A Unicorn's Gift, part 2
The headmaster`s office looked almost exactly as Roselyn Gentley remembered from her time at Hogwarts. She had finished school three years ago and although she obviously had been quite busy ever since, she missed living in the castle. The only difference she could detect when looking around now was the large portrait of Albus Dumbledore, hanging directly behind the big desk. The former headmaster had a serious look on his face but also seemed intrigued by the sudden and unexpected invasion of the room.
Snape pushed the still restrained witch to her knees and then leaned himself onto the front of his desk, folding his arms over his chest. He regarded the young woman with a dark look, while the rest of his staff who had accompanied them gathered round in a semi-circled.
Alecto Carrow paced back and forth in the background, muttering and hissing insults. Her brother positioned himself in front of Snape, trying to built himself up into a threatening and defiant stance.
"You can't believe a thing coming out of that wench`s mouth!" he growled.
Before Snape could retort, Professor McGonagall inserted from behind: "And why not? This young woman went to a length of trouble to carry out her actions and obviously did not hesitate to endanger herself by coming here!"
Concurring murmurs arose from the other heads of houses, whereas Alecto hissed in a derogatory way.
"As her former head of house, I know Miss Gentley quite well," piped up tiny Professor Flitwick. "I can assure you that she is in no way a rash or inconsiderate person, although she can be very headstrong." He was rewarded by a short glance and small smile from the manacled young witch.
Amycus was about to explode with anger but before he could announce another insult, Snape already had cut him short.
"Before we loose ourselves in pointless accusations and further foulmouthing," he shot a snide look in the direction of the man in front of him, "we should get to the bottom of things first. Miss Gentley, I would appreciate you telling us exactly what you have done to our Dark Arts teacher."
The quiet but dangerous tone of his request did not seem to discompose the young witch still kneeling on the floor. She looked the headmaster directly into the eyes and began to elaborate: "I presented Mr Carrow here" (a snarl from both deatheaters rewarded her for her derisive address) "with a little invention of mine. I call it an empasphere. When joint with a person`s bloodstream, it releases a powerful dose of empathy every time he or she tries to harmfully influence another person, with magic or otherwise."
This description gave rise to intrigued and respectful murmurs from various teachers as well as assorted headmasters and headmistresses curiously peeking out of their portrait frames all around the room.
"In future, the empasphere, which is now a part of his own body, will cause Mr Carrow to feel exactly the same of what he is about to dish out to every innocent girl he tries to harass!" Roselyn said with emphasis and a smugly satisfied expression on her fine-featured face.
She compressed her lips into a grim smile which did not last long, for Carrow slapped her hard onto the cheek before anyone else could muster a reaction.
Immediately, he felt the result of his action: while the young witch fell to her side with a small painful gasp and a jangle from her chains, he grabbed his own face with both hands and howled with pain and rage.
"What a prompt demonstration. Obviously, her little invention is working," Snape remarked to no one in particular. Alecto had jumped to her brother's side and pointed her wand at the young woman on the floor.
"Maybe he can't, but I can!" she shrieked and quickly added a spiteful "Crucio!"
Roselyn threw back her head and rolled onto her back, biting her lips. With hands tightly clenched before her and repeated clattering from the chains binding her wrists, she started to rock from side to side, moaning with pain.
"Stop it at once!" McGonagall cried while at the same time Snape forced Alecto`s wand arm down with a forceful push of his hand.
"I am the headmaster of this school and I decide on the manner of punishment in my own office!" he said grazingly
The deatheater was panting with the efford to control her rage but complied with Snape`s command. The witch on the ground was breathing hard, too. Looking the worse for wear, the unicorn`s gracefulness in her demeanor was now only visible in her creamy complexion.
"But Severus, that animagus bitch attacked Amycus! Who knows what that scum`s foul magic will do to him? We should give her to the Dark Lord, he would want to finish her on his own after this despicable act! And to one of his best and most distinguished..."
"The Dark Lord trusts me to handle matters here at Hogwarts, you should do so as well," Snape cut her off impatiently. "Or do you doubt my ability to keep up law and order in this school?" he asked coldly.
"Of course not, but..."
"Then you should leave matters to me," the headmaster shortly concluded and turned away from her to fix his eyes on the young woman still lying on her back, fighting to steady her breath.
"Miss Gentley, is Professor Carrow in any immediate danger?" he asked in a calmer tone than before when speaking to his colleague .
"No, he can carry on as usual, if that`s what you mean." The witch then looked at Carrow directly and continued: "And your health is in no acute danger, although you should be careful with the Avada Kedavra, that`s the only thing I could not test with a clear..."
The deatheater cut her short: "Don't speak of a conscience, you dirty bitch! What you did to me is..."
"... exactly what you deserve!" Roselyn finished his sentence for him with a wild look on her face, having sat up again with a straight back. The Dark Arts teacher could do nothing but glower at her darkly.
"What happens to Miss Gentley now, Headmaster?" asked Flitwick concerned.
"You better question her further!" Carrow insisted, to vehement nods of his sister`s. "I want to know exactly what happened to me and how I can get myself cured!"
"Indeed I will keep her here for a moment," Snape answered, "but perhaps you two are so kind as to set Mr Filch on the task to ready a cosy little cell for Miss Gentley in the dungeons. I have a feeling that she will have to extend her visit for a little bit longer."
He drew his wand and flicked it almost lazyly in the direction of Roselyn. She was lifted at the wrists by the heavy manacles that then dragged her across the room, fastening her onto a sconce jutting from the stone wall with her arms stretched over her head.
