15. Black Mood
Evangeline entered Snape's classroom and looked around. All was quiet. The potion was simmering away, looking thicker and clearer all the time. All the breakables looked like they were in place, untouched. She frowned in puzzlement. Okay. No explosions here. A bit confused, she went down the hall to Snape's quarters and listened at the door…silence. She bit her lip. Should she knock? After a short internal debate, she decided to chance it, but just as she was raising her hand to the panel, she heard a faint crash from behind her. Swiftly she spun around. Nothing. Silence. Then she heard it again and realization hit. With a small smile of understanding, she headed down the hall and down the stairs to the bowling alley.
Sure enough, she stepped inside just in time to see Snape fling the ball with savage ferocity, and to hear it hit with a satisfying crash, as the pins went flying. Wow, she thought. He's racking up quite a score! I guess he learned this game just in time. Slowly she wandered over and took a seat near him just in time for another crash.
"Oh, I'm afraid you missed Lupin that time, Severus, but you got Black really well," she said, with a compassionate smile on her face.
He snorted and picked up the ball again. "I'll try to pick off Lupin this time around," he snarled.
Evangeline sat there in silence for a while watching him work off his frustrations. As he finished the game, he came over and sat near her. He was breathing rather hard, but he seemed to be calmer. "I was very proud of your self control at dinner. You certainly kept your promise to Dumbledore. I think Sirius Black was a little disappointed," she said with a small smile.
He sighed and slumped down in his seat, steepling his hands in front of him. "Yes, I imagine he was. There's nothing that Black likes better than to get me upset."
She nodded. "Well, then not getting upset is definitely the right way to go. It must drive Black crazy."
"We can only hope," said Snape with more than a trace of bitterness.
Evangeline sighed. "I really do wish I understood where all of this anger and animosity is coming from, Severus."
Now it was his turn to sigh. "It all goes back to when we were students, and all the horrors that school boys can inflict on one another. The wounds are very old and very deep." He looked down at the ground. "I really don't care to discuss it anymore at the moment." The finality of his tone seemed to put an end to the subject quite decisively.
Evangeline stared at him sadly, not knowing quite what to say. She wanted to comfort him, but she didn't have the faintest idea how to go about it. So they sat there in silence for a while. Then Severus got up and retrieved his ball to begin another game. He gave her a sidelong glance. "What did you think of the legendary Black charm? Most women seem to find him irresistible."
With a snort of amusement, she looked up at him with a wry grin. "Oh, is that what you call it? Most of that "charm" was aimed squarely at you, Severus. I was only a means to an end. I think I find Mr. Sirius Black to be eminently resistible." She thought she saw a small smile creep across his features at that, but it was gone so fast that she couldn't be sure.
"There is one other thing that really puzzles me, Severus," she admitted as she stood to leave.
"Oh, what's that, Evangeline?" He looked at her questioningly.
"Why were you all referring to Black as Lupin's dog?"
At this Snape did smile, although it wasn't a particularly pleasant smile. "Sirius Black is an unregistered animagus. He can transfigure himself into a large black dog. It's how he escaped from Azkaban. By remaining a dog for most of the time, he's managed to elude his pursuers so far. He passes himself off as Lupin's pet. It is the only redeeming part of this whole intolerable situation."
"Ah, well, thank you for enlightening me on that point. I think I'll head up to bed, and let you get on with your therapy. Good night, Severus." She patted his arm companionably as she passed him on the way to the door.
"Good night, Evangeline," he replied softly. She headed up the stairs to the sound of pins with little Sirius Black faces on them falling in exuberant crashes.