A Promise to be Better 11

Author: Raven Dancer

disclaimer: All characters belong to J.K. Rowling except for the Drs. Barnes and Beryl. I receive no monetary compensation for these works.

Summary: Predictions, Potions, Punishments

"I actually was glad to see Professor Trelawney tonight," Snape commented as he followed the Headmaster into his rooms.

"Sybil does have her good points," Dumbledore agreed. He moved to the table and picked up the waiting potion packet. This was poured into a partial glass of water and mixed thoroughly. He turned and offered it to the reluctant Potions Master.

"Shouldn't I go down to my rooms to sleep," he asked, avoiding the glass for the moment. The older wizard stepped closer and put the drink in his hand then placed the other hand on his shoulder.

"What? And miss the opportunity to have a warm bed?" he patted him carefully.

"Drink, Severus. You need to sleep again tonight. You'll be back in your own bed soon enough," and Dumbledore waited until the younger wizard lifted the glass and quaffed it. A little more water was poured in; Snape expertly twirled the glass and swilled down the dregs.

"Nasty stuff. I at least try to add mint to the worst of the potions I brew," he complained. The Headmaster favored him with a smile.

"Yes, you do," he agreed. "I'm going to read through the evening mail. Why don't you go shower and relax a bit. I think there's a few books on the shelf you haven't read yet." Snape nodded and went off to the washroom.

The evening passed quietly. Dumbledore always had enough mail to keep him occupied for several hours. Snape did find a new mystery novel to read and had settled on the couch. The blanket on the back of the couch slowly worked its way down onto the reclining wizard. After awhile all pretense of reading was abandoned and Snape curled up, causing the Headmaster to pause a moment and smile indulgently before returning to his response he was crafting.

A knock at his door a little while later heralded the Divinations Professor. Strange, Trelawney rarely came out of her rooms for much. He had been surprised she'd come to dinner. Generally the witch stayed to her self, eating in her rooms. Being around the general rabble interfered with her 'inner eye'.

Dumbledore greeted her, glancing at the couch to see if Snape would exclude himself again that night. When the wizard did not get up he cast a shielding charm for Trelawney's privacy. She glanced at the couch, noting the dozing man.

"That explains part of my vision," she said quietly, sitting down next to the large desk.

"You had a vision, Sybil?" Dumbledore asked. He knew most of the staff dismissed her as a sham, but truth be told the seer had been near the mark on many occasions. Others chalked it up to coincidence or luck. Dumbledore had lived too long; Trelawney had some ability but it was not always focused.

"I would have dismissed it as too much sweets," she said with a wry smile, "but the custard was quite mild." The witch knew about the scorn and disbelief. She didn't care about what the others thought. The Headmaster had always listened and appreciated her expertise. He even helped perpetuate the story she predicted student deaths yearly to keep them in line.

She'd been dead-on about Cedric. Pity it'd been shoved aside because she'd also been predicting Harry's death to try to keep him from being foolish. The two of them had a very long talk after that incident. She had promised to be more forthright with the Headmaster at all times.

"I went back to my rooms after dinner and was amusing myself by reading my tarot cards. I was simply casting on McGonagall and Vector to see how the cards landed," Trelawney settled more fully in the chair. She seemed to be hunkering down for the duration.

"I threw a set for you, Albus. Very enlightening. You seem to have acquired a 'child' very recently," he had looked a bit shocked at that and she smiled having hit a target.

"I won't bore you with details, but suffice to say I cast a hand for Professor Snape as well. It was very dark; a grim seems to be in his near future. Although his death is not really certain. There also seems to be a choice to be made at the feet of a powerful or great man," she glanced over at the wizard in question as he turned over and snugged into his pillow.

"It wasn't the choice that worries me, Albus. It's this grim. There's treachery, someone or something is going to harm him somehow. I tried crystal gazing, but it was all foggy. I couldn't get beyond it," she said almost apologetically.

"Do you need help focusing? I could give you a hand," he offered.

"No, no. It's just too elusive. I wanted to tell you now, though, because I know some of the staff has been bothering the professor lately. It didn't take the gift of sight to see McGonagall is still upset with him," she moved forward as to make ready to leave.

