Chapter 28: The Lost Book

Summary: Severus starts his summer holiday at Hogwarts.

Severus sat stiffly in his chair, looking at his hands while Mr. Potter talked to Headmaster Dumbledore on the other side of the room. When the head Arour finally left, Dumbledore sat at his desk with a sigh and stared into space for a few minutes before focusing on Severus. "Mr. Potter has informed me of your situation. He tells me you weren't cooperative." he started. "As the Headmaster of this school I must insist that you tell me exactly what happened, Mr. Snape." he continued, the command in his tone was unmistakable.

"I told the Aurors everything, sir. I'm sure Mr. Potter has briefed you."

"Don't lie to me, boy. We already know your housemates were helping the Death Eaters. You will end this foolishness and tell me their names."

"You can't force me to do anything!" snapped Severus.

Dumbledore's expression darkened. "You are putting not only yourself but your fellow students in grave danger by your ignorance." he said as he gazed directly into Severus' eyes. Severus averted his eyes, he didn't need the old man intruding on his thoughts.

They were both silent for a few minutes. Dumbledore sighed. "I was hoping to reason with you, but I can see that it's pointless. You're letting your stubbornness cloud your judgment. For that you'll be serving detention for the rest of the summer." he said.

Severus almost snorted at that.

"As you know, Mr. Snape. You are to stay at Hogwarts for your safety. I have adjusted the wards, so that you could only exit the school grounds with one of the heads of houses or myself." continued the Headmaster.

Severus frowned. He wasn't happy about that, but he could see it was necessary. "Alright." he said with a nod.

"You're trunk is already in your chambers, which is in the first floor. Since there aren't that many people in the school, the house elves will be bringing your meals to your chambers." Dumbledore paused for a moment, as if trying to decide something. "You will have detention every afternoon from three to five. You are free to do what you want the rest of the day in your rooms or out in the grounds. The school is closed and I don't want you wandering the halls, is that clear?"

"Yes, sir." said Severus. "What about my wand? When can I have it back?" he asked.

"I'll be holding on to your wand for now." answered the Headmaster.

"You can't do this! That's my personal property." snapped Severus.

"I am the Headmaster of this school Mr. Snape and I am responsible for your care. There's a reason we don't allow students to stay at Hogwarts during the summer. We can't allow anyone to walk around the school unsupervised. Based on your behavior during your education here, I'm afraid I can't trust you not to go looking for trouble. You can have your wand back as soon as the classes start." explained Dumbledore calmly.

"You say I'm in danger. How am I supposed to defend myself if I don't have my wand with me?" asked Severus through gritted teeth.

"As long as you're inside the wards of Hogwarts, you'd be safe." answered Dumbledore.

Severus was about to retort, but stopped himself. He knew arguing with Dumbledore would be a waste of time.

...

Living at Hogwarts wasn't that bad. It was really peaceful without all the students running around. As far as Severus could say, Hagrid was the only person that actually lived there during the summer. Even Filch was on holiday.

Severus' chambers were rather cozy. He suspected they had belonged to a former Professor. There was a bedroom, a bathroom and a small living room. The decorations didn't represent any of the four houses. The furniture were of dark wood and brown leather and the rugs and curtains were beige and light blue. The living room had a nice view of the courtyard. Severus could also see the school entrance, which was reassuring. From the window in his bedroom he could see Hagrid's hut and the edge of the forest.

As nice as Severus' chambers were, he didn't spend that much time in them. He felt like a prisoner as it was so he mostly took his books outside to study, enjoying Scotland's summer. Severus was thankful for the books Regulus had given him. They were complicated enough to keep him busy. He had already gone through the book about werewolves during the school year. Now, he was reading the potion books. Like Dumbledore had told him, the house elves brought his meals for him. When he was studying outside, the elves would deliver his food there. They even left little snacks for him in his room.

Severus served his detention in the library. He wasn't allowed there the rest of the day. Dumbledore stood at door waiting for his arrival every afternoon. He put some kind of spell on one section of the library, to limit Severus' access to the other parts. He also placed a charm on the books on the shelves to make them stay closed, so that Severus wouldn't spend his detention reading. He was instead supposed to dust the books with a rag. Dumbledore always locked him in there and left. The door would magically open at precisely five o'clock.

Dusting books wasn't really a hard task. Severus didn't mind spending his afternoon surrounded by books and had always thought the books needed more maintenance. It was none the less a boring task. On his first day Severus had written a letter to the Johnsons, explaining that he had found a job in Scotland. He had put it in a muggle envelope with a stamp and owled it to the post office at Hogsmeade for delivery. He hoped he could find a way to visit them before school started.

It was the beginning of the second week of summer holiday when finally something exciting happened. Severus was serving detention. He was at the charms section close to the restricted part of the library. As he crouched down to get to the books at the bottom, he saw something under the shelf. He frowned, he thought it could be anything from old parchment to a cursed box. He was too curious to leave there, though. He wrapped his hand in a clean rag, then reached over and pulled the item out from under the shelf. It was a thick leather bound book. Severus picked it up and read the title. His heart started beating faster. He ran a finger over the gold letters 'The Basics of Mind Magic, Form occlumency to legilimency'. He had been looking for that book his fifth year. It had been in the library all this time. Severus held his breath as he opened the book. A huge smile spread across his face. Dumbledore's charm hadn't reached under the shelves. It seemed him staying at Hogwarts was going to be worthwhile after all.