreeme headache. Maybe next time I should bring aspirin to class She thought to herself with a smirk.She heard steps but she didn't look up until Snape adressed her by her last name. It was not like she didn't expect him to do that. She looked up and moved the hair behind her ear so it wouldn't block her face.. "Snape" she said adressing him back. The tutoring didn't even start and she was dreading it already. She knew she wasn't having a very good attitude about it. But how could she? It was Severus Snape she was talking about. Behave yourself! the little annoying voice in her head told her.

"Ok. So I am pretty sure that we both don't want to be here. The dislike between is mutual. So how about we just get this over with then don't ever talk to each other at all. Sound good?" she asked. Even though he didn't even have a choice. Em was pretty stubborn when it came to getting her way. She didn't give up without a fight. But that might cause some problems. Her goal was to get through the study session without fighting or argueing. But she could have quite a temper, especially if he said or did something to insult any of her friends. She knew she would have to try and clear her mind of everything he did in the past. She leaned back in her chair a bit and looked around bored. "So what are we starting with?" she asked.

[Severus Snape]

"Ok. So I am pretty sure that we both don't want to be here. The dislike between is mutual. So how about we just get this over with then don't ever talk to each other at all. Sound good?" she asked.
Severus rolled his eyes. So much for Gryffindor chivalry. She sounded as if she expected him to argue. What did she think he was going to say? But Carlson, you're my one true love. Now that we're study buddies I want to be best friends. Let's have heart to hearts twice daily! She was completely ridiculous, and incredibly irritating into the mix. Not to mention everything else such as liking Potter. Why couldn't he have had to tutor someone else? Anyone else? He ignored her 'sound good?'.

"So what are we starting with?" she asked.
He pulled their current textbook onto the table and opened it to the chapter they had last referenced in class. Before he began, he couldn't resist a jibe.
"Funny," he murmered, slyly. "Funny the Professor chose me to tutor you, despite your friendship with Lupin. Despite the fact that he most certainly knew of your little study group with the were-" He paused. "I mean, Lupin. I suppose my talents surpass his."
He smirked and turned a page. Hadn't he meant to keep a handle on himself during this? It would be easier for both of them if they didn't fight, but he couldn't resist.

((Sorry it took so long, I spent ages trying to think of an Arithmancy topic for him to explain to her but I couldn't come up with anything. I think I've almost got it, but I'll figure it out before my next post ))

[Emily Carlson]

Emily wasn't surprised she didn't get a response from him. She honestly didn't even care what he thought of her. But she hoped it meant that they would focus on their work. She really needed a good grade. The sooner they were done. The sooner she could leave. But no it didn't mean that. Not at all.
"Funny the Professor chose me to tutor you, despite your friendship with Lupin. Despite the fact that he most certainly knew of your little study group with the were-" He paused. "I mean, Lupin. I suppose my talents surpass his."

She remembered Sirius and James telling her about what happened the one day she wasn't with them. How Snape was there when Remus turned but James saved his life. How Snape knew about Remus's secret. Em didn't trust him at all with something like this. He was really starting to piss her off. She knew she had to behave. But why couldn't she just leave and find Remus? Or Lily? "I swear if you ever tell anyone about his secret you will be sorry." she said glaring at him. Emily wasn't very good at the revenge thing but it was worth a try.

But for some reason she felt bad for fighting. She promised herself she wouldn't. But she was far to stubborn to apologize to the jerk. She would rather have Sirius or James tutor her. And that was saying something considering the grades they got. "If you aren't going to help me i think I will leave and find Lily so she can help me! With or without permission from the professor. So are you helping me or not?" she asked coldly. She included Lily in the sentence because of last year. She knew it was a bit cruel. But after the things he said, he deserved to be reminded of Lily. Even in such a small way. But she knew she had to calm herself. This was going to be a long study session.

((haha no problem. ))

[Severus Snape]

"I swear if you ever tell anyone about his secret you will be sorry." she said glaring at him.
Severus smirked.
"Oh," he breathed. "But I might just... let something slip. Accidents happen, you know..."
He smirked again, enjoying his small amount of power. It wasn't often he was in a position of power, and it was certainly rare for him to have power over the marauders. He really did have to think about what he could do with that small piece of information. One word had the potential to bring his enemy down... Merlin. One word... NO! He was not getting back on the subject of 'one word', he was sick of caring. And then, of course, she had to go and bring her up.
"If you aren't going to help me i think I will leave and find Lily so she can help me! With or without permission from the professor. So are you helping me or not?" she asked coldly.

