Chapter 3
Cold Day in May
A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, I hope everyone likes this chapter, if you haven't figured out it is going to go, a chapter on Hermione, a chapter on Severus, at least until they meet.
Somewhere over Moscow, Severus Snape was beginning to tire from his long journey. He had been on his broomstick for three hours now and his bottom was getting sore. Not only was dark now, but the temperature was dropping fast, he decided it would be best to stop and rest for a while before finishing the trip.
He landed on a deserted street, but recognized the street up ahead from his many trips through Moscow. He went into the side alley and conjured his heavy black flannel cloak and slipped it on over his school robes. He refused to flip the hood up, it reminded him of his job as a rouge death eater. He shuttered at the thought.
He continued on down the street with his broomstick in his hand. His hand went to the pocket where the letter that was given to him earlier that day. Thoughts raced through his mind. His past was rushing forward from the part of his mind that had tried to keep things shut up and locked away. The past hurt him so much; he had to fight back his furry at his own decisions that he had once made. Life before and after Hogwarts was never easy for Severus. He had always had pressure from those he knew; often times that was his father, and other times it was his peers.
He supposed why he hated Potter so much was that even though Severus came from a long line of wizards, as did Potter, Severus had to always work much harder to be recognized. Potter was famous because of his charm, charisma, and let's face it he was royalty, but Severus Snape had nothing. Growing up was difficult for Severus. He hardly ever saw his parents, and was often watched by a small house elf named Nadine. He hated the elf so much, partly because of the annoying loyalty, but mostly because she would never replace his parents that had to leave him every day to go to work. He spent most of his youth reading books that his father would bring home from trips from foreign countries.
He never went to school before Hogwarts, Nadine had taught him how to read, and ever since that day he read every book he could get his hands on. The rumor that was started by Sirius Black was that he knew everything about the Dark Arts before he even stepped foot inside a classroom, but the truth was there wasn't a subject that he didn't know everything about.
He walked through the cold winds and opened the door to little tavern called Cigam. It was similar to the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, they served butterbeer and pumpkin juice, and of course, vodka. Severus took a seat in the corner of the bar, and took off his cloak. He had ordered a vodka tonic in Russian and fiddled with the napkins on the table. As he sat there, he thought again about the letter, and the past that he had left behind in Siberia. To him Siberia was his past, and England was his, well, rather bleak future. No matter what choice he would have made, he couldn't have helped but not hurt his own heart. To many, Severus Snape's heart was in a jar, and being decomposed by some of his rather odd potion ingredients he held in his private stores, but the truth was that after becoming a death eater, the Dark Lord owns your heart, soul, and desires, he took them all away from him, hurting not only him but the ones he once loved.
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His mind soon drifted to the last battle, where Harry Potter had been dead and come back amongst the living. He remembered vividly someone shouting Advra Kaddvera at Lucious Malfoy, who had a minute earlier stabbed Severus on his side with a dagger of some sort. Lucious Malfoy collapsed beside him, there was nothing left of him.
His eyes had become blurry and the pain he felt was intense, almost as if he had left his body and watching himself suffer on the ground. He watched Harry Potter lying unconscious on the ground, and Ron dead on the ground next to him. His eyes frantically searched for the remaining comrade, but could not see her. He feared her dead along with Sirius. The pain was submerging him into sleep, into death, a death that he deserved much more than the red headed boy that was only a few yards away. He laid there for what had seemed like hours, when he had heard a voice off in the distance.
"Help, please, anyone help me, I am alive!" she cried out.
Severus knew it was Miss Granger. He struggled to retrieve his wand from his pocket and tried to stop the bleeding in his side, but his wand had been damaged from all of the magic that had been done that night. He grabbed hold of a trunk of a tree and tried desperately to prop himself up. He stood, took a step, and then faltered, breathing deeply; he walked slowly to the voice. He was nearly there when he saw Dumbledore standing over her. She was alive but unconscious when he saw them. At this point he could barely stand. Feeling dizzy from the blood loss that had occurred, he fainted just as Dumbledore had approached him with teared eyes and caught him with a levitation charm.
