OK, first of all, SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I feel
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO bad for not updating for so long. The worst thing is,
even once I managed to get some time, I got bloody WRITER"S
BLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am
soooooooooo sorry for this, what's it been, a month? I will try my very
hardest to go back to one chapter/ week, but basketball starts on Monday,
and that 's 2 hours/ day, 6 days / week, so as you can see I'm a bit
crunched for time. at least I'm not doing indoor soccer (football).
And I'm sorry if this is crap, writer's block makes things difficult, it was only tonight that I managed to start writing ok again, maybe because I finally figured out a little of what I'm going to do in the spring. let me know if there are any blatantly obviously things I should fix. : )
Another thing- yes, you were all right- was it that obvious? She runs into Snapey. um. yeah.
I am thinking about changing the title of this story, but I don't know what to change it to. Sasina (Sass for short) doesn't really fit, especially with the latest part of the story. So if you have a good idea for a new name, let me know in a review, ok? Cool.
Also- Tigress of the Night is starting a story that runs concurrent to this one (aka has Sass in it) called She Who Is Lost, the main character is perdita, introduced in this chapter. If you want to know more about her, go read Tigress' story. Not a M-S, whatever she says.
Has anyone ever noticed that the shortening of Mary-Sue is Martha Stuart's initials? Hint, hint. sorry if anyone out there likes Martha Stuart.
Everyone go read the Mirror of Maybe by Midnight Blue, unless you have a BIG problem w/ Harry/Snape slash, but I must say it's the best one I have ever read, so go read it, ok?
Sasina (Sass for short) Chapter 14- Darkness in Hope
She recoiled from Snape as if his robes contained deadly poison, but straightened up as soon as she was away, not wanting to show her fear.
"Miss Celeborn," he said curtly. "Ten points for your clumsiness. Do not repeat this mistake."
"/Damn you/!" she shouted, her walls bursting. "I don't care /how/ many points you take from Gryffindor, don't you get it? They /hate me/! Remember? I'm friends with /you/! Or I /was/! And now you've gone and turned, just like everyone else, and I don't have /anyone/! And you- you hit me- just leave me alone! /Why/ do you hate me so much? I /never did anything/! No one else ever needed a reason, but you're usually so damned /logical/! I didn't /do anything/, /do you understand/? I hate you-" Sass turned and fled, unable to keep the tears from falling anymore. She didn't realize until she got there that she had automatically run to Snape's office. Sass closed her eyes for a moment, then turned away. She would never again be able to confide in him, talk to him, take comfort in his gentle strength. Remus was kind, and he genuinely cared for her, but no one except Sev- Snape now- could ever understand her, because of her past.
Sass slowly walked back to the Gryffindor common room, unable to care what happened to her now. When Jessica tripped her on the stairs, all she did was wait to stop falling, then pick herself up and start up again. The other girl seemed to find this hysterically funny, and repeated herself. Once again, Sass fell down, and stood up. By the third time, she had an audience. But what did it matter, anyway? They were going to laugh at her anyway. She didn't notice the concern in Hermione's eyes, or the shock in Sandra's, at her total change in character.
Finally, she didn't get up. A sudden hush came over the spectators, as they realized the amount of trouble they were going to get in. Someone prodded Sass with their toe. She let out a low moan, but did not move. All of a sudden, the Gryffindor common room was practically deserted.
* * * * *
Hermione looked around, not sure what to do. On one hand, she definitely didn't want to get the blame for this. However, Sass didn't look too good, the third year was fairly certain that she needed to get to the Hospital Wing soon. She was distracted by loud voices out in the hall, one of which she was fairly certain belonged to Ron. Dilemna solved, at least partly, she quickly put her book down and went to see what was wrong.
She found Ron screaming at the transfer third-year, a creepy girl named Perdita. "What do you care anyway?" the naturally blue-haired, red-eyed girl shouted. "It's none of your bloody business who my father is! Or even my mother! You just want to help spread rumors about me, as if there aren't enough already! So just screw off, alright? Leave. Me. Alone." Then the short girl swept past both Ron and Hermione and went through the portrait hole.
Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and started dragging him down the hall. "What are you doing, Hermione?" he said, trying to shake her off.
"Trust me Ron, when that girl finds out who's in the common room, she's gonna be /really/, /really/ pissed. And guess who she's /already/ eager to take something out on?" Ron paled and started moving on his own, but was curious about what was going to make Perdita so mad.
"Who /is/ she going to find in the common room?" he asked.
