J.K. Rowling and Bloomsbury Publishers
Own the © on Severus and his mates
I do not own, I gather no riches
I'm merely toying with their fates
Andolyn
Settling in
Tall walls of ancient stone. Memories and secrets, of both the living and the dead. Beloved ones, proudly striding out of the doubled doors of the Great Hall to conquer their world, and ride the crest of the waves to ultimate happiness.
And yet, those doors also delivered up the spiteful, the resentful, the power hungry slithering towards the dark, casting their shadow towards the future, spoiling the kind, the good.
Pictures- thousands of them. All the Seventh Year graduates. Moving photographs and paintings of long forgotten youths who had turned into long forgotten adults. They lined the walls of the Trophy Room and if you yelled a year or a name, a frame would sprout wings and come to your hand. It was Sirius who, while smacking his forehead with a flat palm for the stupidity of never having told Harry, explained the boy he would be able to find one picture more of his parents. One day, Hagrid would contact all the old friends of Harry's parents and ask them for doubles of the pictures the boy had lost in the burning of the Dursley house. But for now, if he needed to see their faces, he could call upon that old picture and have -something- at least.
Together with Ari, who just had to see this miracle, Harry went there. With revulsion he pointed out a plaque in honour of a certain T. M. Riddle, an award for special services to the school some fifty years ago.
"So what did that boy do?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just got Hagrid expelled to cover up for what he did himself. You see, this 'Riddle' is was Parselmouth who opened the chamber of Secrets and set a Basilisk loose on the students- It killed Myrtle- Ill introduce her to you later."
Ari felt as if her eyes had taken about the size of Wedgwood saucers. Harry grinned and only added to Ari's confusion with the remark "And then he went away and became Lord Voldemort."
Ari sighed. "Nice, lovable boy, I presume. Trust you will explain the context to me, someday?"
Harry nodded. "I will- But what I do not understand is why the Headmaster allows this plaque to remain here." Harry gave a snort. "Honestly, I think it's an insult to Hagrid- and 'Tom' certainly did nothing to deserve any kind of honour."
"Perhaps," Ari answered, "it is a good thing that the ones who know remember just that. And that one can be mistaken in others, sometimes?"
Harry shrugged. "Well, I just think it isn't fair."
The boy abruptly turned away and suddenly cried out his father's name. From the far right some rustling was heard and the wall let go of a single frame. Straight as an arrow it came for Harry's head, and only a second away from breaking his nose it came to a dead stop. Ari had taken a sharp breath and had nearly pulled him out of harms way, but Harry merely calmly plucked the thing out of the air and studied it with a frantic interest. Then he smiled.
"Look- that is my dad! And he is holding my mum!"
A young couple smiled up at Ari, and they waved at her. Only a few years older than Harry, posing on the field in front of Hogwarts. A handsome couple, the young man the spitting image of Harry with his lanky frame, unruly dark locks and glasses. The girl a beautiful redhead with Harry's emerald eyes. Happy people both, untouched by the melancholy that perpetually surrounded their son.
Ari however, saw more. There were about sixty youngsters in the frame, more or less equally separated by their house badges. Gold and crimson for Gryffindor, as she by now had learned. Black and yellow for Hufflepuff, blue and copper for Ravenclaw. Green and silver for Slytherin. All houses huddled more or less together to be able to fit in the frame- but somehow the cool and aloof Slytherins were not quite a part of the whole.
"That is Sirius," Harry pointed. "And that one is Remus."
"And the little one who tries to stand in between them?"
"Peter Pettigrew." Harry told her, lip twisting with disgust.
"You don't like him? He seems a good friend to Sirius and Remus."
"He did seem that, yes. But he betrayed all of them- my parents have died because of him!" Harry spat. "Voldemort has returned because of him!"
The little Peter looked upset with Harry's words and pointed at himself with questioning eyes, as if to say 'Me? Come of it- I would never!' Sirius and Remus frowned up at Harry and moved around Peter protectively. Some of the Slytherins looked at Pettigrew with either reluctant respect, other were apparently muttering about a certain persons return as if they could not believe that fore mentioned person would be ever wiped away from their world in the first place. Most of them however behaved like the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff graduates, confused.
Except for one. One black eyed, black hared tall young man, with a large nose, a pale countenance and an elegant stance. Not a handsome person, with an unbecoming, calculating expression on his features, his mouth slightly pouting and one slender finger tapping his lips. Ari smiled, for she remembered the gesture on the adult, real version. This boy, standing in pale moonlight with his fellow Slytherins while the others seemed to bask in the sun that summer's afternoon the picture was taken, was undoubtedly the teenage version of the Potions Master Severus Snape. In this picture he seemed a little less pale, a little less on edge. And the eyes were glittering in confusion and deep thought.
Ari's fingers itched to touch that closed face, to stroke the pensive figure, but with Harry's eyes upon her, somehow she dared not. One of the other Slytherins however, one with a rather pointed face, was somewhat more observant than Harry and suddenly elbowed Snape in the side, pointing up at Ari. The black eyes turned to her and caught Ari's for a moment. An ugly flush spread over the pale cheeks and he turned away quickly, eyes downcast, almost shy.
Harry had not noticed, captivated as he was by the waving, smiling figures of his teenage parents. But with a heavy sigh, he wrenched himself from their faces.
"You know," he said somewhat strained and with over bright eyes, "there really is a lot to see here- Why won't we go out to the Quidditch stadium- Bet you never saw a wizard fly on a broomstick."
Ari chuckled and gave in. Both she and the framed young Snape threw each other a brief glance before the picture flew back to the wall.
Outside, Harry and Ari met up with Lupin, Black and Fang. Hagrid had left for France and other places he was not to mention. He seemed to have some unfinished business there, and had left blushing furiously while mildly teased by Black. The Animagus found himself using a lot less mild words when he found out Lupin had promised Hagrid to take care of Fang. Hagrid had insisted his boarhound needed a pal, and well, enter Snuffles.
