“Now that partners are established, you can leave. Go bother someone else.” 

Bang!

The Potions classroom door slammed against the wall and inside came a sweaty red head. The disheveled student’s hand leaned heavily on the door, face hung down in obvious exhaustion.

“Sorry! I’m! Late!” Winter wheezed out, each word like a stab to her lungs. She kept heaving, her bag’s strap wiggling precariously due to her actions. She was unaware of the large number of eyes looking at her, some in disbelief that someone would dare interrupt a Potions class as grand as this.

“Leave,” Snape repeated, heavier than earlier. The rest of the class scrambled to get their things, nearly shoving each other on the way out.

“W-wait– Hey! ow!” Winter limped as one of her classmates accidentally stepped on her foot after the whole stampede. She tried to dodge, she really did! But she guessed it was one of Malfoy’s goons that did it on purpose. It’s usually those pricks. She threw a glare at their general direction .

Snape cleared his throat, making her look back immediately to the instructor. “You are late, Ms. Kim,” he only drawled, folding his arms across his chest as he blinked at her, unimpressed. “I see that my class is so unimportant to you that you just decide to come to it whenever you please. Potions is an option to you, hmm?”

The sixth year gulped, holding the bag strap tighter. “I’m so sorry, professor. My alarm clock didn’t end up go–”

“I do not care.”

Winter shut immediately. “It will never happen again,” she promised instead, crossing her heart.

The older man simply rolled his eyes at her. “Partners have been selected, Miss Kim. If you don’t have one, you can drop my class.”

Oh !

“W-wait!” Winter never would have thought that she would stutter the same word in the same manner within a manner of minutes. She raised her arms in surrender, putting on her pleading eyes. “I’m sure I’m not the only one who missed the class, yeah?” 

Snape made a face at the way she kept raising and lowering her brows before turning to his desk. “Hmm,” he started, going through a folder, “you’re right. Luck seems to favor you today, Kim, because there is also another person who skipped my class. You can have the honor of partnering up with Karina Yu for the rest of the year.”

Winter just went through the stages of grief or something. With an information overload, she shook her head. “Wait! What do you mean the rest of the year?”

She’s never heard of anyone who got stuck with only one partner for the entire year. Snape was notorious for separating friends and acquaintances so he regularly shuffled the partners in his classes. 

Well, until now apparently. 

Oh god it’s even worse because who the was Karina Yu?

Snape raised a questioning eyebrow. “There is only one meaning to what I said, Ms. Kim. You are going to be partners with Ms. Yu until the last day of your sixth year.”

“Why?!”

“Because you dared to miss my class.”

What the did he mean?!

(It was pretty straightforward, she just didn't want to process it.)

“Professor–” Winter tried to reason out, but Snape waved a lazy hand and the door swung towards her until it was shut in front of her face. She gaped at the door, looking towards the pedestrians in the corridor to gauge their reactions.

No one paid her any attention.

“!” Winter cursed under her breath, scratching her head as she stomped to the dungeon hallways, back to the Gryffindor common room. She kicked at the plants by the Fat Lady, earning a disapproving glare from the portrait. She continued grunting in annoyance, almost screaming at a poor pair of 2nd years that just had the misfortune of leaving the common room while she was going in. “!”

The sunny Gryffindor common room did not deserve the grumpy redhead girl on the couch, her tiny body covering the entirety of the seat.

“Why is my bestie grumpy?” Another Gryffindor girl peeked down at her.

“Snape.”

“Oh.” The other girl rounded and sat on the carpeted flood, leaning her back on the couch. She looked at Winter, “Did he go hard on you?”

“Yes!”

“What did he do?”

“He paired me up with someone! That I don’t know.!”

The other girl tilted her head in confusion. “What’s wrong with that?”

Winter threw a pillow at her friend. “I can’t make friends like you do, Ningning! I’m not built for that!” Most of the people Winter knew in Hogwarts was from hanging out with this friend of hers. She was pretty sure that Ningning knew everyone, and everyone knew her.

