Disclaimer:
I, the Queen of Snupin, do NOT own the Harry Potter world, castle, characters, creatures, etc., no matter how much I wish I did. They all belong to J.K. Rowling, and you will worship them as such!
Olga and Nina DO however belong to me, since they are based off of two people I know very well and who wish to live in a slashy world of Severus and Remus. If you don't like gaiety, then don't read my fic, I'm sure I won't miss your eyes.
On a final note, I love you all, and hope your days be filled with much wonderful thoughts of Severus and his nighttime activities.
Desperado
Severus lay staring at the tattered canopy hanging dejectedly over his head as the moonlight filtered in through gauzy curtains and fell across his tear stained face. He did not know how long he'd lain there, hours, days, but as the owls swarmed back and forth across campus, delivering notes of vast tragedy, he realized that he didn't care for time. There was never enough of it, and it always moved at the wrong speed. Late nights had a tendency to drag on endlessly as their inhanitants lay in wait for the rays of dawn, of hope, and moments of bliss where whipped away before they were able to come close to satiating one's need. With these thoughts, the drowsy, broken, potions master drifted into memories of days gone by, years ago.
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The story began with a night much like its end. A young hook-nosed boy lies silently, cold, and alone, in his attic room, listening to the drunken rage of his middle-age wizard father. He was at it again, the horrible excuse for a man, husband, father. Nightly madness, after long shifts at the ministry followed closely by a trip to the pub. Sheltered beneath moth-bitten covers, the boy whimpered, as he heard a sickening smack and then silence. Young Severus knew what was coming, and like clock work the door to his room swung open with a reverberating crack as the metal doornob made contact with termite-eaten wood. A great shadow covered the scrawny 17 year old as his father's large hands wrapped around his neck and threw him to the floor.
"Ge' ou' of your fucking bed, you lazy arse faggot!" said the blazing-eyed man, his massive figure imposing itself upon his son, crushing his bones and causing tears to welter behind the stone, raven colored, eyes.
Words and vision spun together as the ripping pain returned to Severus' lower abdomen, and his father's body began to thrust itself into his malnourished figure once more. God-damn holidays. Severus looked at the ceiling, the spider-webs, the torn and burning photographs in his small fireplace, anywhere but at the face of his attacker that so resembled his. They'd sent him home for Christmas. They'd called this home.
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It was the first day in January when a badly bruised Severus boarded the train once more. His mother's broken smile as she'd waved goodbye, haunted him for miles as the slow moving vehicle chugged relentlessly along hillside after hillside. He lay with his back to the door of his corridor, with knees bent and cold eyes staring out the window at the passing scenery. His greasy black hair hung in strands over his face; a curtain dividing himself and reality.
He didn't hear the door open.
"Oh look Padfoot," sneered a 17 year old James Potter, "It seems little Snivelous here doesn't have a traveling buddy. What ever shall we do?"
"Why Prongs! I do believe it is our duty to accompany this unfortunate boy to his destination, it is, after all, the right thing to do." The two boys pushed their way into Severus' cabin, followed slowly by a third.
"Come on guys," the third half-heartedly protested as he locked eyes with a resigned Severus, his light brown eyes filled with what seemed to be pity. Severus harbored animosity toward pity. It was an unfair, un-natural, and judging emotion.
"Oh please Moony, we're only being nice!" James smiled while forcing his luggage into the overhead rack. Oh goody, they were planning on staying.
"This poor," Sirius took a moment to savor his pun while spinning his silver insignia ring, "boy has no one to talk to, no one to share his intimate life details with on this ever so long ride across half the country. We are only providing him with some company."
Remus shook his head and sat down next to his friends on the opposite bench from where Severus lay with his eyes boring holes determinedly through the plate-glass of the cabin window. Remus looked pleadingly at the other boy for some recognition that he had tried, and it was all Severus could do not to lash out. If he called that pathetic, three word sentence trying, then the black eyed boy hated to think what his going along with something looked like.
Steadying eye contact with the slightly taller boy, Severus said, "For evil to triumph, it only takes one good person to stand by, and do nothing," and although the message was clearly meant for Remus, Severus soon regretted saying it in the presence of Sirius, who promptly got on his knees saying:"Please, oh master, share with us your tombs of wisdom!" Glaring at the arrogant wizard, Severus shifted position. This was going to be a very long train ride.
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Life, as Severus had become accustomed to, resumed as soon as the bedraggled boy set foot inside of the old oak doors. Candle light illuminated the happy faces of old friends, meeting up once more. Severus sighed, they'd only been gone a week, and yet girls clung crying to their friends refusing to let go. Never one for sentiments, he pushed through the crowds and headed gracefully toward the stairs at the end of the hall. He was enveloped by a mass of hyper-active black robes.