In size, Hagrid's black boarhound and Snuffles were about each other's match. But Fang turned out to be a lot more playful and seemed to enjoy chasing Black, and engaging him in mock fights that would probably land a somewhat worse for wear Animagus in Madam Pomfrey's ward a lot over the summer, with scratches and bite marks.
When Ari met Fang the previous day, she was violently reminded of all the reasons why she was a cat person. The boarhound jumped up at her and planted his front paws firmly on her shoulders. For a second they were nose to nose- then Ari keeled over backwards for the animal was far to heavy for her. Fang did not seem to mind and started licking her glasses from her face. It took both Lupin and Black to free her, a long hot shower to get all the drool out of her hair and a teacup of Mrs. Scower's Magical Mess Remover to clean up her glasses.
On one of the school brooms Harry showed Ari the task of the Seeker, and finally she began to get some grasp on what it had to be like to be a true wizard. Swooping round, high in the air, daring loopings at dazzling speeds, blazing past the high stands proudly flagging all the house colours, swooping past the golden goalposts, the young athlete truly was in his element. And while Ari stared, standing in the middle of the pitch looking up, a gentle voice behind her softly said 'bravo Harry', followed by a darkly warning deep bark. Lupin was craning his neck and squinting his eyes against the too clear sky. Snuffles flopped down on his belly, head on his paws and apparently not quite happy with Harry's shenanigans. The werewolf smiled affectionately down on the moping dog. Fang busied himself with ruining the pitch by digging holes in it.
"He's just worried about Harry, you know."
Ari nodded. The black dog's eyes followed the gracefully dancing crimson spot that was Harry with that almost sad loyal look dogs can have while staring up at their masters. And for a moment, fleeting and with a melancholic edge, Lupin stared at the back of the rowdy beast with almost the same forlorn gaze.
Ari turned away from the two, hugging herself. The sky was bright, the surrounding colours cheery, but there was such a sense of sad foreboding hanging over the pitch she could not help but shiver. Up there was the Boy-Who-Could-Never-Be-Just-A-Kid, watched by a woman in probably the worst Fish-Out-Of-The-Water situation imaginable, caring deeply for somebody who was acting on an almost Pain-Of-Death order not to show any feelings except for the more despicable ones. Accompanied by two, for lack of words 'people', who also had to play elaborate roles, kind teacher, nice doggie, instead of being allowed to deal with whatever was unspoken between them. Did Black even realise the way he was regarded by Lupin? The way the Animagus was wagging his tail at Ari indicated he was not, but Ari vanished from Black's consciousness the moment Harry seemed to be in any kind of danger. Not that she for an instant believed the Animagus' intentions towards the boy were dishonourable- Overprotective, yes, quite. But not dishonourable. If Harry had been his own child, Black could not have loved him more.
"Oh what a tangled web we weave," Ari muttered under her breath, earning her a mildly surprised stare from Lupin, and no reaction at all from Snuffles.
And Harry? Harry innocently touched down gracefully, complaining about the sluggishness of the school broom, blushing with shame explaining to the dog he -really- had no time to have saved his own. Snuffles merely wagged his tail and begged his doggy beg to be patted, clearly forgiving Harry for something. Lupin filled in the blanks.
"That broom was a gift from Sirius. First one he was ever able to give Harry."
Ari's brows formed a nice bow on her forehead. Both Harry and Lupin exchanged a glance with Black for some kind of confirmation and the dog gave a very undoggish nod.
"Sirius has spent most of Harry's life in prison for a crime he did not commit. He broke out of jail and is still on the run."
"What explains for your almost constant disguise outside the castle." Ari understood.
All three nodded. It was a very silly sight to see a dog bob his head like that. It also explained Blacks stern 'For truth' during The Gathering.
Harry pulled at Ari's sleeve, for there was a lot more he wanted to show her.
"Come on, I'll show you my dorm- and Myrtle!"
And the library and the hospital wing, the staff room, the owlery where they stayed quite a while, and various classrooms- All the way down to the dungeons.
"We have potions over there." Harry pointed at a heavy looking Gothic oak door.
"Really? Here, in a dungeon?" Ari asked, moving towards the door, ready to open and peek.
"Don't bother. Snape always keeps the door-" Ari didn't listen and pushed, the door screeched and went wide without resistance. "locked?"
Ari noticed Harry followed rather hesitantly into the snakes' lair. Inside, Ari understood his surprise. Apart from the medieval makeup all the classrooms seemed to have, this dreary place had the added bonus of a variety of cupboards crammed with jars, vials, boxes and a few cages. Dead and slimy things stared at Ari from over their labels, the scents of herbs, powders and dead fires filled her nose.
"Who decorated this place? Frankenstein?"
Ari thought of the classroom Filch had given her. Spacious, facing south, with large plain windows and a Headmasters' carte blanche to redecorate. The grey walls were plastered white, cupboards were stuffed with both Muggle and Wizards paint, paper and brushes.
Something in one of the cages squealed. Ari did not want to know what it was, and even less what it was used for. Through one high window, somewhere on ground level, one tight ray of sunlight affronted the gloom and dust particles danced merrily within this solitary touch of summer.
"You actually get taught here? This is a classroom? Seriously?"
That this was -his- classroom?
"Well, yes, I mean, I think it has to do something with the keeping qualities of a lot of the ingredients of the potions. That -or- it's because Snape's just such a cruel bastard. They used to torture people down here, you know. The place must appeal to him."
"Severe Severus Snape. I can hardly imagine any of your teachers truly sporting a death wish towards any of the students."
"You never met Quirrell."
"Who?"
"Or Lockhart."
