To Incitatus, who is probably going to end up like me as part of the MAA ( Malfoy Addicts Annonymous) Sandy :) There will be more Snape, this chapter in fact :) And Eternal Haven, a new reader and very brave to have started so near the end.
The light is creeping in, there, little flashes over the horizon, the school looks so peaceful when its asleep. Her train of thought was melodious, she could hear the noise of someone shifting in sleep from the bed across the room.
She wasn't supposed to be here, a question of ethics apparently, but she needed to be close, and well the couch in here faced one of those anomalous dungeon windows. She watched the sun come over the horizon in a splash of ultra violent colour.
Today was the day for it, she could feel it in her bones, all the witnesses were there.
"The serpent's heir, The dragon, The faithful hound, The child who lived, The silvered boy and Dark heart not descending, all must witness the change"
It had come to her just after that blast of chilling wind in the library, she had half passed out and Serverus had put her to bed, and left, which was irritating, she could have done with the company if nothing else. Nightmares of unfinished prophecy had haunted her.
Then she had felt it, just before dawn, it had crashed through her dreams like a tidal wave. She wondered, if the pair in the Gryffindor tower knew what sort of un-harnessed power they had thrown out into the ether. Probably not, they had, from the over tones, other things on their minds.
She sighed, and almost leapt out of her skin when a voice spoke from behind her.
"Such a great sigh kitten?"
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at the man leaning on the back of the chair. He looked dishevelled from the nights sleep but his hair was almost downy fine escaping around his face, softening the lines there which mirrored Ama's uncannily, or perhaps vice versa. The black eyes were still relaxed from sleep but she could see herself reflected in them, a thousand times, back into infinity. A slight smile tugged up the corner of his mouth, but worry was written there in the lines.
It was strange, she had known those eyes for over five years but the face had become just as familiar, just as dear in the space of twenty or so hours. That was worthy of a sigh.
"I was just thinking, about, well"
She made a slicing motion across her wrists, his eyes sobered suddenly more awake, she could see why people would be wary of this man, there was a darkness there, but then most of the people she had met had had that darkness, not Hermoine and not Dumbledore, but then with them perhaps she wasn't looking in the right places.
"I thought I heard you talking"
Her face flushed.
"I was, just repeating who needs to be there, but I thought you were sleeping"
He reached out a hand and tousled her hair, it was a nice gesture warm and slightly tingly, she gently moved his hand so that he cupped her face, for a moment before he moved it away she could feel the tingles moving though her skin, on each of his cheekbones there was a heightened slash of colour.
"I woke up the moment you entered the room, I've been watching you"
She felt the flush on her face darken until she was sure she was a beetroot shade. It sounded almost intimate, and it was in a way, watching someone when they think that they're unobserved shows a lot that they would sometimes conceal. She wanted to stammer to be a typical teenager, but time was pushing her onwards, towards completion.
"Can you get them for me?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"Sirius Black, and Harry, Ama and Draco, you have to be there, of course, and Dumbledore, as the official head of the school"
He nodded, no questions asked, he seemed to understand that it was a question of necessity. As he started to rise to see to it she stopped him with an outstretched hand.
"You'll need to be there to, so a robe of some sort would be handy"
The colour darkened across his cheekbones and he nodded, turning away, she smiled, boxer shorts, even in the Wizarding world some things didn't change. Then he was gone, and she was alone with her thoughts, and they weren't friendly.
***
He watched as Serverus walked from the room dressed as usual in dark black robes, but his face was not its normal forbidding cast, it was, thoughtful. The girl that had been snuggled in his lap obviously had something to do with it.
"Serverus"
It was less than a whisper but the other man turned slightly to attend, his hearing had always been acute, probably made him a good teacher, that, his eyes though were flat and unfriendly, although according to Harry he was a good sort of person once you got to know him. That he didn't quite believe.
"Yes?"
Nice, friendly, welcoming none of those words described the layer of ice chilling on the top of that reply, however there was a glimmer of something at the back of those eyes.
