To sit on rocks, to
muse o'er flood and fell,
To slowly trace the forest's shady
scene,
Where things that
own not man's dominion dwell,
Although his breath was coming in painful gasps, Severus refused to rest more than a moment before beginning the last leg of his climb. He had to complete the ascent before mid-day or risk the descent being overtaken by nightfall. The long days of summer still came to an end eventually. He intended to be back on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the foot of this mountain before darkness claimed its rightful place. He also intended on bringing back his prize—as well as himself—all in one piece so he was laden with the accoutrements for an overnight on the wooded mountain if the former goal became impossible.
This was an annual adventure for Professor Severus Snape, Potions Master of Hogwarts. He hated to admit that it was becoming more and more difficult to reach the rocky ledge that was his destination. All the years of living and working in the bare, stone dungeons of a drafty castle was taking its toll on his joints. It had been especially noticeable this past winter as he celebrated his fiftieth birthday on a particularly bitter day in January. He had been able to see his own breath as he taught classes in spite of the roaring fire and the heat of a dozen cauldrons brewing.
And mortal foot hath
ne'er or rarely been;
To climb the
trackless mountain all unseen,
At last, the barely discernable trail wound through the last stand of pines opening onto a rocky verge bordered on the left by a rivulet that tumbled over a handful of boulders before falling an indeterminate distance through a crevice in the mountain face. Ahead and to the right, a steep granite slope rose above Severus' head. He had made it with time enough to take his lunch at leisure before grabbing the object of this hike and making his way back to the valley below.
His sudden appearance frightened the small woodland creature who had been daring a drink from the shade of the uppermost tree. It darted right past Severus' boot in its haste to retreat into the thick foliage further down the mountainside. The rustle and shrill cheeping from the pile of twigs, bark and moss on a ledge overlooking the rill told him that he'd been noticed by the occupants of the nest from which he intended to take an egg.
With the wild flock
that never needs a fold;
Alone o'er steeps and foaming falls to
lean;
Severus took a seat on the largest rock among the scree that cluttered the enclave. It was this every-shifting jumble of granite that prevented him from apparating to this location. There were no reasonably safe spots up the entire mountainside. It hadn't seemed such an inconvenience when he had first discovered the nest ten years ago. He returned to the school the hard, long way to protect the egg. He had ruined the first one by apparating back to the castle gates from the ospreys' secluded haven.
Slowly and quietly, Severus finished his lunch while the birds settled back to attend their eggs and he admired anew the view of the valley through the break in the trees created by the chasm. When he had done with his meal, he carefully drew his wand and stood on the same rock he'd used as a dining chair. The increased height gave him a view of the rim of the nest and the now exposed heads of the nesting pair. Before they could react to their intruder, he had already cast his spell.
"Petrificus Totalus!"
The startled birds were instantly paralyzed but their fear was etched in their eyes. Severus levitated himself to a height that gave him easy access to the eggs. There were three this year—that was good, he could take one and the family would still have a brood. Had there only been two, he may have left without an egg in the interest of the species. Singletons, if not abandoned by their parents, had difficulty finding a mate and often died young. The muggles got very upset about that kind of thing since they were working quite diligently at undoing the damage they had done to the osprey population in the first place.
Severus packed the precious egg into the padded pocket at the top of his knapsack before he cast his second spell. Touching each adult bird in turn, he erased the memory of his presence. He was well into the denseness of the forest before the first spell wore off. He stayed close enough to assure himself that the osprey were undisturbed by their sudden loss of an egg and did not abandon the others before beginning his descent.
This is not
solitude, 'tis but to hold
Converse with Nature's charms, and view
her stores unrolled.
But midst the
crowd, the hurry, the shock of men,
To hear, to see, to feel and
to possess,
The end of term had finally arrived. Severus could hardly squeeze through the press of students crowding the Entrance Hall awaiting the carriages that would take them into the town of Hogsmeade to board the train that returned them to London. Their excited conversations abruptly ended as they made themselves as small as possible to allow him to pass. His scowling presence was generally enough of a motivator to part the sea of bodies and luggage but an occasional "Let me pass" was muttered toward the inattentive.
And roam alone, the
world's tired denizen,
With none who bless us, none whom we can
bless;
Once the students had finally gone, the last staff meeting was convened by the Headmistress. The usual pre-holiday business was swiftly concluded followed by the babble of discussion of each other's plans. Severus had heard it all rehearsed over dinner in recent weeks and did not linger to hear more of it. He would spend his holiday—as he always did—at his seaside cottage on the Isle of Man experimenting in his private laboratory. No one even asked about his plans.
Minions of
splendour shrinking from distress!
None that, with kindred
consciousness endued,
Severus arrived in Diagon Alley well ahead of the train bringing students to King's Cross Station. The parents, however, were using the afternoon to do their shopping before the arrival of their children. The narrow street and the shops that lined it were bustling with witches and wizards, most of whom paid him no mind. A few acknowledged their acquaintance with the Potions Master by a mere nod of the head knowing that he had no use for idle pleasantries.
If we were not,
would seem to smile the less
Of all the flattered, followed,
sought and sued;
Severus' first stop was to deliver the now sterile osprey egg to Slug Jiggers Apothecary. One of the few students he had found worthy of his teaching was now his partner in the quest to verify the magical properties of the osprey egg. Many a potion, remedy and charm had fallen to disuse in recent centuries due to the failing osprey population throughout Europe. Young Jiggers was already selling the powdered shell for making a wart-removing paste.
In spite of the crowds, it took only a few minutes more for Severus to withdraw money from his vault in Gringotts Wizarding Bank then exchange it for muggle money. Making his way once again through the busy street and into the Leaky Cauldron, he snaked his way through the crowded pub heading for the door that opened onto Charing Cross Road, London. He had dressed for the occasion and blended perfectly with the muggles going about their daily business.
The farther he walked from the portal that divided the wizarding world from the muggles, the more content he became. For the twenty-four hours it took Jiggers to render the egg's contents, Severus immersed himself in this foreign culture as an anodyne to the months of the feeling of being watched and judged by everyone from the youngest First Year to the Headmistress. In this other world, no one cared about his dark past or how politely he addressed frivolous children or whether his students could pass their exams or when he might make another useful discovery.
The National Gallery was just the place to begin his summer leisure. Crossing Trafalgar Square bustling with businessmen, tourists and student groups on day trips, Severus was lost in a sea of humanity that paid him no attention at all. At last, he could be alone.
This is to be alone; this, this is solitude!
The character of Severus Snape and his environs belong to J.K. Rowling.
All of the verse is borrowed from Lord George Gordon Byron as is the title.
The osprey is a magnificent bird of prey native to Scotland but hunted to extinction in the 19th century. They have been making a comeback in recent decades. I've stretched their nesting habits a bit to make Snape's trek a bit more arduous and made up the fate of a singleton entirely. Here's a great place to get the real deal: ww.