Severus

He would be lying if he said that Lockhart's...unfortunate...memory loss didn't fill him with a satisfying sense of retribution. As the other's filtered into the castle, being frequently held up by a multitude of hugging, he escorted the confused man to the Headmaster's office. Dumbledore was sitting at his desk, a look of smug satisfaction on his wizened face as he ran his hands over it. He glanced up as the unlikely pair came through the door, replacing the smugness with surprise.

"Ah, Severus! How nice to see you."

"Happy to be back, are we Headmaster?" Snape replied, his brow arched and his voice emotionless.

"Why as a matter of fact I am." his eyes flicked to the dazed man that stood just behind the potions professor, gazing around in wonder. "Ah, Professor Lockhart. Are you quite alright, old chap?"

The man didn't act like he heard him, and Severus nudged him in the headmaster's direction.

"What? Hmmm? Oh, me? Hello!" Lockhart blabbered, greeting Albus when he finally caught sight of him. His eyes widened comically when he did. "Bloody hell you look like a wizard out of a fairy tale dressed like that!"

Snape nearly bit his tongue in half trying not to laugh. He barely managed to keep his face impassive as the fool leaned in towards the Headmaster, whispering conspiratorially.

"Does it feel like you are wearing a dress? You know-" he made a crude gesture towards his privates. "Do you get a good breeze?"

Severus couldn't help it, he started snickering. Once released it grew into a loud chuckle, and soon he was guffawing. Tears were leaking out of his eyes when he saw the Headmaster's look of shock and surprise. He sobered when Dumbledore cleared his throat. He was staring at Severus accusingly, and when he spoke, his tone was disapproving.

"Severus. What did you do?"

His face melted back into his hard mask at the man's admonitory tone. "I'm afraid I do not know what you mean, sir. Lockhart seems no different to me."

Lockhart's head whipped back and forth between the two gentleman, his expression happily curious. "Lockhart? Is that my name? Lockhart." he said again testing it out.

Dumbledore's eyes widened slightly, his head tilting towards Gilderoy as if to say 'see?'

Snape waved impassively, dismissing the situation. "Oh that, yes, apparently, according to Messrs Potter and Weasley, he was attempting to obliviate the boys with Weasley's broken wand when the curse rebounded. As such I would consider this to be the more favorable outcome."

Albus's face turned dark as he explained. "Well. I say turn him over to the Ministry to deal with. Now, about the children. Am I correct in assuming all three made it out alive?"

"Yes."

"Wonderful. Separate Mr. Weasley from his parents and bring them both here, Severus. I should like a bit of a chat."

Snape nodded and left, returning with two downtrodden lads in tow. He shoved them by their collars into the room, and they walked forward to stand in front of the large desk glumly. He noted that Lockhart was no longer in the office, and assumed that Dumbledore had flooed him to the Ministry in his absence. Snape waited in the shadows next to the door as the headmaster put on an imposing air, his voice hard.

"You both realize, of course, that in the past few hours, you have broken perhaps a dozen school rules?"

"Yes, sir" replied the boys in unison, their heads down.

"There is sufficient evidence to have you both expelled!"

Snape was surprised at the mention of such a harsh punishment, but he had to admit that the prospect of the Potter boy's expulsion made him giddy.

"Yes, sir"

"Therefore, it is only fitting, that you both receive..." the boys looked up as the Headmaster paused for dramatic effect, defeated. "Special awards for services to the school."

Dumbledore smiled as he finished and Snape scowled. oh of fucking course. He only mentioned expulsion so they would feel like he was doing them a big favor.

The boys shared twin looks of excitement, relief, and gratitude.

"Oh thanks, sir!" Weasley gushed.

Dumbledore nodded, standing.

"And now Mister Weasley, if you would, have an owl deliver these release papers to Azkaban." He handed the boy a roll of parchment and turned him gently around, his hand on his shoulder. "I believe we want our gamekeeper back."

He guided the boy out the door before turning to Harry.

"First, I want to thank you, Harry. You must have shown me real loyalty down in the chamber. Only that, could have called Fawkes to you."

Snape sneered, knowing full well that wasn't the case. Albus had sent his phoenix familiar to look after the boy months ago. Having heard the outcome of the boys punishment that he was waiting for, Severus turned to leave. He had taken less than five steps toward the door when it banged open, and he retreated back into the shadows. In walked Lucius Malfoy, a former Death Eater like himself, and pureblood supremacist. Behind him trailed a small house elf with big green eyes and floppy ears.

"Dobby!" Potter exclaimed upon seeing the creature. "So this is your Master. The Family you serve is the Malfoys." The boy glanced up at the tall blond man with a hard look, whose own face appeared as though he permanently smelled something bad.

"I'll deal with you later." he growled under his breath to his house elf, who looked up at him in fear and whimpered. Snape observed Potter watching the exchange, anger flaring in the young boy's eyes.

Lucius picked up his snake head cane, the one that Severus knew held his wand, and advanced on the Headmaster's desk, pushing Harry out of the way with the cane as he went.

