Part Nineteen
A/n: I've made my New Years resolution early this year. Or late, depending on how you look at it. But any which way, I'm going to write much shorter authors notes and I need you to help me to stick to it!
Two days had passed. It was amazing how a mere forty eight hours could drag on for years. And if anyone could testify just how long two days could last, Severus Snape could.
For he had just spent a miserable two days alone in the dungeons of Hogwarts, save a few classes. But he had no need to venture further than his classroom, his office, or his bedroom. He had had a few meals brought to him by an overcheerful house elf, who had disappeared to bang his head against a wall after Snape had barked at it to stop being happy.
But all in all, he was beginning to wonder what so so amazing about the rest of the castle anyway. The dungeons were much quieter, much more empty. The rest of the castle was always full of students tearing around, chasing each other down corridors and shouting loudly. Down in the dungeons there was nothingness. And there was nothing like being alone to make you appreciate nothingness. It gave him alot more time to forget how miserable he was.
Instead, he concentrated on anger. Nothing was fair. Nothing was his fault either, at least, he was pretending that nothing was, as he still couldn't remember even the minutest of detail about the night he had spent with Rebecca, to find her showering in his bathroom the next morning. But still, in his mind, nothing was his fault.
As the hours of emptiness had passed, the darkness drawing ever closer by the second, he had become more angry, with everyone and everything. He spent a few hours watching a damp spot spread across a wall, wallowing in self pity. But he had never been a big fan of self pity, so gave up after a short time and went back to being angry.
He liked being angry. It meant he could blame anyone except himself for ruining whatever it was he had had with Minerva. As hard as he tried, he couldn't bring himself to actually be angry with Rebecca. Which was strange, as, thinking about everything rationally, he had previously come to the decision that it was all her fault. But the minute he had started to be angry with her, he remembered how upset she had got when he had woken up that morning and gotten angry with her.
He had remembered how she had claimed that, at the time, she had thought herself to be doing only what he wanted. And that would have meant that whatever had happened had, more likely than not, been initiated by him. And he refused to accept that anything was his fault, so his discounted that immediatly.
As one day had turned to the next, and he had lain awake in bed, unable to sleep, he had found himself starting to blame, strangely enough, Minerva herself.
She had refused to listen to him, didn't care that he couldn't even remember why or what had happened. She had just been angry and upset. Whilst in the beginning, it had upset him to remember how she had broken down, now it merely provided fuel for his anger. If she would only listen...hadn't even bothered to cross her mind that he might be geniunly sorry about what had happened, that he might actually not have wanted it all...just thinking about it made his blood boil.
And it seemed that Severus wasn't the only one blaming Minerva for what had happened. For she herself had just spent an even more miserable (if that was possible) two days than Severus, doing nothing but blaming herself.
After getting over her initial anger, she had started to turn on herself. She wondered if there was anything she should have done differently, wondered if things would have turned out the same if she hadn't have been so unreasonable over the whole 'kissing situation'. And most of all, she wondered if she had been too hasty in ending whatever the hell it was that they had had.
Sure she had been angry at the time. She still was, but not with him now. Well, not much. But it was remarkable just how much self loathing could make you miss a person...
She had spent two days hiding her bloodshot and black lidded eyes with various charms, wanting nothing more than a hug and a good nights sleep. But sleep was impossible. The minute her eyelids started to close, the same image popped up infront of her eyes: Severus, stood by her door, as she started to sob and told him to go away and not bother coming back. It was a haunting image, and most definatly one which drove away sleep.
It seemed that, forty eight hours after breaking up, the only person involved in the situation who was in the least bit happy, was Rebecca. Infact, she had spent the past two days silently congratulating herself, and resisting the urge to jump up and down. All she had had to do was throw some clothes around Sev's room and jump into his shower and, she had him all to herself. Not that she was quite done yet....she wouldn't be finished until she had Minerva McGonagall out of the picture permanently, but she could wait a little while before getting started on that one...
Deciding that he had spent forty eight hours too many in solitude, at the present moment in time she was busy picking her way through one of Hogwarts many winding corridors, on the way down to the dungeons.
The large wooden door that was rotting with age creaked loudly as usual as she pushed it open with her shoulder. Jumping down the steps two at a time, she started to sing under her breath, and near skipped through the cold rooms, until she found the one that Severus was occupying.
Upon hearing someone in the doorway, he looked up hopefully, realised who it was, and looked down again, disappointedly.
"Come on sweetie," she clucked, walking over and putting her arms around his waist, resting her head on his back. "Cheer up."
"Cheer up?" He said in a way which implied he had forgotten the meanings of the words. "How?"
