Severus's slinky
I was brooding in my room. Sulking really. Life had lost it's taste. I didn't cry even when chopping onions to make some pasta over the summer. Pity really.
I recalled that it was Thursday and I had to grade essays before tomorrow. I shuddered at the thought of having to go trough endless pile of parchment rolls. And as my luck would have it Longbottom had no doubt managed to reach new levels of sheer stupidity. I took a deep breath and I sighed as if I was in pain. I let out a quiet disapproving grunt "Gryffindorks..." they had been the bane of my existence since I'd been eleven.
I reached for my wand and began to use it's magical powers to stop the headache that was slowly starting to build. I took a breath as the pleasant feeling overcame me and filled my eyes with tingling light for a moment.
I slowly got up from the bed and glided towards my desk. Slowly. Despite the charm I still felt nauseous about the task that was ahead of me. Ever so slowly I sat down and reached reluctantly for the first scroll. "Thomas.." I mused out loud. Another idiotic boy. Dreading the oncoming slaughter of sanity I read on and started marking every mistake I could find with a venomous glee.
My foul mood got worse and worse with every passing moment. It appeared I had been wrong there wasn't a parchment from Longbottom. There was a miserable failure from one certain Longbattom tough. It seemed that the imbecile couldn't even spell his name right.
After an agonizing thirty minutes my hand met the only parchment I actually wanted to grade. "Potter..." I mumbled. Wretched scent of sewers that goes hand in hand with that cursed name came to my mouth. Without glancing at the text I uttered a few words, monotone and quiet, but they were words of victory "You fail. Ha.". But as I was scribbling a offhanded F to the bottom of his scroll my eyes landed on a dust covered metal spring that was on the corner of my table.
The small satisfaction I took at failing the Potter spawn vanished. I suddenly remembered the moment that drove me to choose the path I had chosen. All because of blasted Potter! I hadn't always been miserable. My first years at Hogwarts had actually been quite enjoyable. At least until thrice cursed Potter just had to ruin it all.
Suddenly I had had enough. I didn't have to live in Potter's shadow even this long after his death! I stood up and my voice didn't betray the little spark of rebellion I felt stirring up inside me as I mumbled "Far too long have you pained me... Potter." The last word was spat like a curse though. I took the small toy in my hand as I glided out of my dungeon. It was time to change history.
It was long after the curfew and the halls were abandoned. I rose trough dimly lit stairways all the way up to the astronomy tower. I placed the slinky to up most step and stood there a long time. Remembering the old days I listened to the voices of the stairwells as I was waited for the perfect moment.
There were 798 steps from the top of the astronomy tower to the dungeons and I this was going to be the first attempt I had made in twenty years. It was unlikely that I would make it all the way but it was a chance to be finally free of the wretched Potter. I waited and waited for the right moment. It took me almost an hour of waiting and intense listening until I knew the moment had came. "Go slinky." I muttered as I poked it with the tip of my shoe.
shlink shlink shlink.
The steel spring started to descend the stairs one at a time, just like it always used to.
shlink shlink shlink.
I started after the toy and walked just behind and my steps rang in rhythm with the slinky.
shlink shlink shlink.
And so we went and started nearing the first moving stairwell. Our timing had to be perfect. The stairwell had to move while slinky and I were on it or it would be the end of it's descent.
shlink shlink shlink
We reached the moving stairwell together and right on cue it began to sift towards left. "Perfect" I muttered and allowed a small smile touch my lips.
shlink shlink shlink
As we went on my step began to have a little more bounce. A lot more bounce to be truthful. Perhaps gliding around like a dementor had had a negative effect on me.
shlink shlink shlink
Another moment of truth was quickly approaching. Next moving stairwell had to be there waiting for us or slinky would pummel down fifty feet to it's death. But I felt confident and sure enough.
shlink shlink shlink
We bounced together to the waiting stairwell and I felt another jolt of joy within me. My mind began to wander to the old happy days before the war.
shlink shlink shlink
There was a time when I had been a child too. Playing in home with my beloved slinky everyday. The part I loved most about Hogwarts had been it's stairs. And Lily too.
shlink shlink shlink
Then again I got to see her back at home also. So what had me overjoyed at Hogwarts were the endless stairwells and the steps and the excitement of descending them with my trusted slinky.
shlink shlink shlink
A nearby painting woke up and yelped in surprise. It's not everyday you get to see smiling Severus Snape bouncing down the dimly lit stairwells with a slinky. A small laugh escaped my lips.
shlink shlink shlink
The old lady in the painting started to run next to me from painting to painting and woke up everyone she passed on her way. In few moments I had a crowd of paintings cheering me on as I jumped down alongside my toy spring.
shlink shlink shlink
As we neared the first floor I couldn't help but to burst into a quiet but a happy song. "I love the slinky, every one loves the slinky. Go slinky go!" and with a laugh went ahead of the slinky and spread my legs across the stairwell.
shlink shlink shlink
Slinky shlinked trough hems of my robes and my smile widened as I started after my trusted old friend once again.
shlink shlink shlink
We reached first floor and turned towards the dungeons. There are no portraits there so I turned and gave brief nod to the paintings that had came to see the record that would stay forever in schools history. With a smile I dashed after my slinky again.
shlink shlink shlink
Towards the dungeons we went. There was only the last straight stairway left and there was no way my trusty slinky would fail me now!
shlink shlink shlink
How I had finally done it. I was free of the blasted Potter and the smile was about to split my face.
shlink shl...
The world stopped. Draco Malfoy stood there his hand extended and said "You were chasing this sir?" I couldn't help but stare as the warmth I had felt fled from me. It seemed no matter what happened I would never make it trough all the problems I would face. What had I been thinking. Everything would always be ruined by him even if he was dead.
Slowly without emotion I slowly took my slinky from his hand and asked in small quivering voice "Why must you hurt me this way Potter?" I swept past him and left confused Malfoy behind me. It was time for me to return to my dungeon.
Time to brood and sulk. Just like I was always supposed to.