"Sarky"
by Ada Kensington
Author's Note: This is sort of a prequel to "Order of Draconis." But don't bother reading that, as I'm going to totally revise that story and continue with it after I've finished with this one. Hopefully, this will fulfil its purpose in giving me a sense of direction with the Order of Draconis. As you may notice, in the first chapter, I've borrowed from the flashback scene of the first story, but altered it quite a bit. The credits for this still apply as to the Order of Draconis – but starting afresh, and all that jazz… * sighs. * I actually own none of the characters in this chapter, now and future chapters. As in previous chapters, all you see and recognise as belonging to JK Rowling the Great, belongs to her. All the others you don't recognise – don't, aka Coin, William, John, Claire and Yoshi. I wonder if you can guess where some of them are borrowed from.
If you do…don't sue me.
Happy Reading.
"Do you think he's okay…" a voice whispered. "Dunno…" said another strangely familiar voice. "What d'you think, Yoshi ?""Yoshi ?" he thought. "Sounds familiar…"
Then it hit him…
"YOSHI !" he yelled aloud, throwing himself upright, but only to be forcefully pinned down again by a pair of strong hands. He felt the rush of air upon his face as many pairs of footsteps rushed over to where he was sitting, whirling round and halting.
"Are you okay, Severus?" a voice inquired desperately.
Severus, abruptly, opened his eyes and gasped. He was in a softly lit, warm room. Round the edges of the room, busy-looking work desks littered with loose sheets of parchment and leaflets and manuals and essays and grimoires of all sorts, clearly dominated the small space. In what was left of the room, old, squashy armchairs - and an extremely well-used oak coffee table, decorated by many similarly well-used mugs and goblets - surrounded a roaring hearth, which had cleverly been cut into the stone of the building. The slightly blurry faces of Yoshi, John and Claire were gazing down at him, looks of mild astonishment playing across their faces.
"Jesus, Mary and Joseph," breathed John. "We didn't think you were gonna make it there."
Severus, blinked in bewilderment, and wrinkled his head, puzzled. The screaming headache had gone, and so had the numbness in his limbs – but those seemed to have been replaced by a dull soreness and all round stiffness…
"W-what ?" he blinked, muzzily.
Yoshi let out a soft laugh, and John and Claire visibly relaxed, John grinning like a Cheshire cat - Claire running her hand through her hair sighed, happily.
"Don't worry about a thing," soothed Yoshi. "Just you lie down and we'll fix you something to eat, okay?" he said, while slowly lowering him back down to rest upon the squashy, comfortable sofa.
"Something to eat?" he thought, puzzled. "Oh yes…the forest…"For how long, he couldn't have guessed, he had lain in the inhospitable confines of the Forbidden Forest, face down amongst the frost, his frozen body framed by his sodden robes, and minute by minute, had slowly drifted further from consciousness until…
"Yoshi," he seethed suddenly, swinging his legs round over the edge of the sofa, and swiftly sitting up. Both actions had made the three others turn their heads from the hearth, bewildered.
"How dare he !?" his thoughts screamed at him, "How dare he !"
"Now, Severus, listen to me…" Yoshi said softly, waving a small silver ladle at him. "You should go back to sleep, we won't be ready for…"
But Severus overrode him.
"NO ! You listen to me," he hissed, pointing repeatedly at Yoshimitsu. "I will not be taken in and soothed over…" the last words riddled with disgust, "…and chided and treated like a child…"
"Fine," Yoshi said slowly, over the ominous crackling of the fire in the hearth. "We can take you back to your home…"
"I do not want to be taken home!!!" he shrieked, suddenly looking quite deranged. "I don't want to be taken home!!! I don't want your food, I don't want these…" he shrieked, ripping off the bandages William had so carefully wound round his torn and bleeding palms, " …I don't want this…" he screamed, throwing off Yoshi's warm, travelling cloak – in his mind – the thing that had probably saved him from the cold. " …I don't want your warmth, I don't want your kindness, I don't want your chivalry, I don't want your heroism," he snarled, his eyes glinting on the verge of hysteria, "…and I certainly don't want your pity!!!" he screamed, his nails again digging painfully deep into the already tender flesh of his hands.
