Disclaimer:
It's JKR's world, I just play in it.
True confession: wrote this by hand, during boring conference speeches today. Made me look oh so attentive, let me tell you.
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Snape raised his head from Allosia's shoulder as the carriage approached the castle.
"I never thought I'd be so glad to see this place," he said dryly.
"Home is home," Dumbledore said.
"Indeed," came Snape's sharp and cryptic reply.
"I can't wait to see my owl," Gabriel announced proudly.
"I'm sure Sendak will be very happy to see you too," the old wizard replied in a kindly voice.
"Can we go out and play today?" he asked his mother then.
"Let's get ourselves settled and unpacked first and then we'll go do something, okay?" Allosia said.
"Okay. You come too," Gabriel said, poking a small finger into Dumbledore's knee.
The headmaster chuckled but did not respond.
"And you," she said turning to her husband, "are going right to bed."
"I've spent enough time in hospital that your enthusiasm for the mind numbing boredom of the recuperation process is not particularly welcome or appropriate," he said absently, staring out the window.
"Would you rather I remind you of the need to get your strength back in time for the horror that is summer term?" she asked, a sharp mischief in her voice.
"No," he said, clipped, flat.
"Alright then," she said, somewhat annoyed with his tone.
As if in response another spasm shot through his left arm. "Merlin's beard," he whispered and clenched his fist.
Gabriel smiled as Sendak flew in thhrough the sitting room's small circular window and perched on the arm of a chair.
"Bird, bird," Gabriel said as he held his hand up for the bird to nudge at.
"What did you get up to while we were gone?" Allosia asked playfully.
The owl hooted.
"Yes, I rather thought so," she said and went to the bedroom to unpack.
Gabriel giggled.
The bird eyes Snape warily as he settled stiffly into the other chair.
"What are you looking at?" he asked it.
Sendak flew up in a small circle and returned to his perch.
"Yes, yes, we missed you too," he said wearily before leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
He sighed and tried to rrelax, quickly drifting towards sleep, until he felt a tugging at his robes.
"Yes Gabriel?" he asked without opening his eyes or warming his voice.
"Are you going to be okay?" the boy asked.
That snapped him back to consciousness and hhe sat up, perhaps more quickly than his muscles would have preferred.
"Of course I'm going to be okay," he said trying to sound reassuring, but realizing it probably just sounded harsh.
"Why are you hurt?"
Snape sighed then and bent over to pick the boy up before resting him on his lap. How to answer this.
"You know what I do, yes?"
"You teach," the boy said.
"What else?"
"Make potions."
Snape nodded and made a noise of approval, "And how do I do that?"
"Mix things."
"Right. And you know how you have to be careful and not touch anything when you come to the classroom?"
"Yes," Gabriel got quiet, sensing he was getting close to the answer.
"It's a little like that, Gabriel. I touched something I shouldn't have, because I couldn't control my curiosity, and I got hurt."
"Curiosity kills cats!" he said and giggled.
Snape smiled. "Only sometimes. If someone warns you about something you need to think very seriously about why they would do that, yes?"
"Yes," he said and leaned his head against Snape's chest.
Snape rested his arms around the boy then, marveling at the strangeness of having helped create this creature.
Allosia padded out from the bedroom then and smiled at the sight.
"Gabriel?" she asked softly.
"What?" he asked, pressing closer to his father.
"Go get some toys together and we'll go out and play, okay?"
"Okay," he said and scrambled down from Snape's lap.
"Am I being sent to bed?" he asked dryly.
"Right in one."
"You're not coming, are you?"
"You need to rest," she said.
He sighed and stood. He felt like hell, but there were things he needed to attend to before sleep.
It's JKR's world, I just play in it.
True confession: wrote this by hand, during boring conference speeches today. Made me look oh so attentive, let me tell you.
---------
Snape raised his head from Allosia's shoulder as the carriage approached the castle.
"I never thought I'd be so glad to see this place," he said dryly.
"Home is home," Dumbledore said.
"Indeed," came Snape's sharp and cryptic reply.
"I can't wait to see my owl," Gabriel announced proudly.
"I'm sure Sendak will be very happy to see you too," the old wizard replied in a kindly voice.
"Can we go out and play today?" he asked his mother then.
"Let's get ourselves settled and unpacked first and then we'll go do something, okay?" Allosia said.
"Okay. You come too," Gabriel said, poking a small finger into Dumbledore's knee.
The headmaster chuckled but did not respond.
"And you," she said turning to her husband, "are going right to bed."
"I've spent enough time in hospital that your enthusiasm for the mind numbing boredom of the recuperation process is not particularly welcome or appropriate," he said absently, staring out the window.
"Would you rather I remind you of the need to get your strength back in time for the horror that is summer term?" she asked, a sharp mischief in her voice.
"No," he said, clipped, flat.
"Alright then," she said, somewhat annoyed with his tone.
As if in response another spasm shot through his left arm. "Merlin's beard," he whispered and clenched his fist.
Gabriel smiled as Sendak flew in thhrough the sitting room's small circular window and perched on the arm of a chair.
"Bird, bird," Gabriel said as he held his hand up for the bird to nudge at.
"What did you get up to while we were gone?" Allosia asked playfully.
The owl hooted.
"Yes, I rather thought so," she said and went to the bedroom to unpack.
Gabriel giggled.
The bird eyes Snape warily as he settled stiffly into the other chair.
"What are you looking at?" he asked it.
Sendak flew up in a small circle and returned to his perch.
"Yes, yes, we missed you too," he said wearily before leaning his head back and closing his eyes.
He sighed and tried to rrelax, quickly drifting towards sleep, until he felt a tugging at his robes.
"Yes Gabriel?" he asked without opening his eyes or warming his voice.
"Are you going to be okay?" the boy asked.
That snapped him back to consciousness and hhe sat up, perhaps more quickly than his muscles would have preferred.
"Of course I'm going to be okay," he said trying to sound reassuring, but realizing it probably just sounded harsh.
"Why are you hurt?"
Snape sighed then and bent over to pick the boy up before resting him on his lap. How to answer this.
"You know what I do, yes?"
"You teach," the boy said.
"What else?"
"Make potions."
Snape nodded and made a noise of approval, "And how do I do that?"
"Mix things."
"Right. And you know how you have to be careful and not touch anything when you come to the classroom?"
"Yes," Gabriel got quiet, sensing he was getting close to the answer.
"It's a little like that, Gabriel. I touched something I shouldn't have, because I couldn't control my curiosity, and I got hurt."
"Curiosity kills cats!" he said and giggled.
Snape smiled. "Only sometimes. If someone warns you about something you need to think very seriously about why they would do that, yes?"
"Yes," he said and leaned his head against Snape's chest.
Snape rested his arms around the boy then, marveling at the strangeness of having helped create this creature.
Allosia padded out from the bedroom then and smiled at the sight.
"Gabriel?" she asked softly.
"What?" he asked, pressing closer to his father.
"Go get some toys together and we'll go out and play, okay?"
"Okay," he said and scrambled down from Snape's lap.
"Am I being sent to bed?" he asked dryly.
"Right in one."
"You're not coming, are you?"
"You need to rest," she said.
He sighed and stood. He felt like hell, but there were things he needed to attend to before sleep.