Hermione briefly explained what Sass had done, and he looked confused. "But that's not like her at all! I mean, usually she just blasts out a little curse and goes on her merry way. What happened to her that she's all of a sudden so- dead?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know Ron, I really don't. But why were you arguing with that girl? It's probably dangerous, you know." Which led Ron off into a long discussion of a hint about who the mysterious girl's father was, and they both forgot about the two girls who were even now talking.
* * * * *
Sass felt a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her out of the still black pool she had fallen into. She slowly opened her eyes to a pair of red ones, framed by dark blue hair. "What- who- oh, hello Perdita," she said, still not sure what was going on. Then she remembered, and saw the other's confusion as her accustomed mask slipped on.
"Um- Sass? What in the /hell/ did they do to you? I mean-" the former Durmstrang student gestured to Sass' dirty and ripped robes. When Sass gave no reply, the older girl sighed, a moment of hurt showing in her eyes before she continued. "OK, look, I understand if you don't trust me. I'm not going to curse you or anything, I'm just going to take you to the Hospital Wing. Is that alright?"
Sass wanted to explain, but couldn't be bothered to care. So she simply nodded. Perdita lifted her up and started down to the Hospital Wing. Sass was a little surprised at this, as the third year wasn't much taller than she, /but then again/, Sass thought, /I carried Se- Snape all the way to his office the one time/. At some point, She must have fallen asleep, because her next memories were confused and anxious, pictures of murder, darkness, and all through it, a dark figure with glowing red eyes. /She is lost./ a voice echoed through Sass' mind. /You must find your way with her. for you are similar in more ways than you think. do you not see/? Suddenly she saw flashes of someone else, an old woman, drinking something red- /oh god, that's blood./ Sass thought. And then suddenly, it all disappeared.
* * * * *
The next time Sass awoke, she was lying in the Hospital Wing. She slowly rolled over and found herself staring into Perdita's dark red eyes. "Er, hello," she said nervously. /How do you thank someone for something you aren't sure you wanted them to do? God, I'm not a people person./
"Hello," the older girl said uncertainly. "Um, Madam Pomfrey wanted me to tell you that fortunately, nothing was broken. You're going to be in here overnight, though, because the bruising is pretty bad. I- I told her you had an accident on the stairs- which is true enough- don't worry, she's not in here now," Perdita added as Sass started to protest the indiscretion. "But I want to know the /truth/. What happened to you? You owe me some sort of explanation; call it favor for favor if you will. So fess up."
Sass stared into those red eyes for a long moment, then threw caution to the winds. After all, hadn't she just proved that she didn't care what the other Gryffindors did to her?
"I guess it started when I was born," Sass said, "but it's a long story, so be patient. About fifteen years ago on Halloween, Vold- You-Know-Who attacked a hospital in London." She noticed that the other girl didn't even bat an eye at the use of Voldemort's name. /Is every person who says his name at Hogwarts/? she wondered. "He killed everyone then used the death-energy to cast a spell cursing every baby delivered in that hospital on October 31, between sunset and midnight, to be orphaned within six months. I was delivered in that room three years later at eleven fifty-two PM. Naturally, my parents died shortly, and I was put in an orphanage." She noticed Perdita's eyebrows fly up at that. "What?"
"I'm an orphan too," the third year said quietly. "I'm really sorry about your parents."
Sass inclined her head as she sat up. "As I am for yours. Anyway, I had a bad time of it at the orphanage- my 'guardian' was a sadistic bastard who I sincerely hope gets what he gave to me." Sass sighed. "Not that I should feel that way. In any case, one of my teachers there was a man named Samuel Snapel. He actually thought of me as a person, and not another trophy on his wall. But he had to leave, and so life sucked. Then I got adopted last summer, got my letter, and came here. Turns out, Samuel Snapel is none other then our resident Potions Master, Severus Snape. We were good friends," and here Sass had to swallow hard before continuing, "but he hates me now. God- I don't know why! I never did anything to him, and I know life's not fair, but couldn't I have a break just this once? So I don't care what Jessica does to me. If she tries to kill me on the stairs, well, I bet not many people would notice. Dumbledore certainly wouldn't mind. And neither- would- Snape-" Saying his last name aloud seemed to finalize something for Sass. Before, she had been able to pretend- to hope that he would come around and tell her what was going on, and life would return to its proper order. But now she had admitted it- something had changed, and there was no going back to before.