"Seeing that McGonagall's always presented herself as a cat in my visions, I doubt greatly she is the grim itself. But I can't discount one of the other staff being involved. It also didn't appear to be Remus, although I felt he was near to the problem somehow. Perhaps a solution? I'm not clear on it, Headmaster." The Divinations Professor stood up. "I must be to bed. It is late and seeing can be so draining." Dumbledore rose also, moving around the desk he walked her to the door.

"Thank you, Sybil. I most certainly will keep this in mind. Please come see me if you have any other insights," he held the door as she left, whispering a soft 'goodnight' she went down the stairs.

Divinations was at best an imprecise magic. At worst, it was nothing but a hoax. Dumbledore waved the shielding charm aside and moved to the couch. It was late and he too was tired. He just wanted to pick up his bed warmer before retiring.

Snape slept deeply. His dreams as unremarkable as a lazy summer's day. Warmth, softness, being close to a wooly goat.

Wooly goat? Snape pulled himself up through the layers of sleep opening his eyes to a different ceiling. Not his. He glanced about a bit, noting closet, bureau and door. The Headmaster's bedroom. That was ok, he'd slept here before.

The 'goat' of course, was the Headmaster himself, snugged into the warmth of his side breathing softly in sleep. Snape smiled indulgently, enjoying the closeness. He felt absolutely safe here, and with Dumbledore completely accepted. Sighing, he closed his eyes and thought about falling back asleep.

"You waking up, Severus?" the wooly Cgoat asked. His eyes flew open again. Goats couldn't talk! He'd slipped right back into the same summer dream.

"I am now," Snape said, stretching.

"Good. I'd like to get up na-a-a-a-ow," the older man teased, mimicking a goat's bleating.

"Oh, for the gods sake, can you even read my dreams?" Snape was startled, staring at the Headmaster as he got out of bed.

"Normally, no. But you were murmuring something about an itchy goat," Dumbledore chortled. "It wasn't a far stretch to figure it out. Order up some tea," and he disappeared into the washroom.

Snape pushed up rubbing his face. Ok, he may feel safe from Voldemort and the monstrous dreams that plagued him, but he certainly wasn't safe from his mentor's teasing. He reached over for the bell on the bed stand and rang for a house elf.

Dobby didn't so much bounce as ricochet when he popped into the room. The mirror rattled on the wall, a near miss from the careening elf.

"Professor Snape is awake! Professor Snape wants breakfast!" the elf fairly shouted in his glee. Snape stared in incredulity. The creatures must subsist on pure caffeine and sugar for all he could figure out.

"The Headmaster would like his morning tea, Dobby," he told the creature as it alighted on the bed crouching near him.

"Does Professor Snape wants his morning tea? Professor Snape wants his breakfast?" the elf smiled, nodding his head vigorously. It was nearly disturbing watching the bouncing eyeballs and teeth.

"Yes, Professor Sna, I mean, Yes, I would like some tea and breakfast. Whatever you'd fetch for the Headmaster will be fine," he managed to get out. If anything the elf became more excited.

"The Headmaster's Breakfast Tea?" the elf started to bounce a bit. Snape had trouble remaining on the bed as it pitched up and down.

"Yes, yes. Fetch the Headmaster's Breakfast Tea," he waved his hand in a shooing motion.

"Dobby will fetch the Headmaster's Breakfast Tea. Beryl will help fetch the Headmaster's Breakfast Tea. Dobby and Beryl will set the Headmaster's Breakfast Tea on the Headmaster's dining table," and the house elf launched itself off the bed with a sharp crack and disappeared.

Snape had a very bad feeling about this. He didn't know exactly what he had ordered, but it probably included carved ice sculptures and jugglers. He looked at the door wondering if he could just slink out and hide downstairs.

"Are you all right, Severus?" the Dumbledore's voice broke into his worry. "You ordered tea, right?"

"I think I did. Dobby was rather, uh, animated," Snape said.

"Well, as long as you didn't specify the breakfast tea," Dumbledore muttered as he flipped through his closet. Snape slowly pulled the covers up over his head. The Headmaster glanced over at him.