He threw himself upwards, and strode towards the door. Got about halfway…and fell.
Again, he heard the rushing of footsteps, although, he had to admit, a little more reluctant than the last time…
"…been through a lot. Poor guy," he heard John murmur.
"Damn them," he snarled inwardly. "Damn them, damn them, damn them and their pity!!!"
As always, he noticed, Yoshimitsu had reached him first. He held out a hand for to help him up, his face wrought with worried kindness, and his green eyes smiling, despite his previous outburst.
Suddenly, his heart melted at this visible display of affection. Not for years, years since he could remember, had anyone showed him the slightest display of kindness. Not since his days at Hogwarts, and not since Albus Dumbledore, had anyone tried to comfort him, look out for his well-being or ever cared whether he should live or die.
Severus was reminded vaguely of Lilly…
Hot tears started to leak out of their own accord, stinging his eyes, which were already stained red and sore from the cold. Lowering his head to the floor, turning, so that Yoshi wouldn't see him cry, tendrils of his long, black hair graced the dull, flagstone floor, silent tears rolling smoothly from his cheeks, were coming thick and fast. His shoulders trembled softly from his own quiet, private realisation.
"You guys, I'd like a moment," Yoshi whispered softly.
John and Claire nodded, and with only an anxious glance from Claire, they swept soundlessly from the room.
"Do you want to sit over at the fire? It's much more comfortable over there, not to mention warmer," he smiled, indicating the old sofa next to the hearth which he had been lying on only moments ago.
Severus managed a watery nod, and still not willing to face Yoshimitsu, he allowed himself to be led over to the couch, shaking and staring at the floor. Once they reached the couch, he sank, exhausted, into it's squashy, familiar comfort. He felt Yoshimitsu sink down beside him.
For a long moment, the two sat in silence, side by side. The fire in the hearth danced and flickered red and orange and played it's light across their faces, illuminating Yoshimitsu's soft, warm features and reflecting in his unwatching, glittering, green eyes, and accentuating Severus's sharp, pale features, the hollows of his cheekbones and the dark circles under his eyes made more prominent than ever.
The silence between them was not an awkward one - but perhaps - merely a chance to clear the air. With this revelation of thought, Severus raised his gaze from the floor and turned to face Yoshimitsu, his eyes glittering in the firelight with unshed tears.
"I…I…" he choked.
A slow, warm smile spread over the face of Yoshimitsu, and he felt the slight pressure of a hand placed softly, reassuringly, upon his shoulder. He sighed deeply and yielded to his kindness.
"I won't hear of it," Yoshi stated.
"But. You saved my life…" he started.
"Shh…"
"But…"
"No…"
"I…"
"Silence yourself, Snape," Yoshi said, finally. "I won't hear another word about it. And it wasn't just me, you know."
"Yes, I know," he said quietly. "John and Claire…and Will." He paused for a moment, thoughtful. "Where is Will?" he inquired.
Yoshi chuckled slightly.
"He's out with Coin getting some Dwarfish from the villiage. There's a really good Dwarfish restaurant in Hogsmeade down Octavius Way. Gimlet's, if I recall…"
"Yes, I know Gimlet's. I work at Hogwarts," he said, with just a hint of resentment. "Although I don't know Coin. Was he there in the forest?" Severus asked.
"No. He wasn't. But he does know you," Yoshi grinned. "Will and Coin have tended you for days…"
Days…
"DAYS!?" he shrieked. "H-how could…"
"How could you have been unconscious for so long and, heaven forbid," he laughed softly " miss a few days of work?"
"I…" he stuttered.
"Well," Yoshi said, matter of factly, "when we first brought you in, you were in a bit of a state. You were frozen solid. Turning blue. Shivering and shaking like nothing on earth. We put you on this couch," he gestured, "and Coin came tearing into the room with Will, equipped with about ten hot water bottles and a piles of blankets and three tins of soup…"
Severus smiled slightly at that comment, surprised that anyone should go to so much bother.
"…and, well…" Yoshi stopped, and blushed a pleasant shade of crimson.
"Well what?" he asked suspiciously, now eyeing the other man like a wrathful eagle.
"Well, you see, it wasn't my idea. It was Coin's. He said that if we didn't get them off, you would freeze to death, even with the fire on…" he trailed off.