Perdita turned away, allowing Sass a moment to control her tears and voice. "I- um- well, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't think there was anyone else in the school who was as bad off as me, but I guess you qualify." This elicited a wry grin from Sass. "Hey- I think this is the part where we become friends- the ex-Snape-friend and the parentless transfer-from- Durmstrang- a match made in heaven, wouldn't you say? But I-" Perdita quieted as Madam Pomfrey reentered the room.
"Shoo! Out! This young lady needs rest- you can chat another time. Now go! You should be eating, or studying, or something!" As Perdita exited, Madam Pomfrey turned to Sass. "How do you feel?"
"Horrible," said Sass, thinking of the orphanage and Snape and Jessica. "How should I feel?"
"Well, I'd say 'abysmal' is what I was thinking of, but it sounds like your right on track. Now, Miss Ridno was supposed to tell you that you'll be staying overnight, not that it matters as you're still recovering from your pneumonia- dear me, you do seem to get into trouble. Would you like something to eat? Or have you already had dinner?"
Sass thought of her stomach and practically heaved right there. "Er- no thanks, I'm fine," she said. Could you summon my book bag so I can do my homework?"
Madam Pomfrey smiled. "Certainly. /Accio bookbag/!" After a few seconds, the desired object whooshed into the room and stopped in Madam Pomfrey's hand. "Here," she said, lying it down on Sass' nightstand, "just be careful not to overstress yourself. Call me if you need anything." Then she turned and walked back into her office. Sass got to work on her Transfiguration.
* * * * *
Sirius was getting very worried. Yes, Sass had left him a note in early December, saying she was sick and would be out for a while, but it had been nearly three weeks since then, with no further contact. /I don't know all that much about her/, he admitted reluctantly, /but from what I've seen, she would /never/ let an illness keep her in bed that long, unless she was in major trouble. But there's no way I could sneak into the castle right now- everyone's on the alert for anything suspicious, because the end of the semester is close, and I 'might try something.' God- I hope nothing's happened to her. / He paced up and down in his small cave. /What if she needs me, and I'm not there? I've got to make sure she's okay. But how'll I get in? /
Sirius stopped and sat down, stood up, and started pacing again. /If I go through the tunnel at night, then wait until classes are in session to find her, then maybe./ Abruptly, he transformed into a shaggy black dog and trotted down to Hogsmeade, the nearby wizarding town that just happened to contain the exit to a certain tunnel where he and Sass usually met. /I've just got to go and risk it. The odds have been worse before, and I've come out okay- except for when they captured me- I ended up with twelve years in Azkaban, no trial, no escape. God, this is not the time to be thinking of that./
Sirius already knew how to get into the Honeydukes Candy Shop, which housed the secret tunnel. The owners had a dog themselves, and, accordingly, there was a small door-flap around back. It was a tight squeeze, even as skinny as he was, but as always, Sirius made it without problems. He crept down to the basement, nosed open a trap door, and set off towards Hogwarts. It was a long ways, and the black dog was tired when he reached the stone chute that led up into the castle. Sirius flopped down and slept soundly until morning.
* * * * *
/I wish I could find a Gryffindor causing trouble/, Severus thought. /Then I'd have someone to take this out on/. Then he shook his head. /No, that's what started the whole problem. I don't know what to think anymore- Lupin's about ready to bite my head off, but those bloody prats I overheard in the hall seem /far/ too pleased. An exceedingly cynical werewolf believes her, and she was certainly genuine the other day when she screamed at me. Could I have been wrong? What if the signs in the Hospital Wing were just because she was muddled, from the pneumonia- has she really been climbing the school every night? Did I have that much importance to her? And if I was wrong- what have I done?/ He bowed his head, glad no one was there to see his sorrow.
/I'll talk to her again on Thursday/, he decided. /And this time, I'll hear her out. No assumptions, no harsh words, I'll just listen. Can she forgive me though, even if I apologize? What I did- God, did I want to hurt her in the worst way possible? Kincaid hit her, I hit her, that puts me in the same category as him./
Severus was forced to turn his mind to other things as he reached a stone gargoyle that jumped aside when he said, "Rasberry chews." /Damned if I know why Albus keeps coming up with these ridiculous candy passwords/, he thought. /Of course, it is the last thing a dark wizard would think of to gain entrance./ The gargoyle jumped aside and bowed him through the entrance behind it. Severus sighed and scaled the steps to the Headmaster's office.
When he reached the upper landing, a wooden door swung open, revealing a smiling and far-too-cheerful Albus Dumbledore.