Trust Carlson to bring up her. Were there any girls at this school who weren't her or a cold-hearted bitch? Any girls or women anywhere? Probably not. He carefully controlled his expression, trying not to flinch at her name.
"Don't be so touchy, Carlson," he sneered. "Of course I'll try and lessen your stupidity."

Well, this was turning out to be rather... explosive. He turned his gaze to his textbook and skim-read the open page. Arithmancy. He hated tutoring people when they clearly didn't care. They should care. Knowledge was power, not that anyone seemed to listen to that. What were they doing? Hmm, he'd start with scenarios. Basic, sure, but they made things easier to understand.

"Does her highness mind if we start off with a few scenarios?" He asked, sarcastically.

[Emily Carlson]

She glared at him when he mentioned it "slipping out". "Yes, because you tend to always let things slip." she said more to herself. This was certainly a sticky situation. Here is someone who hates the marauders, which includes Remus, and knows his deepest darkest secret. A secret that would cause him a lot of trouble. Em didn't trust him at all. She knew she was unfair to bring up Lily. It was cold. She hated when this side of her came out. When she would be cold and not feel guilty. But she had a good reason. She had been through a lot. The last thing she needed was him making things complicated. She had so many emotions piled up that she kept hidden. She didn't want this to be the moment of when she cracks. She knew he would hold it against her. As long as he didn't bring Maura up, she might be able to make it through.

She rolled her eyes when he mentioned her being stupid. "Like you don't have any subject that you have troubles with?" she asked doubtfully. Everyone had at least one subject which caused them trouble. Why was she even wasting her time? This wouldn't help her with anything. She was a better person than this. She shouldn't be fighting back. If this was even considered fighting? It was more of a pathetic, lame, little arguement. She knew she should keep it at that level. She had to keep her temper in control. But she didn't appreciate the sarcastic comment. She decided to ignore it.

"Whatever you think will help." she said with a shrug. She couldn't believe how anyone got this subject. Hopefully this might actually help her a bit, even though doubt filled her up. if her friends couldn't help her, why should he be able to help her? But she still knew she had to try and get it. Maybe she could prove him wrong and show she is smarter than he thinks.

[Severus Snape]

(( I love your new sig and avatar! ))

"Yes, because you tend to always let things slip."
"At least I'm alive to let things slip," he shot back.
Not subtle at all, and a very low blow. Then again, Carlson had been hitting below the belt too. He was in Slytherin, fighting dirty was practically in the job description. Carlson, on the other hand... chivalrous? She should have been in Slytherin. He wondered how much she knew of his relationship with Lily. Probably a lot, considering that they were best friends. And she seemed to know how to hurt him. That was dangerous. No, it didn't really matter. He had more over her... Now he was going round in circles.

"Like you don't have any subject that you have troubles with?" She asked.
"Stupidity is remaining content with one's level of ability and not pursuing further knowlege," he said, flatly.
He wasn't stupid, his OWL's proved that. Sure, he had trouble with things, but not academic pursuits. Well, maybe with some subjects, but he worked hard enough that you couldn't really tell. That reminded him, he had to start on that potion for Rodolphus. And Evan had been hinting that he wanted a particularly nasty poison.

"Whatever you think will help," she shrugged.
"Alright. So say you've got someone by the name of..." He paused, his mind running through names and sums. "Charlie Lovett. Charlie is in love with someone by the name of... Faith Peterson. On the first day of April, 1976, Lovett sends her a white rose as a token of his affections, along with a note reading "To My Dearest". Based on the available information, will Peterson be predisposed to accept or reject Lovett's advance?"

[Emily Carlson]

((ya, you can thank Lee for that. we couldn't have chosen a more confusing subject ))

"At least I'm alive to let things slip," he shot back Emily glared at him. When he mentioned at least being alive did he mean about the incident or Maura's death. Either way it did prove something. he could be equally as cold as she was. She knew she had to stay in control. She decided to ignore that comment so she could just move on. It was worthless to fight back to him. There wasn't going to be any satisfaction gained from it. But if he did mention one thing about her death, then that would just cross the line and unleash her temper.

