There was a circular zodiac marking on the floor of the Alchemy classroom, much like the "ancient" style of restroom decor. People of that era believed circles represented perfection. Though circular sinks took up a great deal of space, "modern" restrooms were generally arranged along the walls, leaving more room.
Pomona slowly walked from Leo to Gemini, while Severus moved from Aquarius to Sagittarius. Then they both stopped.
"I'm not your enemy, Pomona," Severus said expressionlessly.
"I know," she said softly. "But..."
"Will you come to the dance with me?" he suddenly asked.
"What dance?" she asked in surprise.
"The Slytherin house dance," he said.
"Since when did you have a dance?" Pomona asked.
"One of the girls in our house planned it," Severus said. "Will you come with me?"
For a moment, she did not know how to react.
He smiled strangely. "What if Sirius Black invited you?"
"He wouldn't," Pomona said firmly.
"What if he did?"
"That's impossible," Pomona said irritably. "Can we stop talking about the dance?"
"No, I want to talk about it," he said in an unpleasant tone.
"You're awful!" she said bluntly.
But instead of getting angry, he laughed.
She had no idea what was wrong with him, so she still said fiercely, "I hate this topic!"
He shook his head in disappointment.
"What's wrong?"
"If I were as handsome as he is, would you still say you hated it?"
"That's not the point!"
"I think it is," he said smugly. "Quite a few people joined the Death Eaters because they were obsessed with the Dark Lord's appearance. Some even testified for Black, saying that on the day he blasted Peter Pettigrew to death with a spell, they were having a candlelit dinner together."
She wanted to argue.
"No one protected me, so I