"Out of my way, Potter." he spat. "So." he started, turning to Albus. "It's true. You have returned."

Dumbledore was impassive, his back straight as he stared at Lucius from behind his half moon spectacles. "When the Governors learned that Arthur Weasley's daughter was taken into the chamber they...saw fit to...summon me back."

Lucius sneered and turned his head towards the wall. "Ridiculous!" he exclaimed under his breath.

"Curiously, Lucius," Albus said, and Lucius turned back to him. "Several of them were under the impression that you would curse their families if they did not agree to suspend me in the first place." Dumbldore looked at him with a smug, knowing look.

"How dare you." the blond wizard spat angrily.

"I beg your pardon?"

"My sole concern has been and always will be the welfare of this school." He turned his head to glance at Potter, making a face as if he smelled especially putrid. "And of course, it's students."

He turned back to the Headmaster, with an annoyed sigh. "The culprit has been identified?"

Snape could hear footsteps running up the stairs from outside the door. Rosearia, her face flushed and her waist length curly red hair wild and windblown, burst in just as Dumbledore responded.

"Yes. Voldemort."

Snape remained stoic as pain flashed through his left forearm, and he knew that Lucius felt the same white hot burn when he reared back slightly before responding, his face tight.

"Ah." Lucius said, turning to see who had entered. Snape, ignoring the dissipating pain, watched his face for his reaction to seeing the mediwitch, who he knew to be stunningly beautiful, regardless of his continued efforts to avoid her. He also knew Lucius was a bit of a roué and, though married, had a tendency to step out on Narcissa, so he was unlikely to let a beauty like Rosearia go uncourted.

"Oh! Headmaster. I apologize. I was not aware that you had company." she apologized in her soft, lilting voice.

Just as he suspected he would, Lucius's eyes widened slightly and his pupils dilated, indicating lust. The regal looking man stepped forward and bowed low, all that voluminous blond hair Severus suddenly felt green with envy over sliding forward to frame his face. He took the petite woman's hand and, turning it over so that her palm faced up, he kissed it right below the wrist, his mouth lingering for a moment longer than was proper. He looked up at her while still bent over, his lips hovering over her small pale hand.

"And who might you be, gorgeous?" he asked.

Snape felt a white hot pang of anger that he tamped down and glanced up at Rose's face. The fire in his gut that he hadn't quite managed to squelch lessened when he saw her eyes flash with disgust. Though her face retained its usual serenity, and her full, pouty lips stretched in a soft smile.

"Salutations, sir. My name is Rosearia DunBroch, Mediwitch Apprentice here at Hogwarts." she greeted, gently removing her hand and absently wiping it on her skirts. Though he surely saw this, Lucius stood with his chest slightly puffed out, undeterred.

"Lucius Malfoy. Pureblood wizard and member of the Board of Governors of Hogwarts. Pleased to make your acquaintance...Madame."

Snape groaned inwardly as he knew the snake had only called her Madame to see if she would correct him, indicating she wasn't married. And he, having known Miss Rosearia for nearly a year, knew she would.

"The pleasure is all mine, sir."

Silence hung in the air for a moment and Snape waited for her to correct Lucius, as she always did when he called her Madame. He was surprised when instead the silence was broken by her addressing the Headmaster.

"Sir," she started, leaning slightly to glance around the pureblood. "Professor McGonagall wanted me to inform you that her-and some of the other members of staff-wished to enter the Chamber to ensure the basilisk is truly dead."

Snape heard the soft pleading undertone, and apparently the Headmaster did as well, for he smiled at her with a twinkle in his eye.

"Am I correct in assuming that you would like to accompany them?" he asked.

Severus moved in the shadows along the wall to see a blush steal over her cheeks and down her slender neck. He followed it to the top of her high neckline, thinking about it journeying lower. He glanced up to see that Lucius staring at her too. Snape gritted his teeth and, before he could think better of it, jumped into the man's mind stealthily.

Damn what a gorgeous witch. You can just feel the power pouring off her. The shear amount of magic she is emitting without even trying is just as sexy as that rack that I bet is as pink as her face right now...Severus grew hot with anger as the thoughts were joined by a detailed mental picture of what Lucius thought her breasts would look like, but he couldn't bring himself to close the connection.

Yes I'd fuck that bitch till she was screaming my name. Maybe make her my permanent mistress. Put her up in a nice house with enough room for a sex dungeon. Mmmmm yes. Her pussy and her power under my control...

Snape pulled out as the thoughts completely gave way to lewd pictures and short clips, each more depraved than the last. His hands were fisted so tight that the knuckles were white as he tried to restrain from cursing the man right there. Instead he focused on Rosearia, whose face was innocent and hopeful.

"Well you never know, someone might trip on a rock and scrape their knee. Where would they be without me then? It is imperative that I go. You know, for the safety and wellbeing of the group."Rosearia replied, smiling at her joke.

The Headmaster chuckled, "Of course you may accompany them, Lady DunBroch. As long as you have assessed Mr. Potter and Mr. and Ms. Weasley. I will inform Poppy of your whereabouts."