"You know, Harry, we really should sit down at some point so you could tell me more about al those -fascinating- titbits you keep throwing into my face-"
Harry grinned as widely as Ari did.
"But," said the boy, "there isn't much Snape hasn't been accused of doing over the last four years, save for washing his hair, that is. I mean- I know he's one of the light- but he really has done his best to make everybody think he was not. And I -know- that was exactly his -job-, being a spy and all- I just wish he would not have to be such a god damned -git- during classes. There is very little I think he would not do to make the lives of the Gryffindors more miserable! He probably left the door open, just to be able to accuse me of stealing anything."
Ari looked around the classroom; the old-fashioned benches- the door to the storeroom in the back that stood slightly ajar- Ari chuckled softly.
"O- I can imagine quite a few things your Professor Snape would -never- do or say."
Harry grunted. "Like what."
There really was no love lost between student and teacher.
Ari shrugged. "Yell, 'ouch, I've got a paper cut?'"
"We use parchment, not paper. So, yes, there's a fair chance he won't ever say a thing like that." Harry chuckled. "Try, 'Gosh, I've melted my cauldron.' Or, 'Good work, Mr. Potter.' "
"Now, that does sound a bit bitter."
"Well, how would -you- feel if you've got a teacher who tries to put you down -every- opportunity he gets! Or -makes- the opportunity if he doesn't get them." Harry hopped up on one of the desks, his legs dangling a bit. He was quite small for his age.
"He has saved your life."
"I know- More than once, actually. The man just pisses me off, you know. He's just not fair! 'Ten points from Slytherin!'"
"What?"
"Something else he won't say! Always plays favourite with his own house. I hate that."
Silence. But was it Ari's imagination or had the crack to the storeroom grown just that tiny bit wider? No sense of humour about his appearances- What did they say about those Slytherins? Any means to further an end? Exploiters of every weakness they could find? Ari thought she really would have to try that sorting hat sometime.
"Wear pink bunny slippers!" she declared out loud.
Harry stared.
"Things he won't do, probably. Wear pink bunny slippers. Fluffy ones."
Harry's face split with a grin. "Definitely not his colour. Speaking of Fluffy- play get-the-stick with Sirius."
"Oh, I'd love to see that one. Ask Professor Flitwick for any more advise on how to dress as a Muggle- I think we won't see him in a bowtie for a while."
Harry grinned evilly. "Ask Professor McGonagall on a date!"
"Harry! I didn't need -that- mental image! How about this one. Wear a plaid robe?"
"To go with the bunny slippers?"
"And a sombrero for a hat."
"And a crimson handbag!"
The door to the storeroom cracked open wide.
"Would you two mind!"
Harry paled and hopped of the desk. Ari just turned.
"Thought you were in there. Wondered what it would take to pry you out. Oh, and Harry- another thing your professor probably won't do- leave his stores unguarded behind open doors."
Snape was leaning against the doorframe, his lips a very thin line and the eyes glittering dangerously at Harry.
"Some of us have to -prepare- for the upcoming trimester. Potter- Out!"
Harry turned to leave rather quickly, but Ari stopped him.
"Hang on a minute- Harry was just showing me-"
"Young -Mister- Potter here was merely showing off, as usual. Could I have a word with you, Miss, Philpot? In private, please."
Ari narrowed her eyes and let go of the boy.
"Go on Harry- I'll be out in a minute."
Harry nodded, threw a foul look at Snape who answered with a sneer. The boy closed the door behind him with an angry bang.
Snape turned swiftly to Ari, towering over her from behind his teacher's desk.
"And what the devil do you think you are up to -now-, Miss Philpot!"
Ari smiled sweetly. "Oh, just trying to find out what it would take to get a rise out of you."
Perhaps she was picking up some good habits from Black. Take that for a double entendre, you cold lizard, ha! Snape only narrowed his eyes at her.
"I will not, Madame, allow you to undermine my position with my students! Pranks such as the one you just pulled are serious hazard to what little discipline those children have. If I am to get anything into those sluggish little minds of theirs, I need their utmost respect and obedience- Not have them sniggering at me from behind their cauldrons!"
"Touchy, aren't we? If you find their minds so sluggish, a change of scenery might help- This dusty old place can hardly be of benefit to their concentration."
With a soft swish of the robes and a fluent movement that had very little to do with walking, Hogwarts proud Potions Master drew near.
"Since you seem to have very little awareness still, on how things are run here, I would offer you the friendly advise not to interfere or criticise the methods applied by any teacher of this school. In return, I for one am but too happy to pay you the same courtesy and not interfere with you."
Ari leaned a little backwards and sat on the edge of the desk Harry had just vacated, her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles. As if unaware of Snape's thinly veiled impatience, she took off her glasses and started to polish them with the hem of her sleeve.
"Still, every time you and I get into a discussion about students, you complain."
Snape crossed his arms defensively, hands slipping inside the opposite sleeve.
"I do not complain, I merely am realistic in my expectations of the usual dunderheads I come across."
"So you're prejudiced."
"I am not!"
"Yes, you are."
"No, I am-" Snape caught himself, pulled his shoulders back and sighed. "Madam, is there any point in your presence here- besides the satisfaction of your curiosity that is?"
Ari put her glasses back on her nose and looked up at Snape's stony face.
"You can do it you know. I know that for a fact, I have seen it."
She stood. She had to either walk past Snape to get to the door, or walk awkwardly around the low desks of the students. Snape rose to the bait, but did not step aside.
"What?" he drawled.
"Smile, Severus. Just smile. It would be nice, to see a smile on your face, once in a while."
The face remained cold and mask like- yet something did change in the soulless depths behind the mask. Snape slowly shook his head.
"It would ruin my reputation."
