The Silver Snake
By Belldandy
Part Three
Star burst into the staffroom, wand at ready. Snape, Dumbledore, and McGongall were there, and McGonagall looked very upset. "What is it? What's going on?" Star asked breahtlessly.
Dumbledore looked solemnly at her. "Minerva has recieved some bad news, Morgan."
Star saw Snape looking at her necklace and put it in her robes. "What sort of news?"
Snape, still looking at her neck, said, "Her cousin has gone missing and no one has any idea where he is."
"Minerva, I'm sorry..." Star said. "That's terrible. But I'm sure you'll find him. He's got to turn up eventually, I'm sure of it. Don't worry too much."
"Yes, he'll show up, but dead or alive no one knows." Snape said with a wicked smile.
"Severus!" Star cried. McGonagall gave a sort of strangled cry and Dumbledore patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure everything will be all right, Minerva." He said comfortingly.
~~
Star settled herself down next to a lake, back against a large oak tree. The wind rushed through her hair and rippled the surface of the lake. She looked out at it with a small sigh, watching the reflections of trees waving their branches against the water. She took a deep breath of fresh air, closing her eyes. It felt good to get away from the classes, since no one would listen to her anyway. They were all too busy talking about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.
"Hello, Morgan." Dumbledore sat down next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, but said nothing. They sat in silence for a little while.
"Albus..." Star began. "What do you do when you feel something, but don't know how to communicate it?"
Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. "This remind me of the old days, Morgan." He looked at her, his eyes twinkling cheerfully. His half moon spectacles reflected Morgan's face and the trees behind her.
Star nodded. "Yes, it does. But what about my question?"
He smiled a bit. "Always so curious and straight to the point. You've been like this for a long time, Morgan. I don't understand why I ever expected..." -- his eyes twinkled meaningfully with the next words -- "... any change."
"But, Albus..." She gazed at him. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to say. Why can't you just answer my question?" She had the fleeting impression that he didn't want to answer, but she knew that the answer was hidden in what he had said.
"Think about it, Morgan." He smiled mysteriously again. "Anything else?"
She thought for a moment, looking at her hands.
~~
"Professor... I did something that wasn't very nice." Morgan said quietly. She was sixteen, standing in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"I know, Miss Star. You tell me every day. What is it this time, dear?" He stood up, and walked around the side of his desk to stand next to her. "Tell me all about it."
"It's different." She said. "I know... that when I was a Death Eater, I did many cruel things. But I'm not here to tell you about that today. I did this recently." She admitted.
Dumbledore looked at her curiously. "Really, now? Go on."
Morgan's voice quivered. "Well... You see, ever since I met Severus Snape while being a supporter of Voldemort, we've had a ... certain romantic involvement." She looked a bit embarassed, and rubbed her arm apologetically.
"I've heard rumors," Dumbledore said. "It seems that people think that so many years of difference in age is too much at a time like this in your lives."
"We never cared about age." Morgan said almost automatically. She looked away and corrected herself. "Severus... never cared about age. I ... left him, Professor. People were talking about it, and I couldn't stand it, and --"
"I am curious to know... it seems to me that even if you stopped being involved with each other, that the rumors and things people say won't change..." Dumbledore told her. "But perhaps what you did was wise. Perhaps people were right. Did that ever occur to you, Morgan? Sometimes, when people are young... things change as they grow older. It might have been harder later because of your age."
"It wouldn't have changed," Morgan insisted. "I'll still feel the same, the attraction, the guilt --"
"Guilt?" Dumbledore asked. "Why would you be guilty?"
"Well, because it's against the rules for students and teachers to be involved that way."
"But you aren't a student, Morgan. You are young enough to be, but you are not." Dumbledore said softly. "Students do not work in the kitchens with elves or clean the castle. You are different from a student."
"I know... but... he is too old for me." Morgan said quietly.
"That will change... but your feelings may not."
~~
"Yes, Albus. There is something else." Star said quietly. She looked at him. "My feelings; they never changed." She turned back to look at the lake, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Dumbledore smile kindly, his eyes twinkling again. He twiddled his thumbs pleasantly, and didn't reply. Star looked down at the little necklace hanging out of her robes again.
By Belldandy
Part Three
Star burst into the staffroom, wand at ready. Snape, Dumbledore, and McGongall were there, and McGonagall looked very upset. "What is it? What's going on?" Star asked breahtlessly.
