Au Clair De Lune
A/N: Thanks a whole bunch to all the people who reviewed my first and second chapters – especially Pretty Flower (twice!) and Chrissy – I came to the same conclusion 'bout the scream!
Incidentally, I'm still looking for a beta-reader, haven't gotten any offers or recommendations yet. If you could be bothered, or you know of someone who could, please give me the head's up on them – Thanks.
Disclaimer: Listen to the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata - I am, now – its magnificent, and the only thing to compare it to is the fine imagination of Ms. J. K. Rowling. These are her characters, though everything other than their names is mine.
Merci beaucoup pour la lecture. Ecris-moi un 'review', s'il vous plait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hug or a Kiss? Hug, please. Part B
A shrill, piercing, heart-rending, soul-tearing scream rang through the dungeons of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
House-elves scurrying around in a house-keeping frenzy, stopped and went unbelievably still, clutching at each other for support – so agonizing was the sound.
The several odd students lingering through the hallways in the dungeon levels halted, most dropping books and bags.
Professor Dumbledore in his ancient but luxurious office lifted his wizened grey head from the dusty tome he was poring over, the usually twinkling eyes alarmed. The magnificent phoenix, brilliant in red and gold plumage, let out an undignified sour note of panic upon hearing the scream and fluttered down to Dumbledore. He heaved himself at great speed up form his plush chair and out of his room-of-work and hurried down to the Hospital Wing. He had a feeling…
Professor Severus Snape's head jerked up in surprise. One thought, one fearful, heart-stopping thought flashed through his mind. His usually agile, though now, unthinkably paralysed body dashed through the Potions classroom door, almost breaking it down, so hastily did he fly through it. Hermione---
Hermione sank down to the rough, stone floor. What just happened? She failed her final Potions exam, Professor Snape threatened to belt her, and now, three boys – no – despicable, vile, vulgar things had bruised her arms and whispered crude, unimaginable, things in her ears. The thoughts in her head ran round and round, making the blood rush to her ears and her knees weak. No, no, no, no…
Her hands came up to hold her head and she began to whimper. The whimpers grew louder in volume and her whole body started to tremble, literally quaking in fear and shock. She rocked back and forth, trying to make some sense out of the past few minutes. Over and over again, the thoughts chased each other in her mind, playing a cruel game of tag, cramming together, making her feel as if her head was going to crack open. An old rhyme her mother used to chant – 'Round and round she goes, where she'll stop nobody knows…'Help!' she croaked, her voice drained and beaten. 'Somebody, please help, I can't move…'
She felt so weak, the events had followed themselves, one after the other and she'd been ill, anyway. How much could a girl barely sixteen cope with? In the deserted hallway she waited – rationality, a second nature to her was still only a finger stretch away. Someone must have heard that desperate scream, it was just a question of who would find her first.
Doubt, though was also a second nature – she was one of life's perpetual worriers, a nervous effect of being as brilliant at academia as she was. Would somebody help, would someone come? And she was so very tired, just wanted to shut her eyes, it would all be over then – just stop, finish…the pain could end, if only until she woke. Why was it so tempting? Couldn't it only be expected, and encouraged? Why did it feel like she was doing something wrong? Blackness, spots of it, filled her vision, the floor she had been unseeingly gazing at blurred. Teetering over the edge of an abyss…
'No---Hermione! STOP! Don't shut your eyes!' A yell brought her to her senses, accompanied by the head-banging pounding of running feet on a stone floor. Who in the name of Circe? Her eyes opened dreamily to the most appreciated sight she had ever been privileged to see – Professor Severus Snape. He came. He was the only one who came. Thank the gods…
He stood over her, a towering, living statue of Man. His chest heaved from the effort of getting to her fast enough, his cheek length, lank hair was mussed all over the place. And his eyes, they were the most welcome sight of all, for they held his apprehension, his fear of her being harmed, his anger that she was hurt enough to have to scream, and his palpable relief at seeing her relatively unscathed and in one piece. All the emotions so carefully stifled under normal circumstances. Dear Merlin, how his heart had leapt into his throat, when he saw the light in her eyes begin to slip away. Could never, ever have let it happen…
Snape crouched down to her level and clasped her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes for any sign of the blankness that had almost taken her over. 'Hermione. Hermione, look at me,' he pleaded, 'what happened, love? Who did this?' Where was Dumbledore, surely the girl's distress couldn't have gone unnoticed?