Ari was caught within those eyes, a sparrow hypnotized by a viper, helpless. Her mouth went dry and she knew she was staring at the man like some idiot schoolgirl. He didn't move, did the bastard even realise what he was doing to her? Ari swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in her throat- She had to move- had to get out of this oppressive classroom- this man made cave- hideout! Was this underground hidden place Snape's hideout- his place away from the world?
Ari broke eye contact- it almost physically hurt her to do so. Swiftly she moved around the low benches and desks to leave as requested- she had one parting shot left, but she could not bring herself to look Snape in the eye while delivering it. With her hand on the door handle, desperate to see Snape's reaction, but unable to turn, she said: "Oh- and by the way, before I forget to mention it again- Thank you for carrying me up to my bed, that evening when we did that circle thing- That was- real kind of you."
She opened the door and escaped.
Ari found Harry in a now positively arctic corridor, talking to a cheerful ghost in a ruff and a big hat, who Ari recognised as Nearly Headless Nick, Harry's House Ghost. People went a little overboard with this house division thing, for Ari's taste, if even the dead ones still thought it of value.
"How did it go- did he chew you out?" Harry asked with wide eyes and a bit nervously. The boy behaved as if she were a classmate who had just received a reprimand from the big old nasty teacher.
"Well, I-" Ari started. But the sound of violently broken glass interrupted her from behind the doors, together with the loud bang of crashing furniture. Harry jumped up to race past Ari, back to see if something had happened to Snape. But Ari stopped him.
"Wait! Sir Nicholas- could you have a peek without Snape noticing? Please?"
The ghost gave a chivalrous bow, took of his hat with one hand and held his head in place with the other.
"Certainly, Milady." he said, and disappeared from the waist up through the wall, only to pull back hastily.
"Seems the good Potions Master has had a run in with either Peeves or his own temper. The classroom is in shambles, but he's clearing it up already."
"Thank you, kind Sir," said Ari, attempting a clumsy curtsy. But the ghost seemed pleased with her and mostly with himself and drifted away, smiling.
Ari pulled Harry away from the door.
"Let's get the hell out of here before he checks the hall."
"You made him mad? You actually made him mad?"
Ari nodded. She was however uncertain whether Snape's violent display of emotion behind closed doors was a very bad, or perhaps a very good thing.
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My apologies for letting you all wait for this chapter- There was a writers-block fairy that had taken residence in my computer, but I finally managed to chuck it out. It made it very hard for me to write this chapter. Why? I don't know- Don't understand much of fairies.
And thank you, thank you, big hugs and THANK YOU, to everybody who has reviewed this fic and is still with it.
267 reviews!!!!! Oh my gosh!
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Hi Miracle. It seems to me the Bloody Baron is trying to help Snape. But why would he do a thing like that? I am trying for a more personal touch than merely support to the current head of Slytherin. And Ari is picking up on that.
Once upon a time, way back when in the late fifties of the last century until early 1970, there were four really cool guys who formed a group called The Beatles and who wrote major pop-history. Music today would not be what it is if it had not been for them (Yes, I'm a fan. How on earth did you guess?). Eleanor Rigby is the title of a very beautiful melancholy song about a very lonely woman, who nobody notices and who nobody misses after she's died. She faced the world with a mask and allowed nobody near.
Thanks for your kind words to -both- my stories!
Xara, my dictionary is of the opinion -both- armor and armour are correct. Perhaps this is some UK English versus USA English thing. Thoughts, anyone? An by the way, thank you for your suggestion. I always try to improve on my English and remarks like this -are- welcome.
Lina Inverse the Dramata, thank your mum for me and give her a hug, 'kay? Child of mine is a lovely story, but could you do me a small favour? Explain to me what -is- the difference between the 'normal' section and the 'author fics' section? To me, that is like the great mystery of FF.net. And -post- that fic about Dumbledore's niece! Is she a squib? And me giving up? Ha! No way. Sev & Ari would never forgive me- Voldie just might.
Ozma, way to go with the Filch series! You've got me on edge in that darn corridor- And the ending of The Squib and the Death Eaters was truly marvellous! Perfect ending to a wonderful story! And you've just earned yourself some friendly purrs from my tomcat Ricky for the description and behaviour of your Mrs. Norris.
Thanks golden lotus (and here you are, love), Lunarmouse (forgetting? You should see my utterly thumbed and ruined copies of the canon 4, just to get one more little detail out of them to stun you all with my in-depth knowledge! Ha! Am I ranting? Yes, I'm afraid so. Sorry 'bout that. grin), Aliera, you are very kind, Susie (if one only could, sigh. Thanks!), Anna, Bellemaine Chercoeur (humble bow to so much praise- and I like your Labyrinth fics), Nansi Alexander (if you normally stay away from OFC, then yours is a great compliment indeed!) Mae Noelle (thanks, thanks and THANKS), Elspeth (perfect teacher indeed!), Lataradk (I'm trying to collect all the vids and DVDs I can get- ever seen Galaxy quest? Hilarious! Rickman in Rubber! Down girls- it was on his head- his HEAD, I tell you, like Spock's ears! Cheech!), Sophie W. (__________________), slytherin girl (those reviews- gosh, it is really amazing- I think I take some of the schoolyard bullies from my old school as models for -some- of the Slytherins, that should make them 'real'), Arya (again, humble bow to such wonderful comments), An Owl (sorry for keeping you waiting), Piri Malfoy (I'm getting there.), Sianna (I know! Swoon), kiriki Himura, Kristin (yes- I just hope I finish this story -before- book 5 is out, grin), Rosmerta (my hopes are with yours), Crimsonthorne (didn't mean to sound stingy, sorry for that. And please, if you find a spelling error, let me know where), Juniper Holly, Ryven, Belle Starr, CRS (again, apologies for making you wait), Strega Bava (You used THE LINE, yes! And it was wonderfull!), Ryoko, iejasu (it will get worse- or better, as you prefer (grin)) and bluemeanies!