"Get some sunshine," she had tutted. "You'll waste away down here by yourself. Besides, you can't hide forever. Someone'll notice something soon, and then they'll start asking questions. Then you'll end up even more miserable, and you're just no fun when you're miserable!"
"Well sorry." He snapped, in a tone that didn't sound in the least bit so. "Believe me, if it were up to me, I wouldn't be miserable now." He sighed, a long a drawn out sigh, then started again. "How did this all happen in the first place Becca?" He asked, in wonderment. "I mean, how the hell did I end up caring so deeply about Minerva McGonagall that I would want to spend two days alone in a dungeon when I found out she didn't want to see me any more?"
"Don't ask me chicken," she had sighed, walking around so she could see his face. She cupped his cheek lightly with her hand and pecked him in a friendly manner on the lips. "I don't think I'll ever understand that one. And if you don't know the answer, then I sure as hell don't." He wrapped his arms around her waist protectivly, and lent his head on her shoulder.
"Nothing makes sense any more," he moaned. "Nothing."
"Well hey, I'm here if you need me!" She smiled brightly.
"Thanks Becca." He had said sincerly.
"Oh, and hey, I'm sorry if this is all somehow my fault, cus, you know, this all seemed to happen after I showed up and-"
"It's not your fault Becca. Don't think that. Please." He had tightened his grasp on her waist, and she was sure he was trying to fight the urge to cry. She wondered if she should be feeling guilty.....however that felt....
"Well love, I'd better be going, I think I'm meant to be taking a class in a few minutes and I need to prepare," she chirped, removing herself from his arms. "Take care, and the minute you realise that locking yourself away down here is both pointless and unhealthy, then you come and see me!"
"I will Becca. And thanks again." She smiled warmly.
"My pleasure. See you later sweetie!"
It happened to be an unfortunate coincidence that, at the moment Rebecca left the dungeons and starting heading towards her classroom, she ran straight into an almost asleep on her feet, Minerva McGonagall.
"Well," Rebecca sneered. "I'm surprised you've got the nerve to show your face right now."
"Me?" Minerva raised her eyebrows, self loathing and sleepiness receeding quickly.
"Yeah you! You have no idea what you've done to him!"
"He brought it all onto himself!" She snapped, wishing she believed her words. "Besides, you're more at fault than I am!"
"Really?" Rebecca raised an eyebrow casually, trying not to get worked up.
"Yes!"
"I didn't do anything he didn't want me to honey. You can't blame me for that, surely? Afterall, it's not my problem is it, that you were unable to, ah, 'fullfill all his needs' shall we say?"
"Take that back now," she almost growled, in a tone of voice that was not to be messed with.
"Why? It's the truth afterall. Face it honey, you just weren't good enough." The words were barely out of her mouth, when she felt a sudden sharp pain at the side of her face. Gasping, she exclaimed indignantly: "Did you just slap me?"
Minerva just stood, glaring at her, but before she had time to realise that slapping her probably wasn't the best of moves, she felt hands on her sholders, and her body jolted in shock as she was slammed up against the corridor wall.
"Listen sweetie, don't mess with me okay? I don't fuck around. Wouldn't want to get hurt now would y-" She couldn't complete the sentance, but then, who could when they'd just been kneed hard in the stomach? "Oh, that is it!" she exclaimed, arms folded over her stomach, eyes glittering with malice. "I tried to warn you!" She lunged forward, knocking her opponent to the floor, though not before Minerva had time to grab a handfull of her hair and pull her down with her.
"Let go!" she screamed, contacting her long and well manicured nails with Minerva's face and scratching hard enough to draw blood. "Let go of my hair you bitch!" Minerva let go, but not before kicking her hard enough to send her sprawling half way across the corridor.
Both women started to get to their feet, but unfortunatly for Minerva, Rebecca was faster; and the minute she was up, she was back across the corridor, aiming several hard kicks at Minerva's stomach. She didn't have the upper hand for long however, for, after the second kick, Minerva had grabbed her calves and pulled her back to the floor.
"You bloody cow, let go of me now!" Rebecca shrieked, lashing out once more with her nails.
"Slut!" Minerva screamed, in an attempt to tear out the other woman's eyes. They went on like that for what felt like an eternity, both women trying to inflict as much damage as was possible on the other, both seeming to forget that they were witches and there were more effective ways of dealing with each other.
It got to the point where Minerva's vision was clouded with blood pouring from a small gash at her temple and Rebecca was having trouble breathing properly, when two pairs of strong hands pulled them away from each other and firmly to their feet. That was all Minerva remembered before she blacked out.
A/n: Okay, can I please apologise for that now? I know Minerva would never do anything like that, and that definately wasn't the way I was planning on ending this part, but it got to the stage where I felt Rebecca was in desperate need of being given a good smack round the face, and seeing as she isn't real, I couldn't do it, so.....