From what Dumbledore had informed him of later, he was taken by Lupin to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Harry, Hermione, Sirius body, and Ron's body were all taken as well by Dumbledore, Minivera, and Arabella Figg. Snape had recovered first, his wounds were only physical, while Harry's and Hermione's were also emotional wounds. When he woke from consciousness he, saw Lupin standing by the window starring out into the sky. He then remember Sirius dying for him the previous day, and suddenly felt the bile rise in his throat. Sirius Black had sacrificed his life for him. Him, the kid he always picked on in school, the one who despised him so much he tried to get him killed. He spoke.
"Remus," He started out hoarsely.
"Severus, your awake! Do you need anything?" He asked gently as he approached the bed.
He would rather have died than to have Remus see him this vulnerable, but then his thoughts turned again to Sirius. "No,. I." He cleared his throat.
"Yes?" Remus asked patiently.
"Look, I have never been good at thank yous or anything to that effect, but I…" Remus interrupted.
"Nothing is needed, we are all thankful that you survived."
"Damm it Lupin, why do you have to be so god damm noble, your best friend just died, and you are thankful I survived? Bloody hell, Remus why didn't he just let me die, it is the way it should have been!!!" Severus barked trying to sit up, but then remembering the pain in his side.
"Severus, of course I wish Sirius wouldn't have died, but I certainly did not wish the same fate for you!" He said back in reply.
He said nothing in return. He turned his head and saw Ron's parents and family. They too were sad and lonely, but then again so was he, he had just been this way for 20 years, unlike the Weasley family who would never be the same again.
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Severus thrust down the glass; he had taken the vodka with one chug. He stood up flung on his coat and stormed out of the tavern.
'This certainly is not what I needed. Not now, not today!' He thought as he mounted his broom and took off towards his home in the artic cold of Siberia.
Cold Day in May
A/N: Thanks to my reviewers, I hope everyone likes this chapter, if you haven't figured out it is going to go, a chapter on Hermione, a chapter on Severus, at least until they meet.
Somewhere over Moscow, Severus Snape was beginning to tire from his long journey. He had been on his broomstick for three hours now and his bottom was getting sore. Not only was dark now, but the temperature was dropping fast, he decided it would be best to stop and rest for a while before finishing the trip.
He landed on a deserted street, but recognized the street up ahead from his many trips through Moscow. He went into the side alley and conjured his heavy black flannel cloak and slipped it on over his school robes. He refused to flip the hood up, it reminded him of his job as a rouge death eater. He shuttered at the thought.
He continued on down the street with his broomstick in his hand. His hand went to the pocket where the letter that was given to him earlier that day. Thoughts raced through his mind. His past was rushing forward from the part of his mind that had tried to keep things shut up and locked away. The past hurt him so much; he had to fight back his furry at his own decisions that he had once made. Life before and after Hogwarts was never easy for Severus. He had always had pressure from those he knew; often times that was his father, and other times it was his peers.
He supposed why he hated Potter so much was that even though Severus came from a long line of wizards, as did Potter, Severus had to always work much harder to be recognized. Potter was famous because of his charm, charisma, and let's face it he was royalty, but Severus Snape had nothing. Growing up was difficult for Severus. He hardly ever saw his parents, and was often watched by a small house elf named Nadine. He hated the elf so much, partly because of the annoying loyalty, but mostly because she would never replace his parents that had to leave him every day to go to work. He spent most of his youth reading books that his father would bring home from trips from foreign countries.
He never went to school before Hogwarts, Nadine had taught him how to read, and ever since that day he read every book he could get his hands on. The rumor that was started by Sirius Black was that he knew everything about the Dark Arts before he even stepped foot inside a classroom, but the truth was there wasn't a subject that he didn't know everything about.