Own the © on Severus and his mates
I do not own, I gather no riches
I'm merely toying with their fates
Andolyn
Settling in
Tall walls of ancient stone. Memories and secrets, of both the living and the dead. Beloved ones, proudly striding out of the doubled doors of the Great Hall to conquer their world, and ride the crest of the waves to ultimate happiness.
And yet, those doors also delivered up the spiteful, the resentful, the power hungry slithering towards the dark, casting their shadow towards the future, spoiling the kind, the good.
Pictures- thousands of them. All the Seventh Year graduates. Moving photographs and paintings of long forgotten youths who had turned into long forgotten adults. They lined the walls of the Trophy Room and if you yelled a year or a name, a frame would sprout wings and come to your hand. It was Sirius who, while smacking his forehead with a flat palm for the stupidity of never having told Harry, explained the boy he would be able to find one picture more of his parents. One day, Hagrid would contact all the old friends of Harry's parents and ask them for doubles of the pictures the boy had lost in the burning of the Dursley house. But for now, if he needed to see their faces, he could call upon that old picture and have -something- at least.
Together with Ari, who just had to see this miracle, Harry went there. With revulsion he pointed out a plaque in honour of a certain T. M. Riddle, an award for special services to the school some fifty years ago.
"So what did that boy do?"
"Oh, nothing much. Just got Hagrid expelled to cover up for what he did himself. You see, this 'Riddle' is was Parselmouth who opened the chamber of Secrets and set a Basilisk loose on the students- It killed Myrtle- Ill introduce her to you later."
Ari felt as if her eyes had taken about the size of Wedgwood saucers. Harry grinned and only added to Ari's confusion with the remark "And then he went away and became Lord Voldemort."
Ari sighed. "Nice, lovable boy, I presume. Trust you will explain the context to me, someday?"
Harry nodded. "I will- But what I do not understand is why the Headmaster allows this plaque to remain here." Harry gave a snort. "Honestly, I think it's an insult to Hagrid- and 'Tom' certainly did nothing to deserve any kind of honour."
"Perhaps," Ari answered, "it is a good thing that the ones who know remember just that. And that one can be mistaken in others, sometimes?"
Harry shrugged. "Well, I just think it isn't fair."
The boy abruptly turned away and suddenly cried out his father's name. From the far right some rustling was heard and the wall let go of a single frame. Straight as an arrow it came for Harry's head, and only a second away from breaking his nose it came to a dead stop. Ari had taken a sharp breath and had nearly pulled him out of harms way, but Harry merely calmly plucked the thing out of the air and studied it with a frantic interest. Then he smiled.
"Look- that is my dad! And he is holding my mum!"
A young couple smiled up at Ari, and they waved at her. Only a few years older than Harry, posing on the field in front of Hogwarts. A handsome couple, the young man the spitting image of Harry with his lanky frame, unruly dark locks and glasses. The girl a beautiful redhead with Harry's emerald eyes. Happy people both, untouched by the melancholy that perpetually surrounded their son.
Ari however, saw more. There were about sixty youngsters in the frame, more or less equally separated by their house badges. Gold and crimson for Gryffindor, as she by now had learned. Black and yellow for Hufflepuff, blue and copper for Ravenclaw. Green and silver for Slytherin. All houses huddled more or less together to be able to fit in the frame- but somehow the cool and aloof Slytherins were not quite a part of the whole.
"That is Sirius," Harry pointed. "And that one is Remus."
"And the little one who tries to stand in between them?"
"Peter Pettigrew." Harry told her, lip twisting with disgust.
"You don't like him? He seems a good friend to Sirius and Remus."
"He did seem that, yes. But he betrayed all of them- my parents have died because of him!" Harry spat. "Voldemort has returned because of him!"
The little Peter looked upset with Harry's words and pointed at himself with questioning eyes, as if to say 'Me? Come of it- I would never!' Sirius and Remus frowned up at Harry and moved around Peter protectively. Some of the Slytherins looked at Pettigrew with either reluctant respect, other were apparently muttering about a certain persons return as if they could not believe that fore mentioned person would be ever wiped away from their world in the first place. Most of them however behaved like the Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff graduates, confused.
Except for one. One black eyed, black hared tall young man, with a large nose, a pale countenance and an elegant stance. Not a handsome person, with an unbecoming, calculating expression on his features, his mouth slightly pouting and one slender finger tapping his lips. Ari smiled, for she remembered the gesture on the adult, real version. This boy, standing in pale moonlight with his fellow Slytherins while the others seemed to bask in the sun that summer's afternoon the picture was taken, was undoubtedly the teenage version of the Potions Master Severus Snape. In this picture he seemed a little less pale, a little less on edge. And the eyes were glittering in confusion and deep thought.
Ari's fingers itched to touch that closed face, to stroke the pensive figure, but with Harry's eyes upon her, somehow she dared not. One of the other Slytherins however, one with a rather pointed face, was somewhat more observant than Harry and suddenly elbowed Snape in the side, pointing up at Ari. The black eyes turned to her and caught Ari's for a moment. An ugly flush spread over the pale cheeks and he turned away quickly, eyes downcast, almost shy.
Harry had not noticed, captivated as he was by the waving, smiling figures of his teenage parents. But with a heavy sigh, he wrenched himself from their faces.
"You know," he said somewhat strained and with over bright eyes, "there really is a lot to see here- Why won't we go out to the Quidditch stadium- Bet you never saw a wizard fly on a broomstick."
Ari chuckled and gave in. Both she and the framed young Snape threw each other a brief glance before the picture flew back to the wall.
Outside, Harry and Ari met up with Lupin, Black and Fang. Hagrid had left for France and other places he was not to mention. He seemed to have some unfinished business there, and had left blushing furiously while mildly teased by Black. The Animagus found himself using a lot less mild words when he found out Lupin had promised Hagrid to take care of Fang. Hagrid had insisted his boarhound needed a pal, and well, enter Snuffles.
