AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Sorry for taking so long with this chapter, everyone! I've had a busy few days.
Please enjoy! This time, let's take a look from Snape's point of view.
CHAPTER SIX
Snape's Point of View.
It was the beginning of yet another school year teaching at Hogwarts, and Severus Snape was tired. Death Eater gatherings were growing more and more frequent, and these days it was rare that he ever returned to his chambers unscathed. On a good day, he might escape with a Sectumsempra and a few Crucios. But, more than the fact that he was sore and aching in places he hadn't known existed, Severus had an itch in the back of his mind that told him something worse was going to happen soon. He didn't know what it was, but he certainly knew it wouldn't be pleasant. As a double agent and professor, Snape had an excellent instinct for that sort of thing.
Severus took his breakfast as usual. He wasn't ridiculously stupid enough not to eat, but he didn't exactly over indulge, either. He took his coffee with cream and sugar — people always seemed surprised that he didn't take it black — and enjoyed it greatly. It was one of the smaller pleasures of his existence. In fact, his morning coffee was the one time where he ever truly took the time to appreciate the aromas and the flavors of what he was putting into his mouth (aside from his nightly Firewhiskey, of course.) Aside from the steaming beverage, Professor Snape often ordered a plate of eggs and toast. On a bad day, he'd forgo the eggs. On a good day, he asked the house elves to surprise him with something new. This was his secret, and it certainly kept the other professors on their toes. Avoiding a specific routine and maintaining flexible habits meant that it would be impossible for people to truly get to know him, to 'figure him out' — which, as it happened, was exactly the way Snape liked it.
But something that morning was off. That Trelawney was muttering more than usual about bad omens, and even Albus had a slightly overcast look in his twinkling blue eyes. Severus found that didn't like the change. He reluctantly set his coffee down, and turned to speak to the Headmaster.
"Headmaster, you look ill," he drawled. When Albus didn't twinkle at the spy's snarky comment, as he usually was wont to do, Severus frowned. "What is it, sir?" said Severus intently.
Albus seemed to wake up from a trance. "Hm? Oh, hello, Severus. I do apologize." He heaved a sigh. "There is… something in the air… I could not say. Can you feel it, Severus?" Bright blue eyes focused on black. "A new presence, pressing against the barriers of your mind?"
The black eyes blinked. Severus frowned, then allowed everything around him to disappear. He moved towards the mental protections he had built for himself (he was not only an expert Legilimens, but the finest Occlumens Albus Dumbledore had ever trained) and took a long, hard look. At first glance, nothing seemed strange in his enormous mental library; but there, hidden, was something different. He moved towards it, and could sense a feather-light, whispering entity touching his mind. The primary emotion he felt from this new presence was fear, and as he approached the source of these whispers, he raised an eyebrow. There was a book that lay open on the floor which did not belong to his collection of carefully sorted memories. Its cover was blue, embossed in gold engravings, and all the pages were blank save one. While he didn't move to touch the book, he could see his name scrawled in cursive writing on the first page. More writing appeared; it seemed the book was writing itself.
With a frown, Severus placed new protections on his library and exited his mind. He turned to look at Albus, who looked over his half-moon spectacles knowingly.
"Do you see?" said Professor Dumbledore.
Severus nodded shortly. "Indeed," he drawled. "Most… peculiar."
Then, in the way that spies always do, Severus could feel a burning in the side of his head which signalled someone staring in his direction. He turned his head slightly, sweeping the room for the source of it; and there, he spotted her. Little Miss Know-It-All Granger looking at him in her usual bold fashion. No, not her usual fashion. Her eyes were wide, confused. He frowned sharply, and she turned away, hiding her face with her enormous mane of hair.
Severus forgot about the incident, and instead left the Head Table to spend his first two classes gleefully reprimanding first and second year students. He gave out six detentions, three four-foot long essays, and sent several of the dunderheads to the infirmary after yet another accident in the Potions classroom. After what seemed like forever, he released his second year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff class, waited until they had all filed out of the door, and closed the door behind him.
He left to lunch feeling slightly more drained than usual. The perpetual mental barriers that he had trained himself to keep up at all times weren't the cause of his tiredness. The migraines from that, at least, had ceased years ago. He wondered at the source of the exhaustion, and with his ever present frown, went to join Albus at the Head Table once more.
"Severus! How were the first Potions classes of the year?" asked the Headmaster.
"Just brilliant," he sneered. "What do you think, Albus? Six more exploded cauldrons, Albus. Six."