He walked through the cold winds and opened the door to little tavern called Cigam. It was similar to the Leaky Cauldron in Diagon Alley, they served butterbeer and pumpkin juice, and of course, vodka. Severus took a seat in the corner of the bar, and took off his cloak. He had ordered a vodka tonic in Russian and fiddled with the napkins on the table. As he sat there, he thought again about the letter, and the past that he had left behind in Siberia. To him Siberia was his past, and England was his, well, rather bleak future. No matter what choice he would have made, he couldn't have helped but not hurt his own heart. To many, Severus Snape's heart was in a jar, and being decomposed by some of his rather odd potion ingredients he held in his private stores, but the truth was that after becoming a death eater, the Dark Lord owns your heart, soul, and desires, he took them all away from him, hurting not only him but the ones he once loved.
************************************************************************
His mind soon drifted to the last battle, where Harry Potter had been dead and come back amongst the living. He remembered vividly someone shouting Advra Kaddvera at Lucious Malfoy, who had a minute earlier stabbed Severus on his side with a dagger of some sort. Lucious Malfoy collapsed beside him, there was nothing left of him.
His eyes had become blurry and the pain he felt was intense, almost as if he had left his body and watching himself suffer on the ground. He watched Harry Potter lying unconscious on the ground, and Ron dead on the ground next to him. His eyes frantically searched for the remaining comrade, but could not see her. He feared her dead along with Sirius. The pain was submerging him into sleep, into death, a death that he deserved much more than the red headed boy that was only a few yards away. He laid there for what had seemed like hours, when he had heard a voice off in the distance.
"Help, please, anyone help me, I am alive!" she cried out.
Severus knew it was Miss Granger. He struggled to retrieve his wand from his pocket and tried to stop the bleeding in his side, but his wand had been damaged from all of the magic that had been done that night. He grabbed hold of a trunk of a tree and tried desperately to prop himself up. He stood, took a step, and then faltered, breathing deeply; he walked slowly to the voice. He was nearly there when he saw Dumbledore standing over her. She was alive but unconscious when he saw them. At this point he could barely stand. Feeling dizzy from the blood loss that had occurred, he fainted just as Dumbledore had approached him with teared eyes and caught him with a levitation charm.
From what Dumbledore had informed him of later, he was taken by Lupin to the hospital wing at Hogwarts. Harry, Hermione, Sirius body, and Ron's body were all taken as well by Dumbledore, Minivera, and Arabella Figg. Snape had recovered first, his wounds were only physical, while Harry's and Hermione's were also emotional wounds. When he woke from consciousness he, saw Lupin standing by the window starring out into the sky. He then remember Sirius dying for him the previous day, and suddenly felt the bile rise in his throat. Sirius Black had sacrificed his life for him. Him, the kid he always picked on in school, the one who despised him so much he tried to get him killed. He spoke.
"Remus," He started out hoarsely.
"Severus, your awake! Do you need anything?" He asked gently as he approached the bed.
He would rather have died than to have Remus see him this vulnerable, but then his thoughts turned again to Sirius. "No,. I." He cleared his throat.
"Yes?" Remus asked patiently.
"Look, I have never been good at thank yous or anything to that effect, but I…" Remus interrupted.
"Nothing is needed, we are all thankful that you survived."
"Damm it Lupin, why do you have to be so god damm noble, your best friend just died, and you are thankful I survived? Bloody hell, Remus why didn't he just let me die, it is the way it should have been!!!" Severus barked trying to sit up, but then remembering the pain in his side.
"Severus, of course I wish Sirius wouldn't have died, but I certainly did not wish the same fate for you!" He said back in reply.
He said nothing in return. He turned his head and saw Ron's parents and family. They too were sad and lonely, but then again so was he, he had just been this way for 20 years, unlike the Weasley family who would never be the same again.
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Severus thrust down the glass; he had taken the vodka with one chug. He stood up flung on his coat and stormed out of the tavern.
'This certainly is not what I needed. Not now, not today!' He thought as he mounted his broom and took off towards his home in the artic cold of Siberia.