Dumbledore looked solemnly at her. "Minerva has recieved some bad news, Morgan."
Star saw Snape looking at her necklace and put it in her robes. "What sort of news?"
Snape, still looking at her neck, said, "Her cousin has gone missing and no one has any idea where he is."
"Minerva, I'm sorry..." Star said. "That's terrible. But I'm sure you'll find him. He's got to turn up eventually, I'm sure of it. Don't worry too much."
"Yes, he'll show up, but dead or alive no one knows." Snape said with a wicked smile.
"Severus!" Star cried. McGonagall gave a sort of strangled cry and Dumbledore patted her shoulder sympathetically. "I'm sure everything will be all right, Minerva." He said comfortingly.
~~
Star settled herself down next to a lake, back against a large oak tree. The wind rushed through her hair and rippled the surface of the lake. She looked out at it with a small sigh, watching the reflections of trees waving their branches against the water. She took a deep breath of fresh air, closing her eyes. It felt good to get away from the classes, since no one would listen to her anyway. They were all too busy talking about the upcoming Triwizard Tournament.
"Hello, Morgan." Dumbledore sat down next to her. She opened her eyes and looked at him, but said nothing. They sat in silence for a little while.
"Albus..." Star began. "What do you do when you feel something, but don't know how to communicate it?"
Dumbledore gave a small chuckle. "This remind me of the old days, Morgan." He looked at her, his eyes twinkling cheerfully. His half moon spectacles reflected Morgan's face and the trees behind her.
Star nodded. "Yes, it does. But what about my question?"
He smiled a bit. "Always so curious and straight to the point. You've been like this for a long time, Morgan. I don't understand why I ever expected..." -- his eyes twinkled meaningfully with the next words -- "... any change."
"But, Albus..." She gazed at him. "I'm afraid I don't understand what you're trying to say. Why can't you just answer my question?" She had the fleeting impression that he didn't want to answer, but she knew that the answer was hidden in what he had said.
"Think about it, Morgan." He smiled mysteriously again. "Anything else?"
She thought for a moment, looking at her hands.
~~
"Professor... I did something that wasn't very nice." Morgan said quietly. She was sixteen, standing in front of Dumbledore's desk.
"I know, Miss Star. You tell me every day. What is it this time, dear?" He stood up, and walked around the side of his desk to stand next to her. "Tell me all about it."
"It's different." She said. "I know... that when I was a Death Eater, I did many cruel things. But I'm not here to tell you about that today. I did this recently." She admitted.
Dumbledore looked at her curiously. "Really, now? Go on."
Morgan's voice quivered. "Well... You see, ever since I met Severus Snape while being a supporter of Voldemort, we've had a ... certain romantic involvement." She looked a bit embarassed, and rubbed her arm apologetically.
"I've heard rumors," Dumbledore said. "It seems that people think that so many years of difference in age is too much at a time like this in your lives."
"We never cared about age." Morgan said almost automatically. She looked away and corrected herself. "Severus... never cared about age. I ... left him, Professor. People were talking about it, and I couldn't stand it, and --"
"I am curious to know... it seems to me that even if you stopped being involved with each other, that the rumors and things people say won't change..." Dumbledore told her. "But perhaps what you did was wise. Perhaps people were right. Did that ever occur to you, Morgan? Sometimes, when people are young... things change as they grow older. It might have been harder later because of your age."
"It wouldn't have changed," Morgan insisted. "I'll still feel the same, the attraction, the guilt --"
"Guilt?" Dumbledore asked. "Why would you be guilty?"
"Well, because it's against the rules for students and teachers to be involved that way."
"But you aren't a student, Morgan. You are young enough to be, but you are not." Dumbledore said softly. "Students do not work in the kitchens with elves or clean the castle. You are different from a student."
"I know... but... he is too old for me." Morgan said quietly.
"That will change... but your feelings may not."
~~
"Yes, Albus. There is something else." Star said quietly. She looked at him. "My feelings; they never changed." She turned back to look at the lake, and out of the corner of her eye she saw Dumbledore smile kindly, his eyes twinkling again. He twiddled his thumbs pleasantly, and didn't reply. Star looked down at the little necklace hanging out of her robes again.