In size, Hagrid's black boarhound and Snuffles were about each other's match. But Fang turned out to be a lot more playful and seemed to enjoy chasing Black, and engaging him in mock fights that would probably land a somewhat worse for wear Animagus in Madam Pomfrey's ward a lot over the summer, with scratches and bite marks.
When Ari met Fang the previous day, she was violently reminded of all the reasons why she was a cat person. The boarhound jumped up at her and planted his front paws firmly on her shoulders. For a second they were nose to nose- then Ari keeled over backwards for the animal was far to heavy for her. Fang did not seem to mind and started licking her glasses from her face. It took both Lupin and Black to free her, a long hot shower to get all the drool out of her hair and a teacup of Mrs. Scower's Magical Mess Remover to clean up her glasses.
On one of the school brooms Harry showed Ari the task of the Seeker, and finally she began to get some grasp on what it had to be like to be a true wizard. Swooping round, high in the air, daring loopings at dazzling speeds, blazing past the high stands proudly flagging all the house colours, swooping past the golden goalposts, the young athlete truly was in his element. And while Ari stared, standing in the middle of the pitch looking up, a gentle voice behind her softly said 'bravo Harry', followed by a darkly warning deep bark. Lupin was craning his neck and squinting his eyes against the too clear sky. Snuffles flopped down on his belly, head on his paws and apparently not quite happy with Harry's shenanigans. The werewolf smiled affectionately down on the moping dog. Fang busied himself with ruining the pitch by digging holes in it.
"He's just worried about Harry, you know."
Ari nodded. The black dog's eyes followed the gracefully dancing crimson spot that was Harry with that almost sad loyal look dogs can have while staring up at their masters. And for a moment, fleeting and with a melancholic edge, Lupin stared at the back of the rowdy beast with almost the same forlorn gaze.
Ari turned away from the two, hugging herself. The sky was bright, the surrounding colours cheery, but there was such a sense of sad foreboding hanging over the pitch she could not help but shiver. Up there was the Boy-Who-Could-Never-Be-Just-A-Kid, watched by a woman in probably the worst Fish-Out-Of-The-Water situation imaginable, caring deeply for somebody who was acting on an almost Pain-Of-Death order not to show any feelings except for the more despicable ones. Accompanied by two, for lack of words 'people', who also had to play elaborate roles, kind teacher, nice doggie, instead of being allowed to deal with whatever was unspoken between them. Did Black even realise the way he was regarded by Lupin? The way the Animagus was wagging his tail at Ari indicated he was not, but Ari vanished from Black's consciousness the moment Harry seemed to be in any kind of danger. Not that she for an instant believed the Animagus' intentions towards the boy were dishonourable- Overprotective, yes, quite. But not dishonourable. If Harry had been his own child, Black could not have loved him more.
"Oh what a tangled web we weave," Ari muttered under her breath, earning her a mildly surprised stare from Lupin, and no reaction at all from Snuffles.
And Harry? Harry innocently touched down gracefully, complaining about the sluggishness of the school broom, blushing with shame explaining to the dog he -really- had no time to have saved his own. Snuffles merely wagged his tail and begged his doggy beg to be patted, clearly forgiving Harry for something. Lupin filled in the blanks.
"That broom was a gift from Sirius. First one he was ever able to give Harry."
Ari's brows formed a nice bow on her forehead. Both Harry and Lupin exchanged a glance with Black for some kind of confirmation and the dog gave a very undoggish nod.
"Sirius has spent most of Harry's life in prison for a crime he did not commit. He broke out of jail and is still on the run."
"What explains for your almost constant disguise outside the castle." Ari understood.
All three nodded. It was a very silly sight to see a dog bob his head like that. It also explained Blacks stern 'For truth' during The Gathering.
Harry pulled at Ari's sleeve, for there was a lot more he wanted to show her.
"Come on, I'll show you my dorm- and Myrtle!"
And the library and the hospital wing, the staff room, the owlery where they stayed quite a while, and various classrooms- All the way down to the dungeons.
"We have potions over there." Harry pointed at a heavy looking Gothic oak door.
"Really? Here, in a dungeon?" Ari asked, moving towards the door, ready to open and peek.
"Don't bother. Snape always keeps the door-" Ari didn't listen and pushed, the door screeched and went wide without resistance. "locked?"
Ari noticed Harry followed rather hesitantly into the snakes' lair. Inside, Ari understood his surprise. Apart from the medieval makeup all the classrooms seemed to have, this dreary place had the added bonus of a variety of cupboards crammed with jars, vials, boxes and a few cages. Dead and slimy things stared at Ari from over their labels, the scents of herbs, powders and dead fires filled her nose.
"Who decorated this place? Frankenstein?"
Ari thought of the classroom Filch had given her. Spacious, facing south, with large plain windows and a Headmasters' carte blanche to redecorate. The grey walls were plastered white, cupboards were stuffed with both Muggle and Wizards paint, paper and brushes.
Something in one of the cages squealed. Ari did not want to know what it was, and even less what it was used for. Through one high window, somewhere on ground level, one tight ray of sunlight affronted the gloom and dust particles danced merrily within this solitary touch of summer.
"You actually get taught here? This is a classroom? Seriously?"
That this was -his- classroom?
"Well, yes, I mean, I think it has to do something with the keeping qualities of a lot of the ingredients of the potions. That -or- it's because Snape's just such a cruel bastard. They used to torture people down here, you know. The place must appeal to him."
"Severe Severus Snape. I can hardly imagine any of your teachers truly sporting a death wish towards any of the students."
"You never met Quirrell."
"Who?"
"Or Lockhart."
"You know, Harry, we really should sit down at some point so you could tell me more about al those -fascinating- titbits you keep throwing into my face-"
Harry grinned as widely as Ari did.
