Predictably, Snape was absent from the rest of the day's meals. Allosia
did what she could to ignore both this and her insecurity and in the
evening returned to the air in front of the castle, trying to make sense of
the stricken look on his face at breakfast.
It was when he missed the next day's meals as well that she became concerned.
Allosia wandered down to his dungeon classrooms, in hopes of finding him at work. It would be the most plausible explanation, and the least awkward, especially if her growing sense of dread about their interaction had any basis.
She knocked softly on the cracked door and entered. Snape was sitting at his desk with his feet up, clearly lost in thought. He flicked his gaze towards her.
"Hey? You okay?" she asked quietly.
Without speaking he held out an envelope to her. It was the letter from the other day. Taking it from him she perched on the edge of the desk and read it. It was an invitation to a party.
Well, no wonder he's glum, she thought to herself as she read farther and began to understand the real problem.
It was an invitation to a party hosted by Lucius Malfoy, in his son Draco's honor, a celebration of the coming of age of the next generation of a great wizarding family.
"Well, that's unpleasant," Allosia said, still not quite getting why Snape was being this moody about it.
"You do understand the implication of that, don't you?" he asked gesturing hostilely at the envelope she still held in her hands.
She looked to him for an explanation.
"Do you remember the party I told you about? The one I went to for Lucius when we were students?"
She nodded.
"Clearly, it's Draco's turn."
"You mean he's -"
Snape nodded. "And I don't really have a choice in attending. Although I must admit to being somewhat stunned by the public delivery of the thing."
"Malfoys like attention."
"I'm aware."
"So is this why you've been hiding?"
He nodded. "My students, idiots though they may be, making choices like this," he gestured to his marked arm, "makes me ill. Having to pretend to be happy about it is more acting than anyone should have to do."
"When is it?"
"Two weeks."
"Is there anything you can do about it?"
"Other than RSVP? No."
"Do you want to do something this weekend, take a little break before, that?" she asked, putting the letter down as if it might suddenly explode.
He shifted his head from side to side, in thought. "Alright," he said as if it were an effort to imagine doing anything other than brooding over the invitation.
"Hogsmeade?" she asked.
"Sure."
"Good." She smiled. "Goodnight," she said getting up to leave the room.
"Get some rest," he said as she left the classroom.
It was when he missed the next day's meals as well that she became concerned.
Allosia wandered down to his dungeon classrooms, in hopes of finding him at work. It would be the most plausible explanation, and the least awkward, especially if her growing sense of dread about their interaction had any basis.
She knocked softly on the cracked door and entered. Snape was sitting at his desk with his feet up, clearly lost in thought. He flicked his gaze towards her.
"Hey? You okay?" she asked quietly.
Without speaking he held out an envelope to her. It was the letter from the other day. Taking it from him she perched on the edge of the desk and read it. It was an invitation to a party.
Well, no wonder he's glum, she thought to herself as she read farther and began to understand the real problem.
It was an invitation to a party hosted by Lucius Malfoy, in his son Draco's honor, a celebration of the coming of age of the next generation of a great wizarding family.
"Well, that's unpleasant," Allosia said, still not quite getting why Snape was being this moody about it.
"You do understand the implication of that, don't you?" he asked gesturing hostilely at the envelope she still held in her hands.
She looked to him for an explanation.
"Do you remember the party I told you about? The one I went to for Lucius when we were students?"
She nodded.
"Clearly, it's Draco's turn."
"You mean he's -"
Snape nodded. "And I don't really have a choice in attending. Although I must admit to being somewhat stunned by the public delivery of the thing."
"Malfoys like attention."
"I'm aware."
"So is this why you've been hiding?"
He nodded. "My students, idiots though they may be, making choices like this," he gestured to his marked arm, "makes me ill. Having to pretend to be happy about it is more acting than anyone should have to do."
"When is it?"
"Two weeks."
"Is there anything you can do about it?"
"Other than RSVP? No."
"Do you want to do something this weekend, take a little break before, that?" she asked, putting the letter down as if it might suddenly explode.
He shifted his head from side to side, in thought. "Alright," he said as if it were an effort to imagine doing anything other than brooding over the invitation.
"Hogsmeade?" she asked.
"Sure."
"Good." She smiled. "Goodnight," she said getting up to leave the room.
"Get some rest," he said as she left the classroom.
