Chapter 25: Mother and Daughter

"How could you do this to me, I never agreed to do the program!" complained a young blonde-haired woman with incredible green, almost transparent eyes as she entered the dean's office unannounced.

"Huh?" Severus only turned in confusion to look at the young intruder and was surprised at the woman's resemblance to Emma Stone.

"Gwen, what have I told you about coming into my office like that?" the dean said to the young woman who entered.

The young woman named Gwen walked into the office looking like a pretty young Emma Stone with blonde hair in open parted bangs, a green pencil skirt along with a white t-shirt and a green sweater, she noticed someone else was in the office so she looked at Severus for a second, then smiled with a raised eyebrow and turned to the Dean.

"Oh, sorry Mother, my mistake, I didn't know you were with guests, I'd better come back later," Gwen said highlighting the 'Mother' as she completely ignored Severus and turned to leave the office.

The Dean sighed shaking her head at her daughter's obvious attempt to leave her in an awkward situation in front of a student.

"Miss Gwen Stacy, stay right there, close the door and introduce yourself accordingly," said the Dean in an authoritative voice before the young woman could leave the office.

Severus wasn't paying attention to the family debate between mother and daughter because he was more focused on the strange coincidence that he would again cross paths with an actress who was not supposed to exist in this time and world.

Now he had even more doubts about Hermione's situation.

'Wait, she said Gwen Stacy!, isn't that the name of a Spiderman character, no no no, this must be just another absurd coincidence, I'm sure there is no Spiderman in this world, nor anything related to Marvel comics or others' Severus was lost in his thoughts the instant the young woman named Gwen Stacy entered who apparently was the daughter of the Dean and was also identical to Emma Stone.

'Besides, the history of this world and all the events that happened so far are the same as the world I lived in when I was Benedict Clarke, the only thing that is different in this world is that there is a whole magical world hidden from the muggles and this magical world follows, for now, the canon of J. K. Rowling's books' Severus continued thinking while ignoring the conversation the Dean was having with her apparent daughter.

While Severus was lost in thought, young Gwen Stacy who was about to leave the office, stopped in her place the instant she heard the dean speak to her with authority, arched an eyebrow then proceeded to sigh, close the office door as she was told to do and approach the desk where Severus and the dean were conversing.

The dean merely nodded at the young woman's obedience.

"Sorry about that Mr..." the Dean began to say to Severus only to proceed to look at him again and stop when she saw that the young man was not listening to her as he seemed completely absorbed looking at his daughter.

"Ahem ahem," the Dean tried to get Severus' attention.

While Gwen also noticed that the young man in front of her mother had become engrossed in staring at her.

"Eh? yes?" Severus seemed to realize that he had become engrossed when he heard the Dean try to get his attention.

The instant Severus was no longer engrossed he saw that both the dean and the young woman were looking at him with doubtful faces and the young Gwen he had been staring at was giving him a look with both eyebrows raised and an amused smile searching for answers.

"This... I... " Severus was embarrassed that he had become engrossed in staring at the dean's daughter, he was sure they had misunderstood why he had stared at her, but he couldn't explain the real reason to them either.

'{"Hey you look just like an actress from another world I lived in and that's why I was engrossed by the sight of you"} yeah, very subtle, it sure would work' Severus grumbled inwardly.

"Very well, Mr. Prince, may I introduce Gwen Stacy, my daughter and valedictorian of her year at Salem College of Transfigurations" introduced the Dean seeing the discomfort in Severus.

"Mmmm, oh yes, nice to meet you, miss Stacy, I'm Severus Prince, I'm going to be taking the summer program at Salem College of Potions" replied Severus introducing himself and mentally thanking the Dean for getting him out of the awkward situation he was in.

"Ah okay okay" Gwen replied nodding with a smile as she continued to look at him amused.

"Well, Mr. Prince, what do you think if we leave today for tomorrow and now take the opportunity for Miss Stacy to give you a tour of the institution's facilities, she is an exemplary student so she will be able to answer all your questions," said the dean smiling at them.

"Yes, sure, if it's not too much trouble," said Severus politely.

"Of course, it isn't, is it Miss Stacy?"

"Yeah Yeah sure, I'll be happy to guide you through the facilities, come with me" replied Gwen taking Severus by the arm and lifting him up to leave the office, causing the dean to shake her head at her daughter's behavior.

After they both quickly left the office, Gwen released Severus and proceeded to walk calmly by his side.

Severus didn't know what to say, in Gwen's haste, he hadn't even had time to properly dismiss the dean.

"So, does a lot happen to you?" Gwen asked him out of the blue.

"Happen to what?" said Severus in confusion.