"But," said the boy, "there isn't much Snape hasn't been accused of doing over the last four years, save for washing his hair, that is. I mean- I know he's one of the light- but he really has done his best to make everybody think he was not. And I -know- that was exactly his -job-, being a spy and all- I just wish he would not have to be such a god damned -git- during classes. There is very little I think he would not do to make the lives of the Gryffindors more miserable! He probably left the door open, just to be able to accuse me of stealing anything."
Ari looked around the classroom; the old-fashioned benches- the door to the storeroom in the back that stood slightly ajar- Ari chuckled softly.
"O- I can imagine quite a few things your Professor Snape would -never- do or say."
Harry grunted. "Like what."
There really was no love lost between student and teacher.
Ari shrugged. "Yell, 'ouch, I've got a paper cut?'"
"We use parchment, not paper. So, yes, there's a fair chance he won't ever say a thing like that." Harry chuckled. "Try, 'Gosh, I've melted my cauldron.' Or, 'Good work, Mr. Potter.' "
"Now, that does sound a bit bitter."
"Well, how would -you- feel if you've got a teacher who tries to put you down -every- opportunity he gets! Or -makes- the opportunity if he doesn't get them." Harry hopped up on one of the desks, his legs dangling a bit. He was quite small for his age.
"He has saved your life."
"I know- More than once, actually. The man just pisses me off, you know. He's just not fair! 'Ten points from Slytherin!'"
"What?"
"Something else he won't say! Always plays favourite with his own house. I hate that."
Silence. But was it Ari's imagination or had the crack to the storeroom grown just that tiny bit wider? No sense of humour about his appearances- What did they say about those Slytherins? Any means to further an end? Exploiters of every weakness they could find? Ari thought she really would have to try that sorting hat sometime.
"Wear pink bunny slippers!" she declared out loud.
Harry stared.
"Things he won't do, probably. Wear pink bunny slippers. Fluffy ones."
Harry's face split with a grin. "Definitely not his colour. Speaking of Fluffy- play get-the-stick with Sirius."
"Oh, I'd love to see that one. Ask Professor Flitwick for any more advise on how to dress as a Muggle- I think we won't see him in a bowtie for a while."
Harry grinned evilly. "Ask Professor McGonagall on a date!"
"Harry! I didn't need -that- mental image! How about this one. Wear a plaid robe?"
"To go with the bunny slippers?"
"And a sombrero for a hat."
"And a crimson handbag!"
The door to the storeroom cracked open wide.
"Would you two mind!"
Harry paled and hopped of the desk. Ari just turned.
"Thought you were in there. Wondered what it would take to pry you out. Oh, and Harry- another thing your professor probably won't do- leave his stores unguarded behind open doors."
Snape was leaning against the doorframe, his lips a very thin line and the eyes glittering dangerously at Harry.
"Some of us have to -prepare- for the upcoming trimester. Potter- Out!"
Harry turned to leave rather quickly, but Ari stopped him.
"Hang on a minute- Harry was just showing me-"
"Young -Mister- Potter here was merely showing off, as usual. Could I have a word with you, Miss, Philpot? In private, please."
Ari narrowed her eyes and let go of the boy.
"Go on Harry- I'll be out in a minute."
Harry nodded, threw a foul look at Snape who answered with a sneer. The boy closed the door behind him with an angry bang.
Snape turned swiftly to Ari, towering over her from behind his teacher's desk.
"And what the devil do you think you are up to -now-, Miss Philpot!"
Ari smiled sweetly. "Oh, just trying to find out what it would take to get a rise out of you."
Perhaps she was picking up some good habits from Black. Take that for a double entendre, you cold lizard, ha! Snape only narrowed his eyes at her.
"I will not, Madame, allow you to undermine my position with my students! Pranks such as the one you just pulled are serious hazard to what little discipline those children have. If I am to get anything into those sluggish little minds of theirs, I need their utmost respect and obedience- Not have them sniggering at me from behind their cauldrons!"
"Touchy, aren't we? If you find their minds so sluggish, a change of scenery might help- This dusty old place can hardly be of benefit to their concentration."
With a soft swish of the robes and a fluent movement that had very little to do with walking, Hogwarts proud Potions Master drew near.
"Since you seem to have very little awareness still, on how things are run here, I would offer you the friendly advise not to interfere or criticise the methods applied by any teacher of this school. In return, I for one am but too happy to pay you the same courtesy and not interfere with you."
Ari leaned a little backwards and sat on the edge of the desk Harry had just vacated, her legs stretched out in front of her, crossed at the ankles. As if unaware of Snape's thinly veiled impatience, she took off her glasses and started to polish them with the hem of her sleeve.
"Still, every time you and I get into a discussion about students, you complain."
Snape crossed his arms defensively, hands slipping inside the opposite sleeve.
"I do not complain, I merely am realistic in my expectations of the usual dunderheads I come across."
"So you're prejudiced."
"I am not!"
"Yes, you are."
"No, I am-" Snape caught himself, pulled his shoulders back and sighed. "Madam, is there any point in your presence here- besides the satisfaction of your curiosity that is?"
Ari put her glasses back on her nose and looked up at Snape's stony face.
"You can do it you know. I know that for a fact, I have seen it."
She stood. She had to either walk past Snape to get to the door, or walk awkwardly around the low desks of the students. Snape rose to the bait, but did not step aside.
"What?" he drawled.
"Smile, Severus. Just smile. It would be nice, to see a smile on your face, once in a while."
The face remained cold and mask like- yet something did change in the soulless depths behind the mask. Snape slowly shook his head.
"It would ruin my reputation."