"Severus? What did you order?" he queried.

"The Headmaster's Breakfast Tea," he said very softly as he covered his head with the pillows and disappeared from view.

"Severus, don't whisper. I can't hear you," Dumbledore called as he pulled on a clean robe. Snape poked his head out briefly.

"The Headmaster's Breakfast Tea," the Potions Master said very slowly and distinctly before re-covering his head. Why did he get the impression this was a Very Bad Thing?

The muffled curse reinforced his impression.

Dumbledore rubbed his temples. Wonderful. The elves would soon be setting out breakfast for him. An extravaganza of food and drink. He'd learned the hard way not to order the headmaster's breakfast tea many years ago. After many slips. Who knew elves could be so devious?

He looked back at the bed thinking the professor would have gotten up. He noted the large lump hiding in the bed. Why the hell was he buried? The Headmaster, annoyed, started to stomp over to the bed to drag the wizard out. As he came closer he noted the lump was slightly shaking. Not laughter, more like trembling.

Damn. He had been teasing Snape and then the blunder about ordering tea. Cursing had not helped ease any tension, now had it? The Potions Master seemed just fine most of the time, perhaps subdued, but Dumbledore had forgotten he was near his breaking point in his annoyance over the tea order. He sat down carefully and attempted to pull back the covers.

"Severus, come out. You can't possibly be getting enough air under all that bedding," the covers snugged tighter.

"Sorry," the muffled voice replied, "sorry."

"Child," Dumbledore tried that tack, managing to remove the pillow.

"Child, it's ok. You've done nothing wrong," the older man carefully worked at the covers finally exposing Snape's head which was firmly facing away from him.

"I'm sorry, Albus. I didn't know what to do. Dobby kept bouncing about and, and," Snape drew in a long ragged breath as he tried to control himself. *I will not cry over something as stupid as this he told himself firmly.

"Severus, it's fine. Dobby can be overwhelming first thing in the morning. He must have asked you specifically about my tea, didn't he?" Dumbledore ran a soothing hand over the rigid back. No answer.

"Child, if I could count the times those house elves have tricked me into asking for the Headmaster's Breakfast Tea or the Headmaster's Afternoon Tea, there wouldn't be enough fingers and toes in the Slytherins' tower to count on. They seem to delight in getting someone to order it for me, too. I'm not upset with you at all," now the Headmaster added a little warm energy to the gentle circles. Snape slowly drew his knees up in a slight fetal position. The massage continued as muscles slowly loosened up.

"I thought house elves were suppose to serve," Snape finally managed.

"Ah, but they're elves, now, aren't they? Even with all the breeding and magic they still are mischievous. This is just a little game that has been passed down as a Hogwarts' tradition. Dobby has probably been waiting a long time to try to trick someone. It will be the talk of the kitchen for months to come," reaching out he pulled Snape onto his back. Gently hair was pushed out of the way. Large, slightly glistening eyes looked back full of unspoken apologies.

"It's going to be fine, Severus. You'll be just fine," the Headmaster soothed his friend.

"Except now I'm going to have to help you eat all the stuff they drag up out of that blasted kitchen," Snape tried to joke, eliciting a small smile from the older man.

"Yes, definitely. I think I'll send a message down to Remus and perhaps Hagrid. The more mouths the better, trust me!" he encouraged Snape to sit up then get out of bed. He drew the younger man into his arms and hugged him. Snape clung a moment sighing into his shoulder.

"Get dressed for the goat, hmmm?" Dumbledore released him, catching a shy smile. He watched Snape move off to the washroom.

Lupin and Hagrid arrived together having met in the hallway. Both were curious about the early morning call, especially on a Sunday. Entering the Headmaster's rooms did not help Lupin in the least. The table sagging with food, complete with a fountain of sparkling fruit juice smack dab in the middle, only confused him more.

Hagrid burst into laughter. "Yeh did it again, din't yeh Albus!"

"Let's just say Dobby has pulled off the dastardly deed and leave it at that," Dumbledore replied jovially. Hagrid turned to Lupin and quickly filled him in on the kitchen elves' tradition. He'd been invited on several occasions for the impromptu feast.