"Well?" Severus said, knowing the older man didn't mistake his sharp tone for real dislike. "What's important enough to call me away from my lunch?" He winced mentally as he realized he'd given Albus the perfect opening for his favorite game: evasion.
Albus smiled even more broadly, as if he knew what Severus was thinking. "Actually, your appetite need not wait. I ordered lunch for two, so if you would care to join me," he gestured to a table at the far end of the room, "we can eat now." Severus sighed and sat down, realizing that Albus would tell him what was going on when he felt like it and not a moment sooner. After the requisite fifteen minutes of drinking tea and choking on pleasantries, Severus finally brought the older man around to the point.
"Now, Albus, I know you didn't bring me up here to discuss Leah's latest acquisitions," he said when Albus went off on yet another side trip about some Pangora bushes the Herbology teacher had found. "What's the point?"
The Headmaster sighed. "Very well, Severus. I wanted to talk to you about vampires."
This was certainly not what the Potions Master had been expecting to hear. "What about them?" he said. "Has there been a problem with the treaty?" The International Vampiric Code, signed in 1982, put very strict limits on where, when, and how vampires could take prey. The ideal would be, of course, to not allow any bloodsucking of humans, but it was almost impossible to break the addiction once a vampire had taken its first victim. So far the Ministry'd had very little trouble enforcing it, but with vampires, you never knew what would happen next.
"No, not as such," Albus said. "A group of Muggles in America have found out about their existence. The vampires, of course, want to suck them all dry- that or change them." That referred to when a vampire turned a human into another vampire. "And I guess the American Ministry has allowed that once or twice before on a smaller scale, not technically of course. But now we're talking about oh, say, fifty people, and most of them are people who would be missed. You know why we can't just alter their memories-"
Severus grimaced. "No memory of a vampire can be erased from an adult's mind- it's too much of a shock to see a creature of the night. So what can I do about it?"
"After Christmas I want you to go over there, as the official British Representative, and look into it. Help if you can, but mostly I want to get straight information about what's going on. It's not like the vampires to be so careless as to let a human see them undisguised," said Albus. "Is that alright with you?" Severus nodded, and the Headmaster smiled. "Thank you, Severus," he said. "If I find anything else out between now and then, I'll let you know. If you're finished eating.?" Severus nodded his assent, and Albus whisked away the remains of their lunch. The two men stood up.
"Thank you for lunch," Severus said. "I'll start getting my things in order. You'll want me back by the start of the term, correct?" Albus nodded.
"Unless something pressing comes up that requires more time. Well, so long Severus, as always it was a pleasure to see you." The Headmaster shooed him out the door, and the next thing the Potions Master knew, he was back in the hallway outside the gargoyle.
"I hate it when he does that," Severus muttered as he swept down the hall to prepare for his next class.
He didn't notice the black shadow that crept out after him, shaking with relief.
* * * * *
When Sirius had made his plans to infiltrate Hogwarts, he hadn't planned on the idea that in the twenty-some years since he'd been there the schedules might have changed. Or maybe his trip was just cursed. He figured he would slip in right after lunch ended, since he knew Sass had an open period in the afternoon on Tuesdays. But as he neared the Great Hall, Sirius knew he'd been wrong. /Oh shit/- he thought as a rumble and a bell indicated that the next class started in five minutes. Fortunately, no one noticed the black dog hiding behind a suit of armor, and he was able to let the main rush past.
The first place Sirius wanted to check was the Gryffindor common room. But what if she wasn't there? If Sass were sick, she would probably be in the Hospital Wing, right? He was so preoccupied that he barely had time to duck into the shadows before Snape caught up with him. Sirius had always been a little afraid of the man, ever since that damned joke he'd played in the sixth year. When he emerged, Sirius was shaking. And then he heard the other footsteps, practically on top of him, and the female voice that said, "Who keeps a /dog/ as a pet?"
How's that as a cliffie? Ok, reviews.
Tinne- yep. Well, that's what happened.
Diety- yep. NO LOVE POTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol. sorry, no, you're not a loser, you review my story and like sass!!!! So you rock!!!!! PS I'm very sorry I said I'd get this out sooner and didn't. ::winces:: sorry.
friend from ash.- who in the monkey are you?!?!?!?! Will you PLEASE email me and say who you are? Please? I'm glad you liked, yeah, I know it was depressing, but I think I'm getting to the point where it will soon become less so. I'm also gonna get to the part where there's some more action. :D
Tigress of the Night- DUH I know who you are.I'm glad your comma key works now. Made you cry? I see. hmm.
harrypottermagic32- you were right, here it is.
friend from ash- here it is! Here it is! Lol.