Ari was caught within those eyes, a sparrow hypnotized by a viper, helpless. Her mouth went dry and she knew she was staring at the man like some idiot schoolgirl. He didn't move, did the bastard even realise what he was doing to her? Ari swallowed hard to get rid of the lump in her throat- She had to move- had to get out of this oppressive classroom- this man made cave- hideout! Was this underground hidden place Snape's hideout- his place away from the world?
Ari broke eye contact- it almost physically hurt her to do so. Swiftly she moved around the low benches and desks to leave as requested- she had one parting shot left, but she could not bring herself to look Snape in the eye while delivering it. With her hand on the door handle, desperate to see Snape's reaction, but unable to turn, she said: "Oh- and by the way, before I forget to mention it again- Thank you for carrying me up to my bed, that evening when we did that circle thing- That was- real kind of you."
She opened the door and escaped.
Ari found Harry in a now positively arctic corridor, talking to a cheerful ghost in a ruff and a big hat, who Ari recognised as Nearly Headless Nick, Harry's House Ghost. People went a little overboard with this house division thing, for Ari's taste, if even the dead ones still thought it of value.
"How did it go- did he chew you out?" Harry asked with wide eyes and a bit nervously. The boy behaved as if she were a classmate who had just received a reprimand from the big old nasty teacher.
"Well, I-" Ari started. But the sound of violently broken glass interrupted her from behind the doors, together with the loud bang of crashing furniture. Harry jumped up to race past Ari, back to see if something had happened to Snape. But Ari stopped him.
"Wait! Sir Nicholas- could you have a peek without Snape noticing? Please?"
The ghost gave a chivalrous bow, took of his hat with one hand and held his head in place with the other.
"Certainly, Milady." he said, and disappeared from the waist up through the wall, only to pull back hastily.
"Seems the good Potions Master has had a run in with either Peeves or his own temper. The classroom is in shambles, but he's clearing it up already."
"Thank you, kind Sir," said Ari, attempting a clumsy curtsy. But the ghost seemed pleased with her and mostly with himself and drifted away, smiling.
Ari pulled Harry away from the door.
"Let's get the hell out of here before he checks the hall."
"You made him mad? You actually made him mad?"
Ari nodded. She was however uncertain whether Snape's violent display of emotion behind closed doors was a very bad, or perhaps a very good thing.
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My apologies for letting you all wait for this chapter- There was a writers-block fairy that had taken residence in my computer, but I finally managed to chuck it out. It made it very hard for me to write this chapter. Why? I don't know- Don't understand much of fairies.
And thank you, thank you, big hugs and THANK YOU, to everybody who has reviewed this fic and is still with it.
267 reviews!!!!! Oh my gosh!
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Hi Miracle. It seems to me the Bloody Baron is trying to help Snape. But why would he do a thing like that? I am trying for a more personal touch than merely support to the current head of Slytherin. And Ari is picking up on that.
Once upon a time, way back when in the late fifties of the last century until early 1970, there were four really cool guys who formed a group called The Beatles and who wrote major pop-history. Music today would not be what it is if it had not been for them (Yes, I'm a fan. How on earth did you guess?). Eleanor Rigby is the title of a very beautiful melancholy song about a very lonely woman, who nobody notices and who nobody misses after she's died. She faced the world with a mask and allowed nobody near.
Thanks for your kind words to -both- my stories!
Xara, my dictionary is of the opinion -both- armor and armour are correct. Perhaps this is some UK English versus USA English thing. Thoughts, anyone? An by the way, thank you for your suggestion. I always try to improve on my English and remarks like this -are- welcome.
Lina Inverse the Dramata, thank your mum for me and give her a hug, 'kay? Child of mine is a lovely story, but could you do me a small favour? Explain to me what -is- the difference between the 'normal' section and the 'author fics' section? To me, that is like the great mystery of FF.net. And -post- that fic about Dumbledore's niece! Is she a squib? And me giving up? Ha! No way. Sev & Ari would never forgive me- Voldie just might.
Ozma, way to go with the Filch series! You've got me on edge in that darn corridor- And the ending of The Squib and the Death Eaters was truly marvellous! Perfect ending to a wonderful story! And you've just earned yourself some friendly purrs from my tomcat Ricky for the description and behaviour of your Mrs. Norris.
Thanks golden lotus (and here you are, love), Lunarmouse (forgetting? You should see my utterly thumbed and ruined copies of the canon 4, just to get one more little detail out of them to stun you all with my in-depth knowledge! Ha! Am I ranting? Yes, I'm afraid so. Sorry 'bout that. grin), Aliera, you are very kind, Susie (if one only could, sigh. Thanks!), Anna, Bellemaine Chercoeur (humble bow to so much praise- and I like your Labyrinth fics), Nansi Alexander (if you normally stay away from OFC, then yours is a great compliment indeed!) Mae Noelle (thanks, thanks and THANKS), Elspeth (perfect teacher indeed!), Lataradk (I'm trying to collect all the vids and DVDs I can get- ever seen Galaxy quest? Hilarious! Rickman in Rubber! Down girls- it was on his head- his HEAD, I tell you, like Spock's ears! Cheech!), Sophie W. (__________________), slytherin girl (those reviews- gosh, it is really amazing- I think I take some of the schoolyard bullies from my old school as models for -some- of the Slytherins, that should make them 'real'), Arya (again, humble bow to such wonderful comments), An Owl (sorry for keeping you waiting), Piri Malfoy (I'm getting there.), Sianna (I know! Swoon), kiriki Himura, Kristin (yes- I just hope I finish this story -before- book 5 is out, grin), Rosmerta (my hopes are with yours), Crimsonthorne (didn't mean to sound stingy, sorry for that. And please, if you find a spelling error, let me know where), Juniper Holly, Ryven, Belle Starr, CRS (again, apologies for making you wait), Strega Bava (You used THE LINE, yes! And it was wonderfull!), Ryoko, iejasu (it will get worse- or better, as you prefer (grin)) and bluemeanies!