To alerted and outraged looks from the other teachers, the Carrows obeyed and left the room, Amycus quietly accepting his situation for now, apparently. Alecto accompanied him with a triumphant, gloating cackle thrown in the direction of the suspended young witch. She closed the thick wooden office door behind her with a bang.
"Severus, I am all for bringing light into this matter and to learn more about this young woman`s extraordinary feat of magic..." Professor Slughorn gathered up his courage to interject.
"... but we heads of houses will not sit quietly by, knowing a kind and brilliant former student of ours is distressed in any way!" a quietly furious McGonagall carried on.
"Thank you for the compliment, Professor!" Roselyn responded with a small, yet hearty grin.
"You don't have to overly fear for her, Minerva," Snape answered his colleague. "But I have to insist in you all not to question my conduct!" Snape glanced around the room with a hard glint in his eye.
All members of his staff remained silent, although McGonagall stared at him defiantly. She refrained from taking any direct action, however, and abruptly turned on her heels to leave the room. Slughorn and Professor Sprout, who had remained silent the whole time, both departed with deeply worried faces. Flitwick was the last to leave reluctantly, not without an encouraging nod to his former student and a bracing pat to the side of one of her thighs.
Now alone, the black-robed headmaster and the young animagus traded a long, searching look. Roselyn broke the silence first, clearing her throat.
"I must have angered you quite a bit for having caused you to put me up here," she said, struggling on tiptoes to keep her balance, barely reaching the floor with her feet. Snape remained still, watching her intently.
"OK, I could have planned my actions better," Roselyn admitted, "but Severus, he really had to be stopped!"
Snape adverted his glance and started to pace up and down in front of her dangling form.
"Did it occur to you at any time to alert me on what was going on? Or even to try to inform me about what your were planning?" he asked, still not looking at her. "For you must have had some way of secret communication with someone inside the castle. A way of avoiding all detection."
"Indeed I have. But sorry, I think it is better I don't let you in on it. It is not my secret to tell."
Snape gave a small huff as a reaction to this willful omission but seemed to have fixed his mind to another matter more urgent to him.
"You should have told me of his transgressions!" he blurted out angrily. The young woman bit her lower lip.
"I know I should have, but what could you ultimately have done about it? After all, to you he is a fellow deatheater. To tell the truth, I wasn't sure what authority you would have over him when it came to his private, ah, pleasures. I felt it was better to take matters into my own hands instead of risking your position."
"How could dealing with matters concerning both my students and one of my teachers endanger my... position, as you put it?"
"As I said, I wasn't sure about how things are around here since you were given the post as headmaster. I could not let you risk ending up in a situation having to stand your ground against a fellow deatheater or even against your Dark Lord himself!"
"Are you calling me a coward?" Snape`s voice was low and dangerous.
"Of course not!" Roselyn answered quietly but with passion. "I admire you for the choice you took, for the risk you take every time when being in HIS presence. I think of you every night, lying alone in bed, fully awake, not wanting to fall asleep for the fear of dreaming about the worst that could... can... happen..." Her eyes filled with moisture but she drew in her breath sharply, struggling for control, keeping her tears at bay.
"Do not try to pressure me with your hopes and emotions!" Snape had stopped his pacing and stared at her with angry, slanting eyes.
"That's unfair! That`s not what I am doing at all and you know it. And as far as I know, your own hopes and emotions are not that different to mine!" Roselyn shot back at him. Snape tilted his head backwards, watching her carefully down his nose.
"And that isn`t really the point after all, is it?! You are just angry with me for violating your territory or something!" she accused him. "You just are..." She paused, staring at Snape unbelievingly.
"You are angry because I put myself on the line, aren't you?!" she finally asked softly. Snape remained silent.
"Ah, I don`t know what to say..." the young woman murmured almost to herself, then suddenly her face hardened.
"I don't question YOUR right of self-determination but you do mine?! I don't believe it!" She tossed her head to the side forcefully, her bubbling anger now almost matching his icy one. For a short moment she looked as magnificent as the beast she could turn herself into.
"You have no right..."
"No right to do what? To worry about you, to want you remaining as safe as possible?! Which you have hereby spectacularly jeopardized, I must say!" Snape underlined his last words with an expressive sweep of his arm.
He halted directly in front of her face, now standing there with a straight back, his arms pressed closely to his sides. He clenched his hands, the knuckles showing stark white, peering into her face nose to hooked nose.
"Severus, either you are a hypocrite or..." she started breathing hissingly through her teeth.
"... or a man who has finally admitted to himself that he is utterly in love with you!"
Dumbledore watched the two lovers with a benign smile from his portrait across the room as Snape abruptly seized Roselyn around the waist and forced her dangling body into his own.
Resisting with a weak struggle, hurting her wrists on her iron restraints, she shot him a last angry look from glowing eyes. Ignoring her riled state, Severus Snape determinedly kissed her right on the lips. Hard. This, as they had learned over the past four years and having grown accustomed to each others predilections, started to suit them both just fine.
The end. (For now. Use your imagination! ;-) )
Author's note:
I know: overall, there is a lot of murmuring and gasping and darkly staring into other people's faces going on, but I wanted to describe the momentous incident as vividly as possible.
Set a short time before his dooming end, I wanted to give Snape someone as bright (ha, in every sense of the word!) and vivacious as Lily, to whose face he could admit his love at long last. (Whithout belittling the Snape/Lily relationship in any way!) And a unicorn might make as fine a patronus as a doe, don't you think? ;-)