A Harry Potter Fanfic.
Keyword - Clock.
Minerva was on duty that night, she stalked the castle on tiny, padded paws; making sure to sneak up on those students silly enough to venture outside of their dormitories on the cold winter night.
A sudden sneeze made Minerva jump.
She spun around, hackles raised.
The rooms and corridors always looked so much bigger when she was a cat; indeed the large Grandfather clock that dominating the end of the hallway looked twice as large as normal.
In actual fact it was many times larger than the tabby cat that was Minerva.
She sat at the base of the clock, tail swishing; her animalistic nature had been hypnotised by the swaying motion of the clock's pendulum.
Someone sneezed again.
Peering around the clock, into the shadows, she saw the vague outline of a silhouette.
Transforming back into her human form with a neat little jump, she cast a silent 'lumos' spell, and almost dropped her wand in shock.
There; tears streaming down his young face, was that new teacher. He had emotionless whenever spoke to before; unless he was using his dry sarcastic sense of humour on you.
Yet here he was, crying and… sneezing?
He looked up at Minerva, and froze.
Minerva had always had a soft spot for the boy; watching him grow up, then follow his dreams of teaching.
But…
"Cats make me sneeze." Severus blurted, glaring at her.
"Oh- but." Minerva's mind was in turmoil.
The man in black robes pushed past her, and set off on a quick walk towards his dungeons.
"Severus?" Minerva called after him, unable to keep up.
He turned around and sneered at her, "What? It's not as if you care!" He spun around, and disappeared around the corner.
Whatever had happened to that nice, sweet boy she once knew?
Looking back to that small niche in the wall, Minerva saw a small slip of parchment. It was in a loopy, albeit businesslike handwriting which Minerva instantly recognised as Lucius Malfoy's.
It only had three words on it.
'Voldermort killed Lily.'
Minerva's hand flew to her mouth, tears springing to her eyes.
She looked to where Severus had disappeared, remembering how he had once awkwardly in his third year asked her how to gain a girls affection; Lily's affection.
Oh, poor Severus.