4. Nasty eye
4 months later
Severus is finally released from the Hospital wing after a LOT of rehab training and nervous decisions. He returned to being the DADA Professor, but students noticed something was wrong with the 'greasy git'. He seemed a lot...kinder. He still had his usual eloquent snark, but he didn't take points from the Gryffindors during lessons just because someone smart-mouthed him; he even snickered a little when Hagrid made a particularly good joke at the staff table; students, particularly Ravenclaws and Slytherins; came to him for homework help; other students thought this is extremely funny as they would eavesdrop through his office door when Severus was yelling at unfortunate students that tried to get homework help when he was in a bad mood; students were curious why the snarky Head of Slytherin felt like a new person. Meanwhile, Severus was trying to find a way to cope with his nightmares, which seemed to be making a comeback now that he had ditched Dreamless Sleep. Maybe I could change into a shape where I can't HAVE nightmares...That's IT! Severus will become an Animagus! Why didn't he think of this earlier instead of using potions? Is he a real Slytherin or not?
A month later Severus had finally managed to transform into his animagus shape, a rather scrawny-looking raven with a silver crest on his head, matching the streak on his hair. He had taken to pranking obnoxious students when in his form; pecking some of their hair off or stealing their food. For hardworking students he had also left a feather at their beds, carved into a new quill. Rumors were flying around about who this mysterious raven could be; luckily they didn't think that Professor Snape would be an animagus; though the bird's demeanor seemed horribly like the cunning Slytherin. Severus couldn't stand keeping the truth to himself any longer; he decided to come to class as a raven.
"Wow!" So that raven that has been stealing our lunches was you, professor?" Scandalised Gryffindor and Slytherin third years barked when he swooped in the classroom and morphed into his human form. "Consider it my comeback for you trying to hide your abysmal homework." Severus sneered, causing Slytherins to giggle and Gryffindors to scowl. They spent the rest of the class working on Stunning Spells, and students often recieved a painful nip from Severus the raven when they didn't want to spend the class working on one spell.
"Class dismissed." Severus barked at the end of class, shooing the students outside, when a burly-looking first year appeared at the door. "Professor Snape, it's Hailey. I've been feeling these strange mood shifts in class...so I was wondering-" She said shyly, but Severus cut her off. "Explain." He hissed. "Well, it's like whenever I'm near another person or in a big crowd, I feel their emotions." She said, growing more shy. "Say no more. Miss Abott, you are an empath." Severus declared. Hailey looked confused, and Severus muttered; "Thick first-years. An empath can receive or feel another's mood when they are near that person. Tell me your mood right now." "Impatient, derisive. Like I want to snap at you, but I controlled myself." Hailey said, still shy but sounding more irritated. Severus shivered. Those were his EXACT emotions! How, how could this happen? Now Hailey could feel all his emotions, they weren't private anymore! "Umm...now you know, maybe I'll go? See you, Professor." Hailey said, now sounding panicky. Severus slammed the door behind her and fell to the ground. His feelings weren't private anymore. Another problem he'd had to cope with...
Severus soared, higher and higher, his wings carrying him above Hogwarts, away from all the incessant students. Suddenly he spotted a tiny grey dot scurrying on the grassy ground...he dived, the grey dot revealing itself to be a small mouse...he snatched the creature in his talons, when he felt something, a human hand, pulling him downwards. "Not Whiskers! Let GO!" The fourth-year boy screamed. Severus let go of the frightened mouse, but the boy scrabbled at Severus, pulling off fistfuls of his feathers and trying to bend his wings to breaking point; not giving Severus time to transform back, until he managed to do it and kicked the boy aside. Severus COULD say that boy was horrified, to say the least. He was chalk-white, staring at his dishevelled and to say the least, furious Professor, who was sure to get Professor McGonagall to try and expel him...
"Well well, Mr Winge, who knew you could be so...emotional? Manhandling your professor over a silly mouse, this is serious, indeed..." Severus sneered, somewhat diabolically, he knew yelling wasn't going to get him anywhere. With a pincerlike grip he steered the downtrodden boy away from his friends who looked like they wanted to hex Severus, into Hogwarts and his office...