"Nothing, just wondering what you were doing, at around a quarter past seven in the morning wandering the halls"
That glimmer was still there, but now there was slight amusement twisting the corner of his mouth.
"Oh I have my reasons, but for now I'm looking for a few people, you included"
That sparked off a wildfire of curiosity, he had never been as openly curious as Remus and James but he could never have been a marauder without some of that spark.
"Oh really, I'll just tag along then shall I?"
He watched as the other man shook his head, that smile curving his lips still more.
"No, you could do me a favour though, and bring Dumbledore to the walled garden in a few minutes"
Phrased that way, there was no real polite way he could say no, he shook his head slightly, he should have known that an ex Slytherin could get him out of the way faster than a rabbit down a greased hole.
Watching as Serverus walked away he shook his head, he hoped that he didn't get to Harry too fast, the poor boy was still fast asleep, a slight grin crept onto his face. Exhaustion…… Shaking his head he trotted down the corridor, he would have moved faster as a dog but he preferred being a human being, so long in Azkaban as an animal, to walk upright as a man was something of a privilege.
The school it appeared had shifted itself to give him easy access to Dumbledore's office, it was good like that. He smiled at the portrait on the wall, a beautiful thing but then all the portraits were, it smiled back at him and he knocked twice, respectfully on the door behind the gargoyle.
Dumbledore answered, he looked fresh and neat as a pin in a sort of absentminded way, his glasses were on his nose but his eyes were serious, he looked as if he could see right through Sirius and out the other side. A slight tremor went up his spine before a twinkle started in Dubledore's eyes.
"Yes Sirius?"
"Serverus sent me, he said that we had to go to the walled garden sir"
Sir, it was amazing that this man still got sir's out of him as if he was still the overawed eleven year old that had first come here. Something ominous however had to be happening, trust Serverus to send him with the news, because the headmaster was looking at the floor and the expression on his face was caught somewhere between sadness and hope.
"Its going to happen now hmmm, ah well, she knows best I suspect, or at least I hope, it went so horribly wrong before…"
His voice tailed off and he looked up.
"Yes Sirius, we'll have to get a move on"
Dumbledore stepped out of the door ad into the corridor.
"In this we cannot afford to be late"
The light is creeping in, there, little flashes over the horizon, the school looks so peaceful when its asleep. Her train of thought was melodious, she could hear the noise of someone shifting in sleep from the bed across the room.
She wasn't supposed to be here, a question of ethics apparently, but she needed to be close, and well the couch in here faced one of those anomalous dungeon windows. She watched the sun come over the horizon in a splash of ultra violent colour.
Today was the day for it, she could feel it in her bones, all the witnesses were there.
"The serpent's heir, The dragon, The faithful hound, The child who lived, The silvered boy and Dark heart not descending, all must witness the change"
It had come to her just after that blast of chilling wind in the library, she had half passed out and Serverus had put her to bed, and left, which was irritating, she could have done with the company if nothing else. Nightmares of unfinished prophecy had haunted her.
Then she had felt it, just before dawn, it had crashed through her dreams like a tidal wave. She wondered, if the pair in the Gryffindor tower knew what sort of un-harnessed power they had thrown out into the ether. Probably not, they had, from the over tones, other things on their minds.
She sighed, and almost leapt out of her skin when a voice spoke from behind her.
"Such a great sigh kitten?"
Looking over her shoulder, she smiled at the man leaning on the back of the chair. He looked dishevelled from the nights sleep but his hair was almost downy fine escaping around his face, softening the lines there which mirrored Ama's uncannily, or perhaps vice versa. The black eyes were still relaxed from sleep but she could see herself reflected in them, a thousand times, back into infinity. A slight smile tugged up the corner of his mouth, but worry was written there in the lines.
It was strange, she had known those eyes for over five years but the face had become just as familiar, just as dear in the space of twenty or so hours. That was worthy of a sigh.
"I was just thinking, about, well"
She made a slicing motion across her wrists, his eyes sobered suddenly more awake, she could see why people would be wary of this man, there was a darkness there, but then most of the people she had met had had that darkness, not Hermoine and not Dumbledore, but then with them perhaps she wasn't looking in the right places.