Ningning chuckled, slapping her friend’s thigh lightly. “I’m sure you’ll be fine, Winter. It can’t be anyone that unpopular that you won’t know them.”

“It’s Karina Yu.”

“Oh, the most popular girl in our year?” A thick pause. Ningning’s eyes widened in recognition. “What do you mean you don’t know Karina Yu?!”

The redhead covered her face, “Who the is Karina Yu?!

The brunette scrambled upwards, standing up to loom at her friend. “She’s the smart and chic troublemaker in Slytherin!”

Not a single clue appeared in Winter’s head. “Who?”

“Oh my god. She’s rumored to be hated by almost every professor–even the ones that she hasn’t even had yet! She keeps getting away with it because she’s still the smartest witch in our year!”

“But?” Winter urged, not believing that such an outstanding student was unknown to her.

“But she’s a bit of a troublemaker and skips class.”

Winter threw her hands up, groaning, “ing great! I got a freeloader.”

“I’m sure she’s smarter than you though.”

“If she’s not going to classes and is only in it for herself in assignments, then she’s a freeloader,” the redhead argued back, wagging a finger.

“I don’t know, Winter. Maybe at least give it a try?” Ningning nudged her arm with her knee. Oh sweet optimistic and friendly Ningning. Winter's struggles completely flew past her pretty little head. “Come on, let’s grab lunch.”

That was the end of Winter’s thoughts about Karina Yu because Ningning just dragged her to the Great Hall.

Maybe some pastries can slow her panicking thoughts.

A week passed by and Winter had been dreading coming to Potions. She made sure she set her alarm properly the night before, and even went as far as asking a favor from her roommates to wake her up at a certain time if she hadn’t already. 

She started pacing across the Potions classroom, thinking of ways to convince Snape to just let her go solo instead of partnering her up with a stranger and apparent troublemaker like Karina Yu.

The bell rang and Winter was the first person inside as the lower years left the room.

“Professor,” she started, marching towards her instructor that was currently cleaning his blackboard.

“What now, Kim?”

“I’m not comfortable with having only one partner for the rest of the year.”

“I do not care, Kim. Maybe this could teach you a lesson the next time you decide to skip my class.”

He’s! He’s so ing petty!!!

Winter gritted her teeth, “But Professor, I can’t have her drag down my grades.”

Snape whirled around with a…? Winter’s blood chilled as he realized the teacher had a smirk on his face.

Maybe she should just drop this class.

“Karina Yu has never given me any miscalculated potion as opposed to your more incredibly  mediocre potions. If anything, you’ll be the one dragging her down.”

Her middle finger twitched. “Then Miss Perfect will be fine working solo!”

“Talking about your new partner already?” Someone spoke out. Winter spun so quickly she almost stumbled. A raven-haired girl stood by the door with her arms crossed. The other girl took a step forward to reveal herself and goddammit, Winter’s jaw dropped. There stood an ethereal woman with perfect features and milky skin.

Words and descriptors flew out of her head, unable to comprehend that she never noticed a gorgeous girl like her before. There was a moment where it really felt like time stopped and her eyes just zoomed at the other girl. Look at those eyes–her eyelashes were so long and thick… are they real? She felt like it’s her first time seeing such a full set of plump lips. Wow. Was that a mole—-wait.

Ungay, Winter! Ungay!! 

She shook her head to keep her thoughts back on track.

“Ms. Yu. Honored to have your presence in today’s class,” Snape glared, another tempting smirk almost on his mouth.

When Ningning said most of the professors hated Karina Yu, Winter didn’t think it excluded Severus ing Snape! She supposed it made sense–the other girl was under his house and was apparently so ing stellar at Potions that she got special treatment.

“Professor! I have owl’ed you my thoughts about our existing theory about Wolfsbane. I was working on them last week and got so into it I slept through my alarm,” the switched it up, pulling some notes and putting them onto the teacher’s desk.

