AUTHOR'S NOTE: Thanks for the reviews! At least I know someone's reading. Sorry again for all the Americanisms, and sorry if it's out of character.
This chapter is dedicated to Trey Parker's chin in Cannibal! The Musical.
Onto the story!
"Severus. Hey, Severus? Are you up yet?" Snape awoke to a voice whispering in his ear. He smiled a little and the voice laughed. Then he realized he wasn't dreaming anymore and jumped straight out of his bed.
"What did you do?" He asked frantically, fully expecting another prank like last month's as he tore his bedding off his bed.
"Whoa, whoa! Calm down!" Bishop grabbed his hands to stop him.
"Oh, it's you." He said quietly, now a bit embarrassed. Luckily he hadn't woken anyone in his dormitory. He looked down at Bishop's hands, still clasping his own. He couldn't remember the last time anyone had touched him in a gentle way.
"Does that make you uncomfortable?" He whispered.
"A – a little."
"You're one paranoid fellow."
"Thanks, I guess." His hands were let go of and he folded his arms across his chest self- consciously.
"Let's talk." Bishop said, making himself comfortable on Severus' bed. He sat down next to him and rubbed his eyes.
"What time is it?"
"Three o'clock or so."
"And you're not tired?"
"A little." He admitted. "But I'd like to see why you're so shy. It'll bug me all day if I don't."
"Well, we could talk about you…"
"Why not you?"
"To be perfectly honest, I'm still waiting for the catch."
"There isn't one, I'll tell you that now. Ok, for starters: family life."
"Let's not-,"
"Let's. It'll make you feel better."
"I really don't think-,"
"So it's that you don't trust me? I mean, it's fine, but-,"
Severus sighed heavily. He'd finally gotten someone interested, and he wasn't going to let it go. "I have a sister and maybe a few other siblings, I'm not sure."
"How can't you be sure?"
"My father is…he was very…"
"Abusive?" He ventured.
"Yes…that would be it. So Frances and I ran off when I was nine and she was 10 and live on our own now, with one of our great uncles, Claude, supporting us." Bishop nodded. "I remember when he found us," He snorted. "When we were in this warehouse, he said, uh, 'Michael, I can't let your mind go to waste.' And then he bought us an apartment, and that was that."
"Michael?"
"That was my given name. I stopped going by it when I came here, but before I was Michael Parker."
"Hey! Little known fact about Severus Snape."
"I've never told anyone that before…" He said as if he couldn't believe it.
"Does your sister still go by Frances?"
"No, now she goes by Sibyll. Sibyll Trelawny, after a seer from the 1300's."
"I'll make a note to talk to her today."
"She's a little hard to miss, what with her dramatic taste in clothing. She likes shawls."
"Why are you so shy?"
"I don't know."
"Is it because of those pansies in Potions?"
"Partly."
"I could hex into next Saturday if you asked me to. Or I could show you a few tricks."
"I don't want to get in trouble…"
"No one would have to know."
"What kind of tricks?" Severus asked cautiously.
"Meet me by the lake tonight at midnight. We'll have some fun." He said with a dark gleam in his eye.
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At this point, Snape was still blissfully unaware to the fact the Bishop might have been up to no good and was slowly getting used to the fact that someone might actually enjoy his company. Unburdened by this foreknowledge, it was with a free and unclouded mind that he went into his Divination class, which he happened to share with his sister.
"Sev? Are you actually smiling?" She asked, genuinely shocked. He'd been smirking ever so slightly, but apparently enough for Sibyll to notice. All he did was hang his head a little and take the seat next to her. "Oh, and I talked to that new boy…he says you two are friends?"
"Yes, it seems so. Someone actually likes being with me." He said.
"Oh, this is wonderful! Just listen to you! Your voice is even happy! How'd you manage to get rid of all that bad karma?"
"The gods seem to be on my side." She patted his hand awkwardly. "And you want to know something?" He whispered, almost excitedly. "He's gonna teach me some hexes tonight at midnight by the lake."
She giggled. "This is so cool Sev!"
"Is it?" He said. "I'm afraid that-,"
"Shush! Listen, I knew this was going to happen!"
"What?"
"Well, I have some good news too…those tea leaf fortune telling techniques I've been working on are turning out right! I can predict things now, and it said that you were going to meet someone new and…"
"And?" He asked with a smirk.
"Do you…do you fancy him, by chance?"
He seemed taken aback. "Well, I don't know. I guess I do, a little."
"Oh." She said, her face falling a bit. He was about to ask what her face was about when class started up. What she hadn't told him was that in the leaves, she'd seen he'd be in a relationship with a new person…but also that the person would lead onto a different, troublesome path.
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When the last class of the day, Herbology, was over Severus made his way back to the castle. This was the first time since that he could remember truly being happy and looking forward to something. He knew, in the back of his mind, that this was probably fake, some kind of trick, and that he shouldn't get too involved lest he be hurt. But he couldn't get off his high, and the thought that he was wanted by someone. He was also giddy because he'd never broken a rule before in his life and wasn't doing it alone. He made it to his room and lie down on his bed, for once, happy to be alive. Bishop soon found him in there and was glad to find Severus smiling. He walked over and slowly lay next to him.
"Is this ok?" He whispered. Severus smiled at him in return, a big, bright smile. "You know, you're pretty when you smile." He said, testing the waters.
"You really think so?"
"Definitely."
"You're not just trying to convert me to your wacky religion?"
"No." He answered honestly. "You really are pretty."