"I thought I heard you talking"
Her face flushed.
"I was, just repeating who needs to be there, but I thought you were sleeping"
He reached out a hand and tousled her hair, it was a nice gesture warm and slightly tingly, she gently moved his hand so that he cupped her face, for a moment before he moved it away she could feel the tingles moving though her skin, on each of his cheekbones there was a heightened slash of colour.
"I woke up the moment you entered the room, I've been watching you"
She felt the flush on her face darken until she was sure she was a beetroot shade. It sounded almost intimate, and it was in a way, watching someone when they think that they're unobserved shows a lot that they would sometimes conceal. She wanted to stammer to be a typical teenager, but time was pushing her onwards, towards completion.
"Can you get them for me?"
He arched an eyebrow.
"Sirius Black, and Harry, Ama and Draco, you have to be there, of course, and Dumbledore, as the official head of the school"
He nodded, no questions asked, he seemed to understand that it was a question of necessity. As he started to rise to see to it she stopped him with an outstretched hand.
"You'll need to be there to, so a robe of some sort would be handy"
The colour darkened across his cheekbones and he nodded, turning away, she smiled, boxer shorts, even in the Wizarding world some things didn't change. Then he was gone, and she was alone with her thoughts, and they weren't friendly.
***
He watched as Serverus walked from the room dressed as usual in dark black robes, but his face was not its normal forbidding cast, it was, thoughtful. The girl that had been snuggled in his lap obviously had something to do with it.
"Serverus"
It was less than a whisper but the other man turned slightly to attend, his hearing had always been acute, probably made him a good teacher, that, his eyes though were flat and unfriendly, although according to Harry he was a good sort of person once you got to know him. That he didn't quite believe.
"Yes?"
Nice, friendly, welcoming none of those words described the layer of ice chilling on the top of that reply, however there was a glimmer of something at the back of those eyes.
"Nothing, just wondering what you were doing, at around a quarter past seven in the morning wandering the halls"
That glimmer was still there, but now there was slight amusement twisting the corner of his mouth.
"Oh I have my reasons, but for now I'm looking for a few people, you included"
That sparked off a wildfire of curiosity, he had never been as openly curious as Remus and James but he could never have been a marauder without some of that spark.
"Oh really, I'll just tag along then shall I?"
He watched as the other man shook his head, that smile curving his lips still more.
"No, you could do me a favour though, and bring Dumbledore to the walled garden in a few minutes"
Phrased that way, there was no real polite way he could say no, he shook his head slightly, he should have known that an ex Slytherin could get him out of the way faster than a rabbit down a greased hole.
Watching as Serverus walked away he shook his head, he hoped that he didn't get to Harry too fast, the poor boy was still fast asleep, a slight grin crept onto his face. Exhaustion…… Shaking his head he trotted down the corridor, he would have moved faster as a dog but he preferred being a human being, so long in Azkaban as an animal, to walk upright as a man was something of a privilege.
The school it appeared had shifted itself to give him easy access to Dumbledore's office, it was good like that. He smiled at the portrait on the wall, a beautiful thing but then all the portraits were, it smiled back at him and he knocked twice, respectfully on the door behind the gargoyle.
Dumbledore answered, he looked fresh and neat as a pin in a sort of absentminded way, his glasses were on his nose but his eyes were serious, he looked as if he could see right through Sirius and out the other side. A slight tremor went up his spine before a twinkle started in Dubledore's eyes.
"Yes Sirius?"
"Serverus sent me, he said that we had to go to the walled garden sir"
Sir, it was amazing that this man still got sir's out of him as if he was still the overawed eleven year old that had first come here. Something ominous however had to be happening, trust Serverus to send him with the news, because the headmaster was looking at the floor and the expression on his face was caught somewhere between sadness and hope.
"Its going to happen now hmmm, ah well, she knows best I suspect, or at least I hope, it went so horribly wrong before…"
His voice tailed off and he looked up.
"Yes Sirius, we'll have to get a move on"
Dumbledore stepped out of the door ad into the corridor.
"In this we cannot afford to be late"