Tigress- Breathe. Deeply. Count to ten. Slowly. Then do it again. And again. Now go take a sedative.and I knew you weren't friend from ash, but I do wish I knew who they were.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!!!!!!!! ITS BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS THAT I WORKED THROUGH MY WRITERS BLOCK AND GOT THIS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IF YOU AREN"T REVIEWING, PLEASE DO SO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Later.
And I'm sorry if this is crap, writer's block makes things difficult, it was only tonight that I managed to start writing ok again, maybe because I finally figured out a little of what I'm going to do in the spring. let me know if there are any blatantly obviously things I should fix. : )
Another thing- yes, you were all right- was it that obvious? She runs into Snapey. um. yeah.
I am thinking about changing the title of this story, but I don't know what to change it to. Sasina (Sass for short) doesn't really fit, especially with the latest part of the story. So if you have a good idea for a new name, let me know in a review, ok? Cool.
Also- Tigress of the Night is starting a story that runs concurrent to this one (aka has Sass in it) called She Who Is Lost, the main character is perdita, introduced in this chapter. If you want to know more about her, go read Tigress' story. Not a M-S, whatever she says.
Has anyone ever noticed that the shortening of Mary-Sue is Martha Stuart's initials? Hint, hint. sorry if anyone out there likes Martha Stuart.
Everyone go read the Mirror of Maybe by Midnight Blue, unless you have a BIG problem w/ Harry/Snape slash, but I must say it's the best one I have ever read, so go read it, ok?
Sasina (Sass for short) Chapter 14- Darkness in Hope
She recoiled from Snape as if his robes contained deadly poison, but straightened up as soon as she was away, not wanting to show her fear.
"Miss Celeborn," he said curtly. "Ten points for your clumsiness. Do not repeat this mistake."
"/Damn you/!" she shouted, her walls bursting. "I don't care /how/ many points you take from Gryffindor, don't you get it? They /hate me/! Remember? I'm friends with /you/! Or I /was/! And now you've gone and turned, just like everyone else, and I don't have /anyone/! And you- you hit me- just leave me alone! /Why/ do you hate me so much? I /never did anything/! No one else ever needed a reason, but you're usually so damned /logical/! I didn't /do anything/, /do you understand/? I hate you-" Sass turned and fled, unable to keep the tears from falling anymore. She didn't realize until she got there that she had automatically run to Snape's office. Sass closed her eyes for a moment, then turned away. She would never again be able to confide in him, talk to him, take comfort in his gentle strength. Remus was kind, and he genuinely cared for her, but no one except Sev- Snape now- could ever understand her, because of her past.
Sass slowly walked back to the Gryffindor common room, unable to care what happened to her now. When Jessica tripped her on the stairs, all she did was wait to stop falling, then pick herself up and start up again. The other girl seemed to find this hysterically funny, and repeated herself. Once again, Sass fell down, and stood up. By the third time, she had an audience. But what did it matter, anyway? They were going to laugh at her anyway. She didn't notice the concern in Hermione's eyes, or the shock in Sandra's, at her total change in character.
Finally, she didn't get up. A sudden hush came over the spectators, as they realized the amount of trouble they were going to get in. Someone prodded Sass with their toe. She let out a low moan, but did not move. All of a sudden, the Gryffindor common room was practically deserted.
* * * * *
Hermione looked around, not sure what to do. On one hand, she definitely didn't want to get the blame for this. However, Sass didn't look too good, the third year was fairly certain that she needed to get to the Hospital Wing soon. She was distracted by loud voices out in the hall, one of which she was fairly certain belonged to Ron. Dilemna solved, at least partly, she quickly put her book down and went to see what was wrong.
She found Ron screaming at the transfer third-year, a creepy girl named Perdita. "What do you care anyway?" the naturally blue-haired, red-eyed girl shouted. "It's none of your bloody business who my father is! Or even my mother! You just want to help spread rumors about me, as if there aren't enough already! So just screw off, alright? Leave. Me. Alone." Then the short girl swept past both Ron and Hermione and went through the portrait hole.
Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and started dragging him down the hall. "What are you doing, Hermione?" he said, trying to shake her off.
"Trust me Ron, when that girl finds out who's in the common room, she's gonna be /really/, /really/ pissed. And guess who she's /already/ eager to take something out on?" Ron paled and started moving on his own, but was curious about what was going to make Perdita so mad.
