I've Made A Huge Mistake
Belongs To JKR
"Watch yourself young man"
Those were Madam Pomfrey's last words and they rattled in Severus' brain as he limped out of the hospice towards Dumbledore's office. Pomfrey had said beforehand he could come tomorrow but Severus wanted this over and done with as soon as possible.
Not that he was in great condition. His breaths snaked out of his chest like rusty barbed wire, each one more painful than the next. Apparently in all the commotion of the fight one of Slytherins more illustrious students hexed Severus hard enough to break his ribs. Pomfrey had healed that, in addition to his various bruises and cuts. All in all the procedure had taken two days of Severus lying unconscious.
Dear Merlin I dread the amount of work I'm going to have to make up for this.
Eventually he made his way to the entrance of Dumbledore's study.
"Poppycock" He muttered sullenly, passing through, and into the proverbial lions den.
Dumbledore's office was warm and welcoming, if your definition of warm and welcoming was an overcrowded room filled with useless tomes that stunk of Phoenix shit. Dumbledore was nose deep in some book so he took no notice until Severus coughed noticeably twice.
His head shot up
"Ah Severus good to see you again lad. Though I have to admit, I expected you to get a few more days rest before our meeting."
"I'd just as soon get this over with Headmaster." Severus said curtly
"Indeed, well I'd hoped you'd come here and help me clear up a few things about your…incident in the common room."
Here it comes, blame game.
"What do you wanna know sir? I got into a fight, I lost. It's pretty simple." said Severus, with a barely concealed sneer.
"What I would like to know is why it happened Severus" said Dumbledore with unnatural calmness
Those words propelled Severus over the edge.
"Why the bloody hell do you think it happened? I'm a half-blood in the middle of Slytherin we don't get a lot of respect in there"
To his disgust and frustration Severus heard the northern accent of his seep back in his words. It had been at least a year since that had happened, something he' vowed to work harder on preventing each time it happened
"Spare me the theatrics Severus" Dumbledore raised his voice finally " I know you've made quite the alliances in there-"
Yeah, as if you could call them that
"what I want to know is why you'd choose to break them in such a dramatic fashion "
They both stared at each other blue oceans and black seas fighting for dominance
"We had…disagreements" Severus mumbled, breaking eye contact.
"Would you care to tell me what they were about?"
"Do I have a choice?" Severus said dryly
To his surprise Dumbledore laughed
"We all have a choice Severus, what remains to be seen is what yours is."
Dumbledore removed a small ornamented box from his desk.
"Candy?"
"No? Suit yourself" He popped a small dark confection into his mouth then walked from his desk up the staircase in his office. Severus, following behind.
"I love candy. Chocolate, in particular. Do you?
Severus sighed
"I don't know sir, I guess? my family nev-" Severus cut himself off before he finished his sentence. Dumbledore didn't need to know anymore about his life than he already did.
"Yes, I like candy"
"Excellent, you're a pure Slytherin if you do." Dumbledore said with a smile
"From eating candy?" disbelief dripped from Severus' words.
"Why of course!" Dumbledore yelled
"As a matter of fact" Dumbledore said conspiratorially "Salazar himself was a notorious connoisseur ."
At Severus' upturned eyebrow, (something he'd been working on in the mirror for years) Dumbledore elaborated.
"I'm not surprised you don't know. It's not something well known in Hogwarts let alone Slytherin. The other houses tried to keep the bare facts of the man, not silly trivialities. And the Slytherins wanted to make sure their house founder's image was an intellectual one, a severe pious man devoted to pure blood."
They stopped at a large circular window that gave allowed a breathtaking view of Hogwarts. The moonlight poured from the glass like milk, illuminating the room, and Hogwarts, giving both an air of haunting beauty.
"I find both reasons to be wrong, you can't just break a man down into facts or an idea. You have to remember the trivialities, the silly things like chocolate. The silly things are what makes us human."
What is the old codger trying to say here?
"Before the Founders split, Godric and Salazar made an annual pilgrimage into the world of the muggles. Each time they'd stop at the same town. Visiting an muggle who lived there. The muggle, his name's been lost though. Was the greatest craftsman in England. There was nothing he couldn't make given enough time and the right materials. He was one of the few muggles who even knew wizards existed."