Snape only hummed.

Winter wanted to cuss them out. She said the exact same thing last week but this pretty gets away with it? off!

“And for my partner,” Karina spun around with a mischievous sparkle in her eyes–if she threw a book at Karina’s face, would it wipe off her grin? “do you have anything to say to me?” 

“Just that I don’t want to be partnered up with a freeloader,” Winter bit back, huffing a breath of annoyance.

Karina rose a delicate brow. Judging. “Last time I remembered, you were the one who put three extra eel eyes and three extra inches of bezoar powder for your Living Draught potion that it ended up poisoning the air and making eight classmates comatosed for nine days.”

Her face broke into a furious blush, clenching her first with the intense desire to punch the Slytherin’s cheek. Just one ing punch, please. “That was an accident!”

The black haired girl put a finger on her chin in contemplation. “What about when you put two unicorn horns instead of one bicorn horn for the Polyjuice assignment? Then after making that batch bubble, you put eight batches of lacewing flies instead of three. That poisoned the air too and for two and a half days there was a whole class worth of Winter Kims walking around Hogwarts.”

“Okay maybe I’m just bad at potions!” Winter argued back despite the embarrassment rooting her feet. She didn't think the other girl would remember her fumbles. (She was the talk of the school for a bit. Everyone remembered her fumbles.) “My point is, I want a partner that’s on my level of knowledge and understanding in Potions.”

Karina thought aloud, “I don’t think there’s anyone in our year that can go that low.”

! What a ing !

She was about to send out a hurl of curses and threats but Snape cleared his throat and started his thought. 

“What if…” A devilish smile appeared on his pale face. It’s over for Winter. “What if we have you teach Ms. Kim? Since it is so painfully obvious that her talents lie elsewhere, she has to work harder on her worst subject.”

“I would love to,” Karina answered immediately, looking down at her with a teasing lift of lips. “I would love to help in bringing a lesser potioneer up to current standards.”

“Delightful. Ms. Kim, you will be spending time outside class hours to practice your painfully lacking Potions skills. I will at least help this world by teaching you what not to do. I will be writing to Professor McGonagall later regarding this arrangement.”

Winter exploded, “I never allowed this! What the hell do you mean she’s teaching me? Also, Potions isn’t my worst subject! None of this makes sense and I can’t afford to do more of this class outside of class hours.”

“You obviously need it,” Karina whispered under her breath.

Winter whirled to face her. “I don’t need your help!” She stuck out a shaking finger to point at the gorgeous girl.

The other girl shrugged, “Yeah I don’t know about that.”

“ you!”

“Kim, detention.”

“!”

“Would you rather I take away your Hogsmeade privileges, Kim?”

Winter growled, taking in shaky breaths to stop herself from clawing out the other student’s eyes, “No, sir.”

It’s all her fault!

Students started streaming inside the classroom, eyeing the two students engaged with their professor with an air of hostility. The professor looked impassive as usual, the Gryffindor's face almost as red as her bright hair, and the Slytherin was holding back her laughter.

“Take your seats, class.” Snape glanced at her briefly and went back to the front of the room.

Winter threw her bag down the front seat, the only seats left unoccupied because of the Slytherins that decided her suffering was their current main source of entertainment.

Great, now she had to sit beside her too.

The dark haired girl immediately got herself comfortable beside Winter, annoying her more. Long elegant fingers tapped rhythmically on their shared desk, seemingly trying to catch her attention. 

“See you this weekend,” Karina nudged her with her elbow, earning a glare from her.

“ off.”

Karina threw her head back and laughed, only earning a glare from the professor before continuing the class.

Pretty ing privilege right there!

“You wish,” a wide smile from the other girl made her pause and look away.

Winter wished she just dropped the class

this was a whirlwind to do omg,,,, I got lucky with the tags I got from the bag!

Tags: Harry Potter, magical/supernatural, lab partners