The realisation hit him, and he sighed resignedly and shut his eyes.
"You took my clothes off, didn't you?" he asked, and slouched forward with his head on his hands – knowing full well what Yoshi's answer would be.
"Yes," he said sheepishly, shifting uncomfortably. "But we didn't look!" he added quickly.
Severus snorted good-naturedly and smiled a little. His dignity had already been shattered a thousand times these past few days, and this announcement of revelation of his most…intimate…parts, had fallen on deaf ears. In reality, he just couldn't care less.
"It's alright. I don't mind," he sighed. "You could say I'm used to it."
Upon Yoshimitsu's face, there began to spread a slow, sly grin.
"What, do you mean to say that you're used to people taking your clothes off?" Yoshi asked mockingly. "I didn't think that the staff of Hogwarts were like that!"
Cheeky git…
"Well, you would be too if you'd been celibate for nearly fifteen years," he retorted - and as he did, he felt a little more like himself again.
Yoshi gave a great shout of laughter, and rolled back into the comfort of the sofa, tears rolling down his cheeks. He looked at Severus incredulously through his glittering eyes, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably with laughter.
"Severus…" he managed to choke out, breathlessly. "You are something else."
"Too true," Severus replied, smirking.
At that moment, the suppressed laughter of all the years spewed forth from somewhere deep inside. Somewhere that had lain untouched, for such a long time, that it had been considered gone or forgotten. Somewhere, that once upon a time, had been turned cold and hard through years of burnt bridges and dreadful circumstance. Somewhere, that had now just begun to melt, and in time, would bloom again.
The two men shared this most intimate moment of laughter together for goodness knows how long. They had laughed so much, over such a silly, irrelevant comment, that the others had poked their heads round the door, wondering what on earth had caused all the hilarity, and had looked upon Severus Snape, astounded, and two other people, who had by that time entered, carrying bags of food, smiled, relieved – all the first witnesses of such a wonderful change.
A moment later, the two men had managed to calm down a little, and the others had gotten round to allocating different meals to different people. Will had asked Severus politely if he wanted anything to eat. He had declined, but they had insisted that he take something. So he had taken a bananna, and slowly nibbled at it, feeling some of his strength returning.
Although he had been a little surprised when he had discovered what they had ordered…
"Rat Gh'ika," munched John, through a mouthful of food.
"Yes," William had replied, grinning a little at Severus's disgusted look. "It's really quite nice."
"Don't knock it till you've tried it," laughed Claire. "Here…" she held out a rat on a stick, smiling as Severus flinched. "Suck it and see."
"I don't think so," he'd sneered.
"Don't listen to her, Severus," said Coin quietly. "I wouldn't eat any of that Gh'ika if I were you, anyway. I don't think you're quite well enough to eat something like that yet."
Severus nodded.
Coin was, as he had found out earlier, the most remarkable person. Fifteen years old, but, as John so readily pointed out, "going on forty-five in worldly experience." With white blonde hair and the most startling golden brown eyes, complete with his quiet tone and calm demeanour, he gave the impression of innocence personified. But this impression did not last long, as just after the meal of…rat…and something consisting of vegetables for Yoshimitsu, he'd pulled out a packet of cigarettes, lit one up, and had puffed away, looking relieved.
They had asked him if he'd wanted to stay, but he had insisted (with not a small amount of guilt) that he must get back to Hogwarts. The thought of what Dumbledore would have gone through after one of his staff had been missing for three days was unthinkable. The guilt slowly wormed its way in again, making him feel uncomfortable. He resolved to go back to Hogwarts.
Upon hearing this, Yoshi had simply smiled and offered to walk him to the doors. The others had come to watch him leave, shouting their goodbyes as they watched their new-found friend walk into the distance with Yoshimitsu.
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The two men walked in silence, their footsteps crunching over the snow passing tree after tree, and having to jump a few small brooks. It seemed, that the den was hidden very deep in the heart of the forest, and that Hagrid, wisely, never ventured so deep into the forest on his nocturnal duties.