He's gone mad.
"Godric came simply to converse about the man's life and family but Salazar, always loathe to admit feelings for another wizard, let alone muggle made sure he always had business to conduct when a visitation occurred. After and only after would he feel comfortable discussing life. Salazar would trade mainly in magic, or enchanted items he'd created personally. In return the Craftsman would make something completely unique for Salazar, something he'd work on for the whole year. It became a competition between the two to outdo each other every year. Now apparently on one visitation Godric had made a joke Salazar's sour disposition and how he needed to 'sweeten' up."
"This gave the old Craftsman an idea. For the whole next year he worked on a box, one that would be fit for a king. But the real value would be inside. You see back then candy was notoriously hard to come by, even harder to make. But the craftsmen labored day and night on his product until Salazar and Godric strode through his door."
"Salazar presented him with a pendant made of starlight. An object he was particularly proud of. The craftsman, then presented the box and when Salazar remarked on the box's incredible quality the Craftsman, with a smirk said 'Salazar I didn't make you a box I made you a joke' The Craftsman was many thing,s a joker wasn't one of them"
"When Salazar opened the box and saw a pile of candy he, understandably was confused. It was then the old man burst out laughing, telling him how last year Godric had said he needed to 'sweeten up'. And he'd been planning this all year and how he'd really fooled him. Both wizards stood in stunned silence at the pure absurdity of it all, until, despite their best efforts ended up joining the Craftsman soon all three were clutching their sides in pain and wiping tears from their eyes. And for a brief moment in time their weren't two wizards and a muggle but three friends enjoying each other's company. "
Dumbledore paused to smile at some private joke.
"That old muggle was the only person to have ever made Salazar Slytherin laugh, other than Godric of course"
Dumbledore stared at Severus obviously looking for something.
"I'm not sure I understand what you're trying to tell me Headmaster" Severus said exasperatedly. Not only was he in pain, but he was tired and had neither the mood nor energy to decipher an old man's midnight ramblings.
Dumbledore continued on as if Severus hadn't spoken.
"In the end however, the muggle died and in the coming years Salazar would forget that moment. I'm sure you know the rest of the tale."
Dumbledore walked over to his desk, picking up the box and running his fingers over an iron snake which formed "S" on the lid.
"Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if he'd looked at the box again or took the time to think about it. Maybe nothing."
" You see Severus we all have a candy box. Maybe it's big, maybe it's small, but it's there. Something that bring out the best in us, but something that we allow the chaos of life, or love or society to strip away its value"
Dumbledore stared directly into Severus' eyes and he felt naked to the world.
"What's your candy box Severus?"
He didn't respond, but stood, staring back trying to force his mouth into a sneer.
"You should get some sleep Severus I hadn't meant to keep you this late." Dumbledore said, turning away.
"Am I in trouble headmaster?" Severus asked uncertainly
"You fought another of your housemates" Dumbledore deadpanned "Of course you are"
No surprise there He though bitterly.
Dumbledore as if reading his mind.
"But not as much as the ones who attacked you"
Severus somehow doubted that.
"What do I have to do?" He sighed
"Tutoring, Muggle Studies till the end of the semester" Dumbledore said casually
"Muggle studies?!" Severus' eyes bulged "I can't do Muggle Studies I'm-"
"A Slytherin? Ahhhh yes I forgot the high esteem your housemates have for you at the moment." If Severus was dry, right now Dumbledore was a desert after getting burned by Fiendfyre.
"It's not- I mean you can't- I jus-" He sputtered
"I'm afraid this isn't optional Severus, if you're afraid of your housemat-"
"I'm not a coward" Severus yelled
Dumbledore almost seemed to smirk
"No…no you're not" He shook his head "At any rate it starts next week in the library, ask Professor Borenson about it goodnight Severus"
Severus sighed in defeat and walked out.
"Oh and Severus?"
He groaned and turned back
"Yes Headmaster?"
"Think about that story won't you?"
Severus refused to reply, continuing down the stairs back to his dorms. But later on in bed despite his best efforts sleep alluded him. And, much as he was loathe to admit it, he did.
