Title: Minnaloushe part 16
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: Same as before.
AN Here it is. Finally finished. I might
try that sequel ,like I said but first I have to get
caught up on work, then I have to finish Piper in the
Forest, my Robin Hood
fanfic (subliminal plug, subliminal plug). Thanks
for sticking with it!
It took two weeks before classes
resumed. Even then, no one's heart was in it.
The staff and students had been to five funerals in those
two weeks. Martha Macmillan,
Nathan DeWinter, and Sage Day died during the battle. Harmony Triplow and Peter
Weatherby died several days later in the hospital wing.
It was a dark time for everyone
at Hogwarts. Snape took it especially hard. He blamed
himself for everything that had happened. Dumbledore
and the other professors tried to
reason with him, but he would hear none of it.
Every day, he went to the hospital
wing to visit Professor Trelawny. She had been in a coma
since the battle. The two Professors never got
along well; Snape always grumbling about her
flighty guesswork and overdeveloped sense of dramatics,
and Trelawny always complaining
about how his presence blocked the natural flow of vibrations
and auras. They had never gotten
along, but right now that didn't seem important.
The night after the last final,
Snape sat alone in his chambers, struggling with with a roll of
parchment and a quill. On Dumbledore's suggestion,
he was attempting to write a letter of a
very sensitive nature. He wasn't certain he was
capable. He put the quill to the parchment
and then withdrew it again.
"How could this possibly fix all the pain I've caused, Shadow?"
Shadow was dozing by the fireplace. It wasn't lit, but she had become so accustomed to
that spot that it didn't matter. She lifted her
head at the sound of her name. When she saw
that Snape was in some kind of distress, she quickly
made her way over to him and rubbed
up against his leg.
"You're right. Just get
it over with." He dipped the quill in the ink pot and began to write.
Dear Miss Weatherby,
Anything that I might say to you would
be inadequate. Still, some things need to be said. I
knew your brother, Peter. He was an excellent student;
one of my best. Like you though, I'm
certain that he would have taken the path of service. His desire to help always overshadowed
his considerable desire to learn.
It was that desire to help
that saved the lives of five other students during the Hogwarts battle.
I'm certain you've already heard the story as I am certain
you will never forget it. I want you
to know that I will also remember the story and your
brother. I know that I am, at least
partially responsible for your brother's death. I can do very little to remedy the mistakes
I've made, but I will honor Peter by remembering his
courage. He will be an example to me.
My thought are with you
and your family during this time of sorrow. If there is anything
I can do to help, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Professor Severus Snape.
Snape rolled the parchment and
tied it with a black ribbon. He walked to the owlery with
Shadow. The pair made no sound as the moved through
the halls. Hogwarts was eerily quiet
after the last final. All the students stayed in
their common rooms speaking in whispers and
staring blankly into space.
At the owlery, Snape called Amelia,
the fastest and most reliable of the school owls. As he
tied the letter to Amelia's leg, Shadow watched, with
wide eyes, all the owls flying back and forth.
Snape had to carry her out when it was time to go.
"Stupid cat!" He mumbled as she craned her neck to get one last glimpse.
What?>
**********
The farewell feast was a somber
occasion that year. The decision had been made that there
would be no house cup. Such things seemed unimportant,
and each house deserved the cup
due to the acts of bravery that they all exhibited during
the battle. Instead, a cup had been made
with the names of the five students who had died. The cup was inscribed with the Hogwarts
crest and "In loving memory of five heroes that will
live in our memories."
House rivalries seemed to be
suspended as well. Even between Slytherin and Gryffindor there
was a greater display of understanding and civility. It seemed that Draco Malfoy had formed an
unsteady alliance with Potter and his friends. It was odd, Snape thought, to see them nod politely
at each other as they passed in the great hall. Perhaps Draco wouldn't make the same mistakes
that he had made in his youth. Perhaps, some good
could come from his mistakes after all.
Just then a lone owl flew into
the great hall. Everyone looked up and watched it. No one
ever got mail on the last day. It flew past the
house tables to the head table and dropped a lumpy
package wrapped in brown paper in front of Snape's place.
Snape looked at the package,
his brow furrowed. Who would be sending him mail on the last
day? Some of the other teacher's seemed o be wondering
the same thing. They stopped eating
to watch Snape. He picked up the note that was
attached to the outside and read it.
Dear Professor Severus
Snape,
You do my brother great
justice by remembering him. There is one other thing you can
do for my family. You might not have known it,
but my brother had a great sense of humor.
He could find humor in even the most desperate
situations. Remember his humor along with
his courage and kindness.
I remember what you said
to me after the battle. I know you would have liked to see the
last few Death eaters on the run. Please take this
gift both to make up for missing the end of he
battle, and also to remind you of my brother's sense
of humor. I know he would want you to keep
it and wear it at least once a week.
Sincerely,
Beatrice Weatherby
Snape unwrapped the package and
held up the piece of plain white cotton. It was a muggle
tee-shirt. On the front it read:
"All my friends were at the battle
of Hogwarts and all I got was this lousy tee-shirt!"
Snape smiled wryly. It
was his first honest smile since the battle.
THE END
