Author: Emily Waters
Title: Walkabout
Genre: Songfic, gen, angst/tragedy
Characters: Severus Snape/Harry Potter
Song: Enter Sandman by Metallica
Warnings: None
Walkabout
I cast an invisibility spell on myself during my rounds. It's easier to do them unnoticed, I find.
Two shadows pass each other in the castle hallway, a tall shimmering shadow, and a barely noticeable dark feline form that looks almost predatory in its fierce protectiveness.
Minerva can't sleep either.
Who can blame her?
We are aware of each other, but we have nothing to say to each other, and so the Heads of the two rival houses pass each other in the dark without even a token of acknowledgment.
The Gryffindor common room is dark, with only the fire of the hearth dancing in the night. There are warm colors here, presumably to instill a sense of security. Ah yes, our Headmaster wouldn't want you to think you are not safe here.
I tuck you in, warm within
Keep you free from sin
'Till the sandman comes
But you aren't deceived for a moment, are you? In the last five years, you've had more close calls than we can count.
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
The arrogant teenager, the reckless child, everyone's promised savior, no-one's son: how do you manage, day after day? Having growing up in the Muggle world, reading their fairy tales, you were woken from your your almost comfortable numbness, and plunged into the world of wonders, the world of terror, the world of impossible expectations and untenable hopes.
Something's wrong, shut the light
Heavy thoughts tonight
And they aren't of Snow White.
What do you dream about, child? Things that already happened, or things that still might? The broken promises? The betrayals and the lies of the past? The quests and misadventures that should have never been yours? The fires and falls behind you, or the war that is still ahead?
Dreams of war,
Dreams of liars
Dreams of dragon's fire
And of things that will bite
Sleep with one eye open
Gripping your pillow tight
I hear you cry out in your sleep, and then, there is a sound of footsteps. You stumble out of your dorm room, and the green incandescent eyes pierce the twilight. With your back leaning against the wall, you survey your surroundings, as if almost suspecting my presence, but not being quite able to make the correct guess.
You are breathing rapidly, and then, abruptly you press your arm to your eyes, as if in an attempt to contain unwelcome tears. When the arm leaves your face, there is a small trace of blood on your sleeve where it had touched the lightning-bolt scar on your forehead.
That scar of yours is your link to the other side, the source of your visions, the conduit for your nightmares. It's there as an ever-present threat, a terrifying suggestion that something else might be living inside you.
It takes a while, but you compose yourself and head back to your room. I look at you for a brief moment. I almost wish I could reach out for you and tell you something reassuring, something kind. But what could I tell you at this time of night?
Hush little baby, don't say a word
Never mind that noise you heard
It's just the beasts under your bed
In your closet, in your head
There is nothing to say, and so we pass each other in the dark.
THE END
Author's Note: Well, I usually hate songfics, so I never thought I'd be writing one. But here we go! Drop me a review. Pretty please!