"Honestly professor, I didn't know you were an animagus! I'm just tired of birds snacking on my pet mouse!" The boy blustered. "Then why didn't you think before you jump? A classical Gryffindor blunder, not often found on a Hufflepuff." Severus sneered. "An ordinary raven would've let go of their quarry and fled if you were trying to catch it. Other knowledge exists that is not magic. There will be 500 points taken from Hufflepuff for your impulsiveness, and an..ah, talk with Professor McGonagall tomorrow." Severus growled. The boy looked more frightened than ever, and dashed out of Severus' office before he could say another word.
"Severus! Hufflepuff lost 500 POINTS? In a single night? Please don't tell me that you're favoring Slytherins again! Minerva barked, at breakfast the next day, exasperated that Severus had taken so many points from a house, probably because he was favoring his Slytherins again. "No. I am an animagus, and apparently the idiot Dunley Winge accused me of eating his pet mouse. And tried to kill me." Severus drawled, frustrated at the bewildered look on Minerva's face. "You're an animagus? You're that raven that has been terrorizing students?" Minerva asked, shocked. "Yes I am. Glad to see that everyone's catching up." Severus leered. "And for the record, I DID plan to eat his pet mouse as a raven, because he has been failing to complete his homework for two weeks in a row no matter how many times I remind or tell him." Severus spat. "At least don't use pet murdering as a punishment, Severus. And we have different ideas of 'trying to kill you'. Are you sure that Mr Winge was trying to break your wings?" McGonagall barked, actually angry. "Yes he was." Severus growled determinedly. Minerva's growing soft in her old age.
The next day, Severus, throughly exhausted after yesterday's 'talk' with Dunley Winge and Minerva, spotted a horde of students gathered around the bulletin board. Severus silently snuck upon them, so that no one noticed, and read the note pinned to the wall;
"Due to recent suspicions that unregistered Animagi are causing mayhem within Hogwarts, the below students and staff are required at the headmistress' office at 12 pm: Severus zoned out while reading the next names, but gasped when the note read: Dunley Winge, Hailey Abott and Professor Severus Snape." Great. So HE was going to the Headmistress' office? It was utterly ironic, since Severus is usually the one sending the imbeciles there. Severus turned on his heel and swept away, for students were staring curiously at him, wondering why a teacher was needed in the headmistress' office.
"What are we even here for?" Winge whined when they were in with Minerva at 12 pm. "You are the suspected unregistered animagi that has been causing 'mayhem' on the school grounds, some transgressions include...eating student's pets when in animal form." Minerva glared at Severus when she said this, causing Severus to blush angrily. "I was merely wondering if any of you are true animagi, or if you or your parents registered yourself or not." McGonagall stated matter-of-factly, though some students still looked nervous. Hailey Abott transformed-into a greyish red fox with pale blue eyes. Students flinched in shock and so did Severus. He would be in severe danger if she happened to be in her fox form and she was hungry. But this was apparently the least surprising; for Dunley Winge transformed into a stocky and angry-looking chihuahua. The students burst into laughter, even Severus smirked. The chihuahua added his shrill barks into the din, until McGonagall shouted for silence and the chihuahua transformed back into a very red-faced Winge.
"Very well. professor Snape you may go, though Miss Abott and Mr Winge need to stay." McGonagall said. Severus is extremely glad for this and so were the students, because they were getting scared of the 'greasy git' breathing down their necks. He swept out of the office, transformed into raven form, and soared outside. There were no more lessons today, and since Slughorn was handling all the brewing for Madam Pomfrey, Severus could finally take a break, with the added benefit that he could keep an eye on students running astray. He saw Dunley Winge walk out of Hogwarts and towards the Black Lake; staring apprehensively at the large black shape soaring above.
