Trouble in the Staff Room
Chapter Ten: Secrets

There's something wrong with Snape. Hermione wrote in her diary. It was the dead of night and she was writing this by way of torch, which she had brought from home. Her diary held to many dark thoughts and painful memories for it to be seen by anyone living or dead.

But no one could ever thought that the things mentioned in her diary could ever happen to someone like Hermione. That's why she had to keep pretending.

* * *

Professor Binns floated a few centimetres of his chair. Years of being a ghost had taught him that he couldn't actually sit without going through the chair.

"Are we all agreed?" he croaked?

"Aye."

"Yes."

"Yup."

The staff present replied.

* * *

Minerva looked across the room at Severus. After what he had gone through the previous night she had decided that she (or another member of staff) would keep their eye on him.

"Minerva." He said without looking up from his book. "I am quite all right, you don't have to"

"Sev, you gave people a scare the other night."

"I realise that and I am sorry!" There was a pregnant pause.

"It's okay." McGonagall said. "It's okay."

* * *

Hermione wrote hurriedly in her diary. She had to finish writing and put it away before the rest of the girls started to wake up. She dare not think about what would happen if they found out, everything or even anything about her home life.

* * *

Snape stood up.

"Sev"

"I'll be right back!" he interrupted. "I am capable of going for a pee all by myself."

"Sorry." He left the room.

"Oi! Where do you think you're going?" Argus Filch shouted quite nastily as he walked down the corridor.

"To the bathroom."

"Not to the gents you don't!"

"And why, prey not?"

"'Cos you're a disgusting puff an' we don't want you looking."

"I can assure you Mr Filch, nothing would disgust me more."

"Yeah, that's what they all say."

"Look, I am sure yours is like a dead worm, and that is certainly why I" Filch lashed out and punched Severus clean on the nose, before he say another world. He cried in pain, as his a sickening CRUNCH rang through the air. His nose was broken.

"FUCKEN' PERVERTED BASTARD!" Filch shouted as he started to punch Snape harder. Snape didn't have the time to block the punches. Filch's final punch caught him clean off balance and he fell with a thud onto the hard stone concrete.

Filch started to kick him.

"STOP!" A voice cried out and Filch turned in surprise. It was Remus Lupin. "Piss off Filch!" he said.

"And you're going to make me?" Lupin growled like a wolf and Filch got the message. "Right away!" he turned like a coward and ran off.

"Sev." Lupin bent down, and placed a caring hand upon his fallen comrade's shoulder.

"I'm okay." Snape panted, clutching his stomach in pain. He gritted his teeth. "Really I am."

"And I'm the Queen Mother. Come on Sev," Lupin helped Snape up. "Can you walk?"

"I think so."

"Okay, come on to the Hospital Wing." Snape didn't move. "Sev, don't be"

"Please."

"What?"

"Please don't tell them what really happened."

"Sev"

"Please, Remus! It would make it worse." He saw his friend's pain.

"Okay, you fell down the stairs right?" Snape smiled. "Come on you."

* * *

Hermione put away her diary and closed her eyes. At night in her dreams she could hear the screams and shouts. Always the same, never any different. She was ignored; it was no wonder her older sister hadno it was too painful to think about.

* * *

Professor Dumbledore was having trouble with his idea. He had tried to get one of the top bands to come along and sing "Melting Pot" but none of them had been interested, just because it was Muggle music.

"There's discrimination for you." He muttered. Then it struck him! Hogwarts used to have a school band, years ago when Lily and James Potter had been third years! All he had to do was try and re-group the old school band, and yes, perhaps that would work.

"Potter, Lupin, Black, Pettigrew, Vence, Snape, McGonagall (McGonagall had been in the teacher in charge)" he counted them off. "Only three of them left now. Although Black and Pettigrew, but we can't count them, it would be too dangerous forthere's one moreFigg! Arabella Figg used to do the backing vocals!"

* * *

The man looked kindly down at the child, he had just rescued from the house. The child looked back at him, and started to toddle back into the remains of the house.

"Ma." The child said. The only word it knew. The man looked on, tears filling up his black eyes.

Then the child fell. His cries rang the air.

The man walked over to the child and picked him up.

"There, there little one." The man spoke softly. He noticed a lightening bolt cut upon the child head. Blood trickled slowly out of it, distressing the child more.

The man drew out his wand, placed it on the cut; he muttered a few words of a healing spell and the cut upon his head. He stood back and looked at the child.

"You will go down in history as Voldemort's downfall. And that will always be partly true. If he had tried to kill you, he would have failed. Love is magic more powerful than any other form. But, it would never have re-bounded." He didn't know why he was telling a child who had no idea probably what he was saying. He thought for a moment. "Scars can be very useful, as shall yours be." He muttered a second spell. "There, whenever Voldemort is near you, you shall know."

A roar thundered in the sky and a large object began to appear.

"Good luck, Harry Potter." The man vanished.

* * *

Harry woke again; he was starting to understand more about his past than ever. He now, knew why Voldemort had not used the total memory loss charm, but a temporary loss one. He wanted Harry to know.

* * *

A sharp knocking on the Hospital Wing door awoke Madam Pomfrey. She got up, grumbling.

"What is it" she saw Remus Lupin holding up a very battered looked Snape. "Dear lord. You'd better come in. Put him in the San." The San was a private part of the Hospital Wing that was normally reserved for very ill pupils, or special cases.

"What happened?"

"Oh, he fell down the stairs." Lupin said, helping Snape onto the bed.

"I see." Madam Pomfrey's expression changed. She handed Lupin a pair of pyjamas. "If you've no objections, could you help him into these?"

"Of course." Lupin smiled at Severus. "That is"

"I don't mind." Snape replied.

* * *

Hermione couldn't sleep. This time she decided to go to the Astronomy Tower. She found that talking to the moon or the stars helped her a lot.

Carefully she left the room and crept down the stairs to the common room. Luckily no one was awake and reading, like it sometimes was.

Silently, she crept out of the portrait hole. The Fat Lady gave a snore and went back to sleep.

* * *

Lupin helped Snape off with his robes. He noticed a deep, scar running the length of his chest. Snape noticed where Lupin's glance was.

"It happened a long time ago." He said.

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me."

* * *

Hermione made it to the Astronomy Tower without being caught by Filch or Mrs Norris.

The Astronomy Tower was a large round room, with seating up one side of the wall and sparkling glass roof.

She sat down in one of the seats and looked up at the partly covered moon.

"Hi." She said to it.