Snape stalked down the long corridor leading to the gargoyle standing in front of the Headmasters office. He resolutely ignored the whispers from the portraits on his right, fixing the gargolye with a stare. His robes were frayed along the edge and there was a small gash on his right cheek. He tightned the grip on his wand.

"Move!" he snapped and watched for a second as the ugly creature tilted it's massive head and then leapt aside.

The stairs appeared and Severus climbed them briskly. The office door was already open, and the Headmaster was leaning on the desk oposite it, waiting for him with a look on his face. Snape stopped dead, not breathing. Dumbledore sighed and shook his head gently.

"Severus, my boy, I am sos- "

Before he'd thought about it, he'd taken the four steps up to Dumbledore and punched him hard. He felt the pain in his own hand radiate up through the arm and stared into those light blue eyes. They didn't twinkle now, did they? There was blood in Dumbledore's beard.

"Never," Snape whispered, cutting through the racket of outraged portraits. "Never apologize."

With that, he turned and left the office.