'Professor Snape, it's you, I didn't know you'd come. I was so afraid on one would help. I…' she trailed off, aware that she was rambling. The shuddering intensified, her relief was so clear. She looked up at him with ravaged, almost blood red eyes, the swelling around them a bruised purple colour from burst blood vessels. Even squatting next to her, he was taller and she had to tilt her face upwards to meet his eyes. 'I can't move.'
At that, at the pitiful picture of her mahogany-brown eyes, the ones that had held some dignity in them that morning and at the sorry statement that was uttered, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her for all she was worth. All he wanted to do was dispel that startling air of fragility that surrounded her and penetrated her being. His strong arms formed a soft but unshakable barrier around her and she was enveloped in his warmth. Such a clean smell…
As she leaned her head against his chest, he gently dropped his arms, the left encircling her upper back and the right, snuck under her legs, supporting the backs of her knees. He whispered softly, knowing instinctively that his usual stentorian tones would alarm her no end. 'I believe, child, that there was a little trip I had told you to make earlier. One that, I think, now, should be made by the both of us.'
And with that, he swung her carefully into the air, lifting her as she uttered a half-sob/ half-laugh at his words and curled her frail arms about his neck. He strode up the winding staircase, along corridor after corridor, passing the busy Great Hall, oblivious to all and sundry, students and teachers as he carried his own sick pupil to the Hospital Wing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Sorry if it's a bit shorter than normal, school's being a right bugger at the moment.
If you could tell me what you like or hated – any kind of feedback's always welcome, so give us a buzz. Thanks.
A/N: Thanks a whole bunch to all the people who reviewed my first and second chapters – especially Pretty Flower (twice!) and Chrissy – I came to the same conclusion 'bout the scream!
Incidentally, I'm still looking for a beta-reader, haven't gotten any offers or recommendations yet. If you could be bothered, or you know of someone who could, please give me the head's up on them – Thanks.
Disclaimer: Listen to the 3rd movement of Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata - I am, now – its magnificent, and the only thing to compare it to is the fine imagination of Ms. J. K. Rowling. These are her characters, though everything other than their names is mine.
Merci beaucoup pour la lecture. Ecris-moi un 'review', s'il vous plait.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hug or a Kiss? Hug, please. Part B
A shrill, piercing, heart-rending, soul-tearing scream rang through the dungeons of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
House-elves scurrying around in a house-keeping frenzy, stopped and went unbelievably still, clutching at each other for support – so agonizing was the sound.
The several odd students lingering through the hallways in the dungeon levels halted, most dropping books and bags.
Professor Dumbledore in his ancient but luxurious office lifted his wizened grey head from the dusty tome he was poring over, the usually twinkling eyes alarmed. The magnificent phoenix, brilliant in red and gold plumage, let out an undignified sour note of panic upon hearing the scream and fluttered down to Dumbledore. He heaved himself at great speed up form his plush chair and out of his room-of-work and hurried down to the Hospital Wing. He had a feeling…
Professor Severus Snape's head jerked up in surprise. One thought, one fearful, heart-stopping thought flashed through his mind. His usually agile, though now, unthinkably paralysed body dashed through the Potions classroom door, almost breaking it down, so hastily did he fly through it. Hermione---
Hermione sank down to the rough, stone floor. What just happened? She failed her final Potions exam, Professor Snape threatened to belt her, and now, three boys – no – despicable, vile, vulgar things had bruised her arms and whispered crude, unimaginable, things in her ears. The thoughts in her head ran round and round, making the blood rush to her ears and her knees weak. No, no, no, no…
Her hands came up to hold her head and she began to whimper. The whimpers grew louder in volume and her whole body started to tremble, literally quaking in fear and shock. She rocked back and forth, trying to make some sense out of the past few minutes. Over and over again, the thoughts chased each other in her mind, playing a cruel game of tag, cramming together, making her feel as if her head was going to crack open. An old rhyme her mother used to chant – 'Round and round she goes, where she'll stop nobody knows…'Help!' she croaked, her voice drained and beaten. 'Somebody, please help, I can't move…'
She felt so weak, the events had followed themselves, one after the other and she'd been ill, anyway. How much could a girl barely sixteen cope with? In the deserted hallway she waited – rationality, a second nature to her was still only a finger stretch away. Someone must have heard that desperate scream, it was just a question of who would find her first.