They must've been really desperate to have to come and live here…
His eyes trailed to the ground. The snow that had coated the forest floor in a thick, forbidding blanket of white was now about a foot deep, Severus noted with morbid realisation. Yoshi, too, perhaps noticed the connection, for he stopped walking, and looked at him, his eyes trailing his face for any signs of discomfort. There was a short silence, but then Yoshimitsu opened his mouth to speak…
"Severus?"
"Yes," he replied, nonchalantly.
Another silence, slightly shorter than the last, in which he gained the impression that Yoshi was trying to work up to confess something – when suddenly…
"You wanted to die, didn't you?" he said. Not a question. Merely a statement of fact.
The silence descended once again. It fell thick like the blanket of snow on the forest floor, and for a moment, fell just as cold, and just as forbidding. Severus started to turn away, but there was something…something that he just couldn't bring himself to do. He couldn't push this away. He could not bring himself to do it again.
Severus turned to Yoshimitsu and nodded silently, then carried on walking.
Yoshi stood for a while, his long black hair fluttering in the breeze, watching his new-found friend stride ahead, smiling. Little did Severus know how much that one nod was appreciated. He allowed himself a small laugh.
He's something else alright…
Bending down in the snow, he scooped up a small lump of the stuff and rolled it into a neat but deadly missile of ice, and with a wolfish grin, he trotted silently up behind Severus – then launched the snowball with all the force he could muster.
The missile hit the back of Severus's head with grim accuracy, exploding everywhere. He reacted, as Yoshi had predicted by scooping up his own pile of snow – then returning the favour with interest.
Soon the two were running with lightning speed, whacking each other with snowballs and each trying their hardest to outdo the other. Yoshimitsu dancing through the tree trunks, throwing snowballs with inhuman grace and speed - and Severus ducking down and striking, always unexpectedly.
Yoshimitsu seemed to win, however, because as Severus bade him farewell at the main doors of Hogwarts, he was wet-through and covered in melting snow. They said their goodbyes and promised to see each other again. Severus had no problems with that.
He made to step through the threshold of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, when he heard a voice calling him back. He poked his head round the door to see Yoshi standing at the opposite end of the small track, tossing a snowball nonchalantly from hand to hand.
"We're friends now, right? I mean, I have seen you naked…"
Yoshi launched the snowball, and it hit the door with a hollow thud, perilously close to his head. Severus glared good naturedly at Yoshimitsu and sighed.
"I'll take that as a yes. See you later, Sarky!!!" he yelled, and ran back off into the forest.
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Severus closed the door behind him and sighed, wondering what on earth he had gotten himself into. Although he wasn't too worried. All he wanted to do now was sleep…
"And maybe something to eat," he thought, as his stomach reminded him of how hungry he should have been.
Wearily, he made his way into the Great Hall, where gladly, there were only a few professors sitting at the high table upon the dias. One of them being Albus Dumbledore…
"Severus!" Dumbledore exclaimed, rushing up to greet him, taking his hand and grasping it worriedly.
"Where have you been?" asked Dumbledore.
Severus, suddenly greatful for his kindness, wanted to tell him everything. He wanted to tell him about his episode in the forest, of how Yoshimitsu found him – or rather fell on him… About the den deep in the heart of the woods, and of Will and John and Claire and Coin. Of their kindness and hospitality and of their existence.
But he was a little tired, and didn't yet feel like giving away what was his…
"I had to get away…for a while," he mumbled.
The other professors nodded, notably professors McGonagall and Flitwick, but Dumbledore did not seem convinced. The man could see through a brick wall. However, he merely smiled at Severus, and motioned for him to sit down.
"Would you like something to eat?" he asked politely, after they had all taken up their seats at the table.
Severus smiled a little at the woodwork, being careful to keep his expression absolutely wooden.
"Have you got any rat?"
Well, well, well. What a strange story. Severus? A friend !? But don't worry. This is not the end. There will be many, many more adventures to come, including missions to stop Voldemort and more angst. In the next chapters, there will be much more revealed about these mysterious people hiding out in the Forbidden Forest.
I'll probably update either every week, or every two weeks, depending on how inspired I am, or how much of a stressful workload I have for exams * shudders *.
Did you like? If you did, please, please, please review. If you didn't , review all the same. Although I don't really care either way for flames, constructive criticism would be better appreciated.
Thanks.
Ada Kensington.