Serves him right, being all whiney and jumpy. Severus thought to himself, sneering. Severus found that he could also forage for potions ingredients in this form; expecially underwater plants and alpine plants. That brought Severus' mind to something...Slughorn requested to Severus that he needed Gillyweed, which was difficult to harvest for an 'old man like him' as he said. Severus pulled into a quick dive, because his feathers would wet and he would drown if he stayed underwater for too long...Severus felt the water around him, dark and murky. He paddled his talons looking for Gillyweed...he found large sprigs of it, but the problem is, they were guarded by Grindylows. The monsters bared their gross teeth and grabbed at Severus with their tentacles and long fingers. They grabbed onto one of his talons...but Severus had his beak closed around a large sprig of Gillyweed to prevent the demons from drowning him...but his feathers were sodden by now, weighing him down... The Gillyweed finally snapped in half, but Severus struggled to breathe, even though he was inches from the surface...Severus transformed back to human form, kicking the Grindylows off, and tumbled on shore in a sodden heap. Severus cast a quick charm to dry himself off, but there were now bruises on his legs and arm where the Grindylows had grabbed him hard. Severus ignored student's panicked and curious stares at their professor emerging from the lake in a heap, but he turned back into a raven, Gillyweed still in his beak, and delivered the ingredients to Slughorn.
Meanwhile in azkaban...
Alecto Carrow HAD to do it. She HAD to punish or kill that double-crossing cripple Severus Snape. But the problem is? How're they going to escape from Azkaban? It was miraculous that they could THINK normally in Azkaban, let alone plan a mission with all the Dementors around.
'MASS BREAKOUT FROM AZKABAN' Tomorrow's Daily Prophet read. What? Severus was in shock. It had been five YEARS since the fall of Voldemort and the death eaters were imprisoned, why strike now? The next parts were boring until Severus almost spat out his breakfast at the next sentence: "Two of the escaped death eaters, Alecto and Amycus Carrow, reveal their prime target to be Severus Snape, Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts. "That double-crossing cripple needs to be killed. Betraying the Dark Lord, what was he thinking?" The convicts revealed.' Severus definitely DID spit out his breakfast at this statement, sending water spraying all over his and Minerva's length of staff table. "Severus! May I ask what's so disturbing on the Daily Prophet?" Minerva glared reproachfully. Severus almost shoved the paper in her face, forcing her to read it. "Dear heavens! Why would the death eaters want to target you? Of all people? Surely they can't even enter Hogwarts successfully!" Minerva gasped in shock. They had reconciled after Voldemort's death and Severus was revealed as a spy and hero, but she still didn't get over the fact that Severus is an ex-death eater, since so few of them quit their ranks and even fewer survived like Severus. Severus suddenly left the Great Hall in a rage, leaving the dumbstruck students and staff behind.
Should I show myself? Severus wondered. He obviously couldn't hide like a coward, but Severus has the wits to know that he can't take on two death eaters alone. No student was up to the task, but Severus needed someone else to take on the death eaters. He COULD use Potter...but he had been through enough, Severus didn't want to seem to clingy...until Potter personally invited him to fight with him.
Severus, The owl letter read. Look, I know you still hate me and all, but I'm just going to say sorry if this turns too sentimental. The thing is, after I read the Daily Prophet about the death eaters targeting you, I figured you needed a bit of help. I know. Simple as that. I'm not saying you're weak, but I know you don't want the death eaters tailing you like some twisted travesty of a bounty, and neither do I. So how about we take them on, together? You versus Amycus, Me versus Alecto, that sort of thing. Deal?
Sincerely, a well-meaning but slightly irked Harry.
To be honest Potter was right. Severus IS tired of death eaters treating him like a bounty. He scrawled a large 'Deal, Potter' on the back of the letter and returned it to the impatient owl sitting on his office window sill. He would accept the help, and slay the death eaters together. Severus knew this is unlike him; but he'd come to realize that Potter wasn't like his father that much, and that he meant well. He never wanted to hire the Carrows even when he was headmaster; all he did was to fool Voldemort. And now, they're paying for it. Severus started planning their first move...