Doubt, though was also a second nature – she was one of life's perpetual worriers, a nervous effect of being as brilliant at academia as she was. Would somebody help, would someone come? And she was so very tired, just wanted to shut her eyes, it would all be over then – just stop, finish…the pain could end, if only until she woke. Why was it so tempting? Couldn't it only be expected, and encouraged? Why did it feel like she was doing something wrong? Blackness, spots of it, filled her vision, the floor she had been unseeingly gazing at blurred. Teetering over the edge of an abyss…
'No---Hermione! STOP! Don't shut your eyes!' A yell brought her to her senses, accompanied by the head-banging pounding of running feet on a stone floor. Who in the name of Circe? Her eyes opened dreamily to the most appreciated sight she had ever been privileged to see – Professor Severus Snape. He came. He was the only one who came. Thank the gods…
He stood over her, a towering, living statue of Man. His chest heaved from the effort of getting to her fast enough, his cheek length, lank hair was mussed all over the place. And his eyes, they were the most welcome sight of all, for they held his apprehension, his fear of her being harmed, his anger that she was hurt enough to have to scream, and his palpable relief at seeing her relatively unscathed and in one piece. All the emotions so carefully stifled under normal circumstances. Dear Merlin, how his heart had leapt into his throat, when he saw the light in her eyes begin to slip away. Could never, ever have let it happen…
Snape crouched down to her level and clasped her shoulders, looking straight into her eyes for any sign of the blankness that had almost taken her over. 'Hermione. Hermione, look at me,' he pleaded, 'what happened, love? Who did this?' Where was Dumbledore, surely the girl's distress couldn't have gone unnoticed?
'Professor Snape, it's you, I didn't know you'd come. I was so afraid on one would help. I…' she trailed off, aware that she was rambling. The shuddering intensified, her relief was so clear. She looked up at him with ravaged, almost blood red eyes, the swelling around them a bruised purple colour from burst blood vessels. Even squatting next to her, he was taller and she had to tilt her face upwards to meet his eyes. 'I can't move.'
At that, at the pitiful picture of her mahogany-brown eyes, the ones that had held some dignity in them that morning and at the sorry statement that was uttered, he wrapped his arms around her, hugging her for all she was worth. All he wanted to do was dispel that startling air of fragility that surrounded her and penetrated her being. His strong arms formed a soft but unshakable barrier around her and she was enveloped in his warmth. Such a clean smell…
As she leaned her head against his chest, he gently dropped his arms, the left encircling her upper back and the right, snuck under her legs, supporting the backs of her knees. He whispered softly, knowing instinctively that his usual stentorian tones would alarm her no end. 'I believe, child, that there was a little trip I had told you to make earlier. One that, I think, now, should be made by the both of us.'
And with that, he swung her carefully into the air, lifting her as she uttered a half-sob/ half-laugh at his words and curled her frail arms about his neck. He strode up the winding staircase, along corridor after corridor, passing the busy Great Hall, oblivious to all and sundry, students and teachers as he carried his own sick pupil to the Hospital Wing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A/N: Sorry if it's a bit shorter than normal, school's being a right bugger at the moment.
If you could tell me what you like or hated – any kind of feedback's always welcome, so give us a buzz. Thanks.