Rosearia nodded and though she thanked Albus, her eyes darkened in annoyance at the title she couldn't seem to convince him to stop using. Lucius on the other hand, picked it up and latched onto it.

"A Lady, hmm? I do not believe I have ever heard of the DunBroch family. They certainly are not of the Sacred 28."

Snape saw Rosearia's face become a completely calm and serene mask as she turned to the eldest Malfoy.

"Oh I am afraid I am not in charge of anything, it is merely a nickname that the Headmaster is fond of calling me." she said, exuding sincerity.

"Hmph" Lucius made a disappointed noise, eyeing her before he turned towards the door. "I will be taking my leave then, but feel free to floo me, darling. Come Dobby."

With one last arrogant smirk at the mediwitch Lucius made for the door, his house elf walking slowly in front of him. Malfoy frowned down at him and, with a swift kick, sent the poor creature flying towards the door. Snape damn near smiled as he immediately thought of Rosearia's harsh reaction when he tried to kill-her now pet-black mamba that the young Mr. Malfoy had conjured. Ooooo he just made a big mistake. Huge. Well, there goes Lucius's chance, if there ever was one.

Sure enough, before Dobby even landed, Rosearia's magic pulsed throughout the room. It was so dense, it made the very air hard to breathe. The tiny woman's serene face switched to a level of rage he had never before seen, not even when she yelled at him the first day of the school year. Snape grew concerned as her eyes darkened to black and lightening flashed in their depths. Her hair crackled with flames. He thought she looked as if she was growing taller in her rage, and sure enough, a second later she was taller than Lucius, the blood red flames that were now her hair nearly licking the ceiling. Her voice was no longer soft, but boomed through the suddenly much smaller feeling office.

"HOW DARE YOU! WHO THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!"

Potter's eyes were wide and he backed into the wall behind Dumbledore's desk. Snape was frozen in shock. Even Dobby's eyes swallowed his face as he laid on the ground where he had landed. Snape didn't see that Dumbledore was calm as ever, and slowly moved to open a drawer in his desk, his eyes never leaving the exchange unfolding before him.

"I-I-I" Lucius kept stuttering, real fear in his face. "I-Its j-j-just a hh-house elf, m-m-my ss-sservant."

Her fingers sparked as if they too were trying to catch fire as she jabbed it in Malfoy's face.

"WRONG!" Malfoy flinched as a jolt of electricity shot from her pointer finger and struck him on the tip of the nose. "HE HAS A NAME! HE HAS THOUGHTS, FEELINGS, AND IS CAPABLE OF MORE EMOTION AND MAGICAL TALENT THAN YOU! YOU NO-GOOD, LOW-LIFE, FOUL, EVIL, LITTLE...COCKROACH!

Her voice got louder with each insult until she had screamed the final word. There was a great puff of smoke and, when it cleared Lucius was gone. In his stead there was a large brown cockroach that scurried across the floor and under a chair, out of the light. Snape glanced up and finally noticed that Dumbledore had stood and made his way over to Rosearia. In his hands he held what looked like twin gold bracelets linked by a thin chain. Snape frowned as he stared at them. Why do those look so familiar?

Albus had almost reached her when the bug scurried out of sight, but as soon as she lost sight of it she visibly calmed, rapidly shrinking to her normal petite size, her flaming hair extinguishing to its usual wild blood red curls, and the raging lightening in her swiftly brightening eyes giving way to righteous indignation. He saw Dumbledore hastily hide the chain link bracelets behind his back as she turned and shot him a glare, no less intimidating now that she was back to being barely 5ft.

"I know you are going to ask, but I will NOT turn him back."

She turned her back on the Headmaster and slowly lowered to her knees in front of Dobby, her soft smile now exuding kindness. Snape turned his attention to Dumbledore as she attempted to calm the house elf, and caught the old man's eye. Severus glanced down at the bracelets still hidden behind him and back up to the headmaster's bright blue gaze, a question burning in his gaze. Severus felt a whisper across his mind's eye as they locked eyes, Later...

So the old man wants to discuss this when the mediwitch is not in attendance. Fine. Later then.

He nodded his acquiescence and tuned back into the happenings around them. Rosearia had apparently been successful in her endeavor to calm the house elf, and was currently checking him over for injuries as she let out a constant stream of reassurances. Most of which consisted of making his Master set him free. Dobby was obviously stunned, his huge eyes wide and staring at her, for once speechless.

The Potter boy was of a similar regard, staring at the mediwitch with a mix of awe and fear. As if she could hear is thoughts, after she was done mollifying Dobby, she turned to Potter.

"I am sorry you had to see that, Harry. I normally do not loose my temper to such an extent, but I can not stand to see innocent people hurt. I apologize for having scared you." she said, blushing slightly and looking rather sheepish. Snape did not like her blushing at the boy like that, though he knew in his mind that he was much to young for her. Still, he cleared his throat.

"Ahem. If you are quite finished ogling, Mr. Potter, it is time you rejoined Mr. Weasley in the Great Hall." he quipped, glaring at the boy until he stumbled out the door.