Trouble in the Staff Room
Chapter Two: Coming Out

It was the last day of term.
Harry Potter had saved the day from Lord Voldemort yet again and the entire school was in awe. Severus had been acting odd all year, as noted by the pupils and many of his staff.
He hadn't been nasty, just vacant and expressionless. People had begun to worry; maybe Voldemort had taken over him! Maybe, just maybe Professor Dumbledore had made him to change the way he treated people.
"Hope Snape's like this next year." Harry said tucking into the end of term banquet.
"Yeah." His friend Ron Weasley agreed.
"What do you think Herm?" Hermione was sitting staring at an empty plate. "Herm?"
"What? Oh yes he has been acting odd." She replied. She had come out of some sort of trance.
"Hermione are you all right?"
"Yes!" she said loudly.
"Ok ok, just asking, no need to bite my head off!"
"Sorry Harry."
"That's okay Herm." Harry patted her hand.
Professor Dumbledore stood up, the great hall fell silent.
"Well, another year has gone. We are all a little older and a little wiser. Next year it will be some of those amongst our numbers last year, others will just be beginning. Who ever or whatever you may be do have a happy and safe summer holidays. Now before you all go forth, back to your families let us one last time sing the school song."
The entire hall began to bellow the school anthem.

* * *

Professor McGonagall closed the door behind the last of the students.
"Well, who's going to order?" at the end of every school year, the staff ordered a takeaway from the local Chinese in the village.
"I say youngest orders and collects." Tiny old Professor Flitwick piped up.
"Hear hear." The rest of the staff said. Dumbledore turned to Severus Snape.
"Well it appears that you have to make the order."
"Very well." Snape replied, taking out his notebook. "What does everyone want?"
"The usual." McGonagall said.
"You all want the usual?"
"Yes." The staff chorused.
"Fine. I'll be about half an hour." Snape put his notebook away, turned to walk out of the door.
"We'll get the tables ready!" Dumbledore called after him.

* * *

Severus Snape battled his way through the ragging winds, his robes and hair whipped out behind him giving him the impression of a large malevolent bat.
He reached the old Chinese Takeaway in the village of Hogsmede cold and wind battered.
"Hallo professor. Usual?" the old Chinese owner said.
"Yes please." Snape replied.
"Cold out?"
"Very. I think we are in for a bad summer."
"Ya, although England never has good summer."
"That's true." Snape replied stamping his feet.
"It will be 15 minutes."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later Severus Snape was struggling back up the hill in the battering winds. His arms ached from carrying the many plastic bags of Chinese food.
He managed to open the door to the school without dropping anything on the floor.
The warmth of the hall was wonderful compared to the freezing winds outside.
"I'm back." He called slamming the door behind him.
"Good, bring it through." Professor McGonagall said coming out of the great hall. "Are you going to tell them?" she whispered in his ear as he set the bags down on the table.
"Yes, after food." He replied.
"Good luck." She patted him on the back.
"Thanks." He replied. "Whose is the Beef Satay?"

* * *

An hour and half later the staff had finished, well mostly all, of the food.
Hagrid gave a loud belch.
"Ah, I'm stuffed." He said, loosening his belt.
"Me too." Snape replied.
"I'm not." Flitwick added. "Finished with that rice Sev?"
"What? Oh yes." Flitwick took the plate and scrapped the rice onto his own. Snape caught Dumbledore's eye. He cleared his throat. "Can I please have you attention." He said. The staff stopped what they were doing and turned to look at him. "I have something to tell you. It will shock and maybe alarm some of you, but Ithat is Professor Dumbledore and I feel that you have a right to know."
"Ger on wiff it!" Hagrid boomed.
"Yes" Snape paused, he couldn't do it. Professor McGonagall, sensing the young mans fear took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"You can do it." She whispered.
"I'm gay." He managed to say. Not a sound echoed around the room. Until Hagrid burst out in a great booming laugh.
"Hahaha, great one Sev!"
"No, Hagrid I'm not joking." Hagrid looked into Severus' eyes and saw fear.
"Yer not are ya?"
"No." Dumbledore cleared his throat.
"Now that Severus has 'come out' as the saying is, I do hope that you all treat him the same way as you do now. He is still the same man, only he holds no more secrets. Now I believe it is time for bed."
One by one, the staff left the great hall in complete silence.
"Headmaster." Professor Flitwick said, hovering about near Dumbledore.
"Yes Fred?"
"I must inform you that I will not be working along side Severus Snape anymore." Dumbledore was partly shocked at hearing this.
"But why? Why man?"
"Severus is defying gods wishes, it is wrong! I cannot work with someone, someone like that! Good night." Flitwick turned on his heel and marched from the hall.
Dumbledore caught Severus' eye.
"I told you they wouldn't accept me." He said gloomily. "Good night headmaster."
Dumbledore sank back into his chair. One of his most respected members of staff, Frederick Flitwick refused to work with someone because he was gay. That seemed almost preposterous, but it was true. If this is how Flitwick reacted, how would the others react? Would he have a flurry of reassignments? No it was too much to think about.

* * *

That night Flitwick sat at his desk and began drafting a complaint letter to the Board of Governors, he knew that Dumbledore would not do anything about it, and he certainly was not going to work with someone, well someone who was evil. (By Evil he meant that homosexuality was evil and would not work with someone who was.)

* * *

Professor Binns floated around his classroom. He objected strongly to homosexuality, it just wasn't right, it wasn't natural a man loving another man. He made up his mind to speak to Dumbledore in the first place, but of course, he could not leave the school, he was destined to be here until his purpose was filled.

* * *

Severus Snape lay awake staring at the ceiling. He had made the wrong decision, he should never have told them. He could tell that he was going to have a lot of objection to him, why oh why did he ever fall for men? He didn't give a shit if it was gods will towards him, if it caused him problems with people he had got on with for years then he certainly wasn't going to live out his life.
That night, thoughts of suicide crept across his mind, but to be damned if he was going to act on them! They would jolly well accept who and what he was before he did that!
They will never accept you a tiny voice in the back of his mind said never.