Professor Dumbledore twinkled. "Ah, children. Ever the entertainers."
Severus fought the urge to roll his eyes and sat down. His plate appeared at his seat as usual, and he picked up his fork and knife. He was about to take a bite of the meal in front of him when, out of nowhere, he winced almost indiscernibly. To his left, Sybill dropped her utensils and they landed with a clatter on her plate. To his right, Dumbledore stopped smiling.
The reason why all three of them had the same reaction was the scream that had violently ripped through their mental barriers. The scream was one of fear, of confusion, and most of all, it was familiar. The voice called out for help so loudly that the three accomplished Occlumens couldn't help but look at the source.
Professor Snape made eye contact with the Granger girl just before her eyes rolled into her head, and she passed out on the floor.
Severus and Albus stood immediately, drawing their wands. Albus cast a quick Sonorus, magically projecting his voice over the Great Hall.
"Students, students. Please remain seated and give Miss Granger space," said Professor Dumbledore. Immediately, the uproar of voices became a hush. "Quietus," said the Headmaster, before making his way around the table.
Severus, for his part, wasted no time in going around the table, and instead opted to vanish the portion of table in front of him with a variant of the Evanesco charm. With a short "Pereo," the oaken table became smoke when he walked through it, and with a "Resurgo," it became solid once more when he crossed to the other side.
It was the fastest way to get to the Gryffindor table, and time was of the essence where the protection of someone's mind was concerned. The Granger girl may have been insufferable, but she was a student all the same, and it would look bad if he didn't move to help her. McGonagall was frozen from shock, and obviously wasn't going to be of much use.
He kneeled by the girl's side and drawled at Potter and Weasley. "Move aside."
Reluctantly, the two young men moved aside and let the Potions professor do his work. He waved his wand to cast a Stasis Charm. "Habitus exponentia," he said. The girl's body now had a soft halo around it. He waved his wand again. "Perpendere persigno." Runes appeared before him, telling him what he needed to know. He read the symbols, seemingly satisfied, until he came upon three sets of runes that made his blood run cold. "Headmaster —" he started. But Dumbledore was already kneeling beside him, analyzing the runes.
"I see," said the Headmaster. Quickly, he cast a silent Muffliato, and spoke to Severus in low tones, smiling all the while. "Did you see any signs of this development, Severus?"
Professor Snape kept his expression neutral. "Of course not. There was never anything remarkable about the…," he broke off and refrained from saying 'chit' when Dumbledore looked at him reprovingly, "... about the girl," he sneered. "I had no reason to check for the signs. Besides, Albus, by all accounts, she is Muggleborn."
"These are uncertain times, Severus," said Dumbledore. "We cannot be so sure of that." He looked up and saw the faces of his students, who were confused by the fact that they could no longer hear the voices of their professors. "Meet me in my office when this is dealt with. Finite Incantatem."
Albus turned and twinkled at his students. "All is well! You may return to your meals."
Suddenly, the young Granger woman gasped on the floor and opened her eyes.
"Move," snapped Snape when Potter and Weasley rushed to her side. "Move out of the way, Potter, or it will be a detention for the two of you." He turned and looked at the Granger girl. He snapped his fingers three times in front of her eyes, and her gaze gradually focused itself. "It would seem that she is aware of her surroundings at last, Headmaster," he drawled.
Then the young woman opened her mouth. The Potions professor's eyes snapped to watch her intently as she spoke her first words.
"Sir," she said, looking straight at him, eyes slightly wide and suspiciously teary.
Snape frowned. "Yes, Miss Granger," he drawled, sneering at her.
"It's good to see you, sir."
And with that, the chit's eyes rolled back into her head, and Snape sighed inwardly before barking at the students to 'Move back, damn it all,' while summoning a stretcher on which to transport Miss Granger to the infirmary. Once there, he gave Madame Pomfrey several bottles of potions from his own Healing stores, and left to meet Dumbledore in his office.
To Be Continued... Soon!
Thank you so much for reading this story by S.H. Brookes!
The Pereo/Resurgo variant of the Vanishing Spell is mine.
**SIDE NOTE: (For those interested, an idea I had which came from these spells is that
the Platform 9 3/4 wall would have a permanent loop of the Pereo and Resurgo spells,
which activates each time a witch or wizard goes through it.)
I would love, love LOVE it if you commented and left reviews on my story.
Aside from original scenes, plots and characters, everything belongs to JK Rowling.
Let me know what you think!
:)