"Staring at a girl, do you often do that?" Gwen asked again as they both continued walking.

"Cough cough, Oh yeah that... well, it was pretty embarrassing of me."

"Yeah Yeah, we agree it was" Gwen nodded jokingly.

"Yeah, well sorry about that, it's just that you look a lot like someone I know and I couldn't help myself."

"Ah okay okay, so?" asked Gwen again.

"So what?" Severus again didn't understand what the young woman was referring to.

"You know, what is that girl to you, you're not going to tell me that you got sucked into looking at me just because she looked like some random girl, she must be someone important to you right?"

"Well..., not necessarily," said Severus a bit uncomfortable not knowing what exactly to answer that question, after all, he only knew her because she was famous, nothing more.

"Isn't she?" asked Gwen becoming more and more interested.

"You could say she was more like just someone I saw the odd time or two and she left an impression on me" answered Severus without explaining much.

"Oh and was she that good?" asked Gwen biting her lip and smiling at him with raised eyebrows.

"Very good," Severus said automatically as he looked Gwen up and down a little lost.

"Yeah well, this..., a very good impression" Severus clarified after realizing that he wasn't thinking correctly when he spoke and could misunderstand what he was saying.

"Ah okay okay, sure," Gwen said as she nodded feigning seriousness, and gave him a flirtatious look.

After that, the two continued to walk around the facility as Gwen commented and answered him the odd thing or two about the Salem Witch Institute.

"So, the Dean is your mother, how does that feel?" asked Severus after getting more confident in the tour with Gwen.

"Yeah, what can I tell you, it has its good and bad things."

"Mmmm the bad things might have to do with the program you suddenly came screaming into the office from?" asked Severus jokingly, making it Gwen's turn to be mildly embarrassed.

"Yeah, it might have to do."

"So?" asked Severus.

"So...Yeah yeah, very funny, nice try," Gwen said putting on a straight face as a smile escaped her.

"Well, it didn't hurt to try" admitted Severus amused, he had tried to repeat what she had done to him in the conversation where she asked him why he was engrossed looking at her.

"Now seriously speaking, it had to do with the Potions College summer program didn't it?" asked Severus.

"Was it that obvious?" asked Gwen raising an eyebrow in doubt.

"Mmmm maybe, but yes, I suppose it wasn't that hard to come to that conclusion," said Severus.

"Oh, I was already thinking you were going to tell me you were some kind of seer wizard or something," said Gwen laughing.

"Not at all, I don't trust those things one bit," Severus said firmly.

"Yeah yeah, well, we agree on that" nodded Gwen smiling at him.

Every moment the two of them spent talking, they felt like they liked each other better and better, surprisingly for the two of them, they got along very well and hit it off on many things.

"The truth is that my mother, the dean of SCoP, was obsessed with me doing the SCoP summer program as she had done in the past."

"And you're not interested in that are you?"

"Not enough, unlike my mother, I do like and have a passion for transfiguration, not potions like her and I want to use my talent to further my future in transfigurations not waste time on a potions program or anything unrelated"

"Let me guess, she put you in the program course without telling you," Severus said.

"Yeah, something like that, since I've been a girl he's been looking to get me interested in potions, but lately he became much more insistent for no reason, and now without me agreeing he enrolled me in the program, the worst part is he knows I'm going to try because I don't like getting bad grades" complained Gwen.

"Well, it could be worse."

"Oh yeah? How?"

"Well, She could have applied for you to transfer to the Russian school Koldovstoretz which is the second-best school in potions after Salem" joked Severus making Gwen laugh.

"Yeah yeah, I guess you're right about that one."

By the time they finished the conversation he had made it all the way to the dorms for the students in the program.

"Alright, here ends the tour Prince," said Gwen.

"Just Severus is fine and thanks for everything, I must say you did a great job as an exemplary student."

"I know I know, I tend to impress people" joked Gwen.

"Sure..., I hope you don't go around telling everyone that because it's embarrassing" Severus scoffed.

"I don't think the Severus who glared at me in front of my mother who is his Dean, is the right person to tell me that I'm embarrassing," said Gwen sticking her tongue out.

"Well well, you won, by the way, you're never going to let me forget that are you?" said Severus as he shook his head in amusement.

"Mmmmm, let me think about it...mmmm no, now that I have someone to blackmail for some extra help in the program I can't let it go"

"Alright very well and just so you know, if you had only asked I would have had no problem giving you a hand."

"Maybe, but then I wouldn't have had the chance to remind you of that embarrassing moment as an excuse, see you," Gwen said goodbye smiling.

Severus just shook his head and proceeded to find his dormitory.