Both men watched the Potions Master slip out of the bedroom and quietly move towards the table. Hagrid grinned quickly, figuring out who had ordered the tea. Before he could say a word the Headmaster shook his head sharply quelling him. Lupin nudged him towards the table.

Hagrid was not a dense man, even if many people believed him to be. He simply preferred to keep mostly to himself. He'd joined in on the general teasing of Snape in the beginning but the fun had waned. The wizard had made some impressive strides over the passed few weeks, considering where he'd started from below ground zero. Students coming out to his class actually talked about potions without complaining.

Glancing at Snape he noted the too-pale complexion and exhaustion. The normal proud stance of the man had collapsed, shoulders sagged and eyes did not maintain contact for long. How had he missed this? There was more going on than the silly gossip, of that Hagrid was sure. The groundskeeper moved passed the Potions Master, carefully patting him on the back as he took a chair on the corner.

"Come 'n, Severus. Let's see if we ca' make a dent in tha eats," Hagrid proceeded to fill his plate. Snape managed a weak smile and started to pick through the serving dishes.

Dr. Barnes arrived a half-hour later and was immediately put to the task of reducing the omelet surplus. He stared in amazement at the fountain. Couldn't believe the tray of pastries. Bacon, sausage, ham, and kippers rounded out the meat proteins. Sliced fruits served in hollowed out watermelon rinds sat on opposite sides of the fountain. The mound of cheese spilling down was positively obscene. He didn't even want to think about the toast, bagels, muffins, butter, jam, clotted cream or honey that beckoned. He counted four visible pots of tea.

"So, what are we celebrating?" he asked as he put fresh fruit on his plate.

"Dobby's success in continuing tradition," Lupin replied.

"There is no way you could get through all of this food," Barnes observed, spearing some sausage.

"We'll send it down to the student's common rooms. It will disappear quickly," Dumbledorée said as he poured fresh tea out. "Last call, gentlemen!" he continued ringing the bell to summons the house elves. Soon the huge smorgasbord disappeared.

"Well, then, Albus, I must go see ta the beasties," Hagrid said, "good day, Severus, Remus, Jeffy."

"I'll join you, Hagrid," Lupin stood up. "I'd like to talk to you about your beasties and my class. We could team up on some of the creatures this year." With a cheerful good day Lupin followed Hagrid out the door.

Snape had settled comfortably back in his chair sipping his tea. Stomach full and a good night's sleep combined to elevate his mood. He watched the Healer rummage through his bag and retrieve a small bottle.

"I spoke with my dad and did a little research. We thought this potion might work well for you, Severus," he said as he removed a syringe and proceed to pull solution into the barrel. Snape scowled.

"A shot?" he growled, pulling arms tightly across his chest.

"Yes, a shot. This potion is relatively new, based on a muggle discovery. You will still feel the emotions but you won't be affected by them. It seems to separate the rational mind from the emotional mind," Barnes said as he moved to Snape's side.

"Arm, please," the Healer prompted. Reluctantly Snape began to unclench.

"How long does it last?" he asked.

"About 6 to eight hours, max. It may or may not affect your appetite," Barnes loosened his arm, pushing up the sleeve he swiped alcohol before inserting the needle. Snape flinched.

A knock sounded at the door as Barnes moved back to his bag to break the needle off and store away the medicine. Minerva McGonagall came in, face impassive for a change as she glanced over Snape. She beckoned to the Headmaster.

"I'm sorry to disturb you this morning, Albus, but I need you to have a little talk with two of my students. They seem to think it amusing to decorate the common room with a variety of bugs. Large bugs," the stiff look broke into a small smile.

"I'm having a hard time not bursting into laughter, actually. They didn't take into account the stink bugs would start mating and the younger students are asking the most amazing questions," she smirked.

"I'm only disciplining the two students, right? I don't need to explain the "bugs and the bees" do I?" Dumbledore asked suspiciously. Snape snickered, winning a sharp glance from the Headmaster.

"Just the two students," confirmed McGonagall.

"Well, then, Jeffrey, Severus, I'll be back," and the Headmaster tooled his face into seriousness as he followed the now stern witch out the door.