At the Grave of My Brother

By Leta McGotor

Disclaimer: The chracters and so on belong to JKR but the story is mine.

Chapter 1: Losing a beloved

It was really late at night, the darkness seemed to have swallowed every light. Only from time to time the thick clouds let a tiniest bit of moonlight through, which illuminated the treetops swinging back and forth in the wind.

A lone figure made its way along the countless corridors and passageways of Hogwarts. He moved silently, sunken in his own thoughts. Severus Snape was on his way back to his private quarters. The talk with the headmaster had lasted longer than he had expected. He had learned nothing new. In fact, Dumbledore had repeated his request that he, Severus, should murder him, when the time was ready for it.

Although Severus was known as a man without scroupel, he never even dreamt of murdering the man who had given him something like a second chance. He knew that Dumbledore was a dying man because of the cursed ring that backfired. But he also knew that he would not be able to kill him while looking into his eyes.

He pondered about this whole topic while he strode towards his quarters. Suddenly he stopped and listened carefully. He was sure he had heard something, maybe a student out of bed? He rushed silently into the direction of the sound. He hoped it was not one of his students, because he was really in a mood to give an extraordinary disgusting detention.

Severus stopped again and listened. All was silent now. Slowly he moved on. Had he been wrong? No, there it was again. It sounded as if someone was heavily breathing or maybe even sopping. He turned a corner and found himself in a very small corridor he seldom, if at all, used. He followed silently the sound, which came and went, as if the person, whoeverit was, tried to suppress it.

He arrived at the window that overlooked a great part of the grounds. On the window-sill somebody was sitting. This figure didn't realise that Severus was standing there for he or she was still looking out.

"What are you doing there?", he asked sharply. The person turened round and looked at him, shocked.

"Severus, I didn't hear you." Minerva McGonagall answered gliding from her seat half hidden in the shadows of the night.

"That was obvious. So, what were you doing?"

"That's not your business." She stepped aside intending to turn around and go but Severus stoipped her.

"You have been crying." He stated tonelessly.

"And?" Minerva crossed her arms in front of her.

"And what? What has happened? It's no good to be secretive in such times, Minerva. I need certain information."

"Not this time." Minerva turned around and vanished behind the next corner. The last thing she needed now was Severus Snape sneering at her with his arrogant face. She wanted to be alone at the moment or with someone who would comfort her. Severus Snape was the last person who would do that.

Severus himself shrugged. No matter what it was he would get to know it soon enough. He was at Hogwartsand there were hardly things that needed loner than one or two days until the whole school knew. So he continued on his way.

The next day arrived with many clouds threatening to pour rain out of them every second. Those represented Severus Snape's mood as he took his seat in the Great Hall for breakfast. Mostz of the students were chatting happily though and looking right and left of him he saw even his collques in a wonderful mood. Had something special slipped his mind? Weas there a special day, a festivity or else?

He scanned again the headtable and noticed that one was missing. He had expected Minerva sitting beside the headmaster and having an absorbing conversation with him like so many mornings when there were news in the papers. He began to wonder but only a second later he watched Draco Malfoy walking into the Hall, even paler as ususal. Severus scolded himself. Again he hadn't managed to learn what the boy had planned next.

Shortly after breakfast half the school queued up in front of the huge double doors waiting to be checked by Argus Filch to go into Hogsmead. Severus paied no attention to them. A trip to Hogsmead ment silence and better conditions to work at his potions. So he vanished into the dungeons.

Several hours later Severus was sitting at his desk glaring into the flames of his fire place. The day had not passed as uneventful as he had hoped. One girl was hurt while touching a special necklace and although Draco Malfoy had not been in Hogsmead at all, he was sure that Potter was right, probably the first time in his life. He, too, assumed that Malfoy was behind it, but he had no evidence and the boy had been in detention with Minerva McGonagall and so he had had no chance to come out.

Severus' thoughts wandered. Minerva had behaved strange all day. He hadn't seen her once during mealtime, not in the morning and now in the evening either. Then there was the meeting of them last night with the tears all over her face. He wondered what had happened. In fact he wondered why noone else semed to notice. Nobody spoke about her or wondered or asked… strange, he thought but shook his head. There were more pressing matters than to wonder about Minerva McGonagall.

It was really early. Dawm would not arrive in the next few hours and Severus Snape who came from a Death Eater meeting wanted just one thing: sleep. The meeting had been dangerous. The Dark Lord had been angry and from time to time he had cursed everyone who paid not enough attention for his taste. Luckily Severus was only once hid by the Cruciatus Curse, while others had to endure it for several long times.

Severus Snape entered the Entrance Hall and stopped suddenly. There was someone else there. Slowly he retreated into a shodowy corner and watched in silence. There was indeed someone coming down the staircase. This one had nearlyx reached the door when Severus reacted.

"Lumos" Someone was blinking rapidly in the beam of light. "Minerva, again?"

"What do you mean with "again"? I'm not responsible if you have problems with your sleep. Why don't you look for someone else you can gave a fright at this time of the day?", she barked at him.

"Right, I'm only up here because I looked for you. Of course, I have nothing better to do. By the way, where are you going?"

"Didn't I tell you? It's not your business.", she said crossly. "Better continue whatever you were doing in that dark corner." She turned around and stpped into the grounds. Severus shook his head.

"There will be a time, when I kill this woman.", he muttered more to himself. He started to make his way to his qurters but stopped after onlx one step. Somehow he would like to know, where Minerva was going. That was not out of curiousity, he reassured himself while he followed her out, but he had to make clear that all was safe here.

He followed her silently to the gates, which marked the border behind which everyone could apparate. Minerva was just visible, looking through her little black hadback she had with her. The moment she choose the disapparate Severus grabbed her and the nect second he found himself on an ancient graveyard surrended by a group of unfreindly looking people he had never seen before.

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