"Stupidity is remaining content with one's level of ability and not pursuing further knowlege," he told her. It was one thing to call her stupid, but she did try. She wasn't someone who slacked off in a subject because it was boring or no good. "Just because I don't get it doesn't mean that I don't try and pursue learning it! If I didn't even care about gaining knowledge in the subject, then why would I be here?" she asked. There had to be some justice. Some sympathy for her side. She really was trying. And him telling her that she basically failed in the subject wasn't much help...at all. She knew the only way to make it right was to apologize, no matter how torturous it would be. But it wasn't the right moment. Not yet.

"Alright. So say you've got someone by the name of... Charlie Lovett. Charlie is in love with someone by the name of... Faith Peterson. On the first day of April, 1976, Lovett sends her a white rose as a token of his affections, along with a note reading "To My Dearest". Based on the available information, will Peterson be predisposed to accept or reject Lovett's advance?" he asked her. She bit her lip. What the bloody hell? How am i supposed to know this! she thought to herself. It was ridiculous. That they would think she could tell whether it was rejected or accepted depending on the date. She started to think a bit. But it didn't make sense. She knew that she shouldn't give a smartass answer but it was quite tempting.

She tried to think a bit. Honestly she didn't even know how to approach the specific problem. "Okay. Do you mind giving me a hint on how to do this?" she asked quietly. as she tried starting it off. She felt so stupid at the moment. That's what she got for "trying new things" and joining the class for the first time. She definately wouldn't take it next year. It wasn't as interesting as she thought it would be.

[Severus Snape]

((my next thread is going to have to be about something easy to understand!! ;D ))

"Just because I don't get it doesn't mean that I don't try and pursue learning it! If I didn't even care about gaining knowledge in the subject, then why would I be here?" she asked.
"Perhaps because the professor instructed you to?" He pointed out, snidely. "Or are you that desperate to spend time in my company?"

"Okay. Do you mind giving me a hint on how to do this?" she asked quietly.

He smirked. He'd defeated her. "Look at all of the keywords," he said, pulling out a piece of parchment and a quill and scrawling the scenario in his cramped font. He spun the parchment around so it was facing Carlson. Then he underneath the scenario he wrote (upside down so Carlson could read it) : Charlie Lovett + Faith Peterson + the first day of April, 1976 + white rose + "To My Dearest"
"Then you have to work out the factors of each of them."

He put the quill down and pushed the paper toward her.

((Use this site as a reference. For the names, Emily should work out their character, heart and social numbers. For the others, use their character number and call it their factor. For "the first day of April, 1976", she should reduce 01/04/1976.))

[Emily Carlson]

((Thanks the link helps. Sorry it took so long I just had mid-terms))

"Perhaps because the professor instructed you to?" He pointed out, snidely. "Or are you that desperate to spend time in my company?"
Emily shrugged at the first suggestion. It was entirely true but why one earth would she admit it. She laughed at the second suggestion. "Haha you're funny." she said with a smirk. It wasn't really cold, more playful. It was weird how she managed to make it sound somewhat friendly. Maybe it was a sign for a truce?

She nodded listening to his directions. She took out the quill and did the math to find the character, love, and social numbers of each key word there was.

Charlie Lovett
Character: 6
Heart: 8
Social: 7

Faith Peterson
Character: 3
Heart: 8
Social: 4

The First Day of April
Character: 5
Heart: 4
Social: 1

white rose
Character: 5
Heart: 7
Social: 7

"To My Dearest"
Character: 1
Heart: 8
Social: 2

Emily showed Snape. "Is it right so far?" she asked for a check before she continued. She wanted to make sure she got the right numbers for each or that she was doing it correctly.

[Severus Snape]

((That's fine, I was on holiday with no internet, anyway, got back yesterday))

"Haha you're funny," she smirked, almost playfully.
She sounded like she was ready to be friends. A truce? Well she could forget that course of action. He said nothing in reply.

"Is it right so far?" she asked.
"Except for the first day of April. That's a date, so you can only work out it's basic factor."

The First Day of April
Character: 5
Heart: 4
Social: 1

The First Day of April, 1976
Factor:
(reduce 141976)

He leaned back in his seat and regarded her with a twisted smile. He'd almost begun to think that this session might be bearable. Then he remembered who he was tutoring. Carlson. Carlson.

((We need some conflict! Could we pull in an NPC, eg one of Sev's slytherin friends?, or maybe even someone like Lupin or Black?))

[Emily Carlson]

((haha I just messaged Lee about bringing in Lupin))

[Severus Snape]

((haha, sounds great ;D ))