"Oh Sevvie!" cried the robes, "it's been so long!"
Severus smiled slightly and placed his hand on the head of the excited 5th year, pushing her face out of his thread-bare sweater vest. "Careful Olga," he whispered, "people may think I posses human affection."
"Oh please," smiled the curly haired Slytherin, "You? Human? Who would ever presume to think that?" She bobbed up and down excitedly, her brown curls bouncing playfully, so that she looked like an expectant puppy. Severus sighed and gave her a hug. She squeeked with joy and then looked at the staircase from which she had blocked him.
"You're going to the dungeons already?" she sighed disappointedly.
"Olga." All he need say was her name as explanation, and the girl moved silently aside. As he walked by, she reached up and touched his black eye softly. He nodded and went on his way, into the dark, where no one could see who he was, and no one could hear he was crying.
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Olga's line of sight followed her friend's back as it disappeared into the darkness that was the dungeons. The spark in her eyes had dimmed slightly when they took in Severus' bruised eye and cut face masterfully hidden beneath make up. When she had first met him, he'd been sleeping off a rather disturbing charms class, (Flitwick had turned his feet into marshmallow peeps as they were chirping incessantly), in the dungeon she was supposed to use for her potions retest, and she hadn't noticed him, until his voice permeated the air.
"You don't want to be adding that," he said, gesturing slightly at the vile of Scarab-Beetle eyes she had just then measured out.
"But, it says..." she'd begun.
"Add two milligrams of beetles' eyes," he recited. "I know, but you don't want to. It's a waste of supplies since it's only for color."
She'd taken his advice, and found herself the proud owner of an O on her exam. Soon, she began to hang out in the dungeons doing her homework, and hoping to see him from time to time. After a while they'd struck up a small, secret, friendship, that had bloomed over the past year.
Olga was shaken out of her memories abruptly when two arms found their way around her neck and snaked her into a hug. "How's our desperado doing?" came the playful words with an undertone of sadness.
"He's..." Olga replied, trying to find the words.
"Severus," the other girl supplied.
"Yeah," Olga sighed turning to face her friend. "You should have seen his face Nina," she said with small tears hiding behind her eyes, "it's really messed up." Nina sighed as shook her head, eyes looking over her companion's shoulder at the now closed door.
"He'll break soon Olga," she replied. It was a statement, and required no recognition. They both knew that he was on limited time. Remus popped up behind Nina.
"Hey! Where'd you go?" he smiled at her.
Hiding the severity of her previous conversation, Nina smiled in return. "You know I can't stand them Remus," she replied, "and anyway, Olga was over here all alone and we needed to catch up!"
"But didn't you both stay here for holidays?"
"Yes," they girls replied in unison. "But we haven't seen each other for a whole 15 minutes!" smiled Olga, playing along and hoping her concern wasn't as obvious as she felt it was. Remus, apparently none-the-wiser, threw his arms around the pair attempting to lead them back to where he'd left James and Sirius talking about the holiday homework they had yet to finish. Nina refused to budge and turned to look her friend in his large yellow eyes.
"I told you Remus. I can't stand them," she said softly. "I love you dearly, but I refuse to commune with those two rich-boys from London until they learn that the world, however small it is, does not revolve around their egos."
"And to tie their own shoes," Olga added. Remus looked hurt.
"What did they do to you?" he retorted, and both girls flared inside.
"Not now Remus," they replied threateningly.
"I don't see why when I give all your friends equal chances, you still refuse to accept mine!"
"Remus," glared Olga as she placed a firm hand on Nina's shoulder.
At one time it had been Nina's dream to create a group of friends where they all got along and looked out for one another, but her ingenuousness was quickly demolished, and she'd become accustomed to living two lives. This enabled secrets to remain what they were, and yet slowly tore away at her mores and sanity.
"You know damn well," Nina replied slowly, "that it's never what people do to me, Remus." She removed Olga's hand and turned to go up the main staircase to the Ravenclaw Girls' Dormitory, where she could be alone with herself, and her dreams.
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Remus stood staring after her as she retreated and knew he'd stepped the invisible line between questioning and attacking. "I didn't mean..."
"Yeah, we know," came Olga's response. "But you know that she only holds grudges against people who attack her friends."
"She's too damn protective for her own good," sighed the werewolf.
"I know," replied Olga for what seemed the tenth time that evening. "Come on," she said dawning her mask of indifference, "lets go get some snacks from the House Elves, and all this stuff will sort itself out by morning." Nodding, Remus followed as she walked him to the kitchen.
END CHAPTER ONE! Please Review!