"Who /is/ she going to find in the common room?" he asked.
Hermione briefly explained what Sass had done, and he looked confused. "But that's not like her at all! I mean, usually she just blasts out a little curse and goes on her merry way. What happened to her that she's all of a sudden so- dead?"
Hermione shrugged. "I don't know Ron, I really don't. But why were you arguing with that girl? It's probably dangerous, you know." Which led Ron off into a long discussion of a hint about who the mysterious girl's father was, and they both forgot about the two girls who were even now talking.
* * * * *
Sass felt a hand on her shoulder, gently shaking her out of the still black pool she had fallen into. She slowly opened her eyes to a pair of red ones, framed by dark blue hair. "What- who- oh, hello Perdita," she said, still not sure what was going on. Then she remembered, and saw the other's confusion as her accustomed mask slipped on.
"Um- Sass? What in the /hell/ did they do to you? I mean-" the former Durmstrang student gestured to Sass' dirty and ripped robes. When Sass gave no reply, the older girl sighed, a moment of hurt showing in her eyes before she continued. "OK, look, I understand if you don't trust me. I'm not going to curse you or anything, I'm just going to take you to the Hospital Wing. Is that alright?"
Sass wanted to explain, but couldn't be bothered to care. So she simply nodded. Perdita lifted her up and started down to the Hospital Wing. Sass was a little surprised at this, as the third year wasn't much taller than she, /but then again/, Sass thought, /I carried Se- Snape all the way to his office the one time/. At some point, She must have fallen asleep, because her next memories were confused and anxious, pictures of murder, darkness, and all through it, a dark figure with glowing red eyes. /She is lost./ a voice echoed through Sass' mind. /You must find your way with her. for you are similar in more ways than you think. do you not see/? Suddenly she saw flashes of someone else, an old woman, drinking something red- /oh god, that's blood./ Sass thought. And then suddenly, it all disappeared.
* * * * *
The next time Sass awoke, she was lying in the Hospital Wing. She slowly rolled over and found herself staring into Perdita's dark red eyes. "Er, hello," she said nervously. /How do you thank someone for something you aren't sure you wanted them to do? God, I'm not a people person./
"Hello," the older girl said uncertainly. "Um, Madam Pomfrey wanted me to tell you that fortunately, nothing was broken. You're going to be in here overnight, though, because the bruising is pretty bad. I- I told her you had an accident on the stairs- which is true enough- don't worry, she's not in here now," Perdita added as Sass started to protest the indiscretion. "But I want to know the /truth/. What happened to you? You owe me some sort of explanation; call it favor for favor if you will. So fess up."
Sass stared into those red eyes for a long moment, then threw caution to the winds. After all, hadn't she just proved that she didn't care what the other Gryffindors did to her?
"I guess it started when I was born," Sass said, "but it's a long story, so be patient. About fifteen years ago on Halloween, Vold- You-Know-Who attacked a hospital in London." She noticed that the other girl didn't even bat an eye at the use of Voldemort's name. /Is every person who says his name at Hogwarts/? she wondered. "He killed everyone then used the death-energy to cast a spell cursing every baby delivered in that hospital on October 31, between sunset and midnight, to be orphaned within six months. I was delivered in that room three years later at eleven fifty-two PM. Naturally, my parents died shortly, and I was put in an orphanage." She noticed Perdita's eyebrows fly up at that. "What?"
"I'm an orphan too," the third year said quietly. "I'm really sorry about your parents."
Sass inclined her head as she sat up. "As I am for yours. Anyway, I had a bad time of it at the orphanage- my 'guardian' was a sadistic bastard who I sincerely hope gets what he gave to me." Sass sighed. "Not that I should feel that way. In any case, one of my teachers there was a man named Samuel Snapel. He actually thought of me as a person, and not another trophy on his wall. But he had to leave, and so life sucked. Then I got adopted last summer, got my letter, and came here. Turns out, Samuel Snapel is none other then our resident Potions Master, Severus Snape. We were good friends," and here Sass had to swallow hard before continuing, "but he hates me now. God- I don't know why! I never did anything to him, and I know life's not fair, but couldn't I have a break just this once? So I don't care what Jessica does to me. If she tries to kill me on the stairs, well, I bet not many people would notice. Dumbledore certainly wouldn't mind. And neither- would- Snape-" Saying his last name aloud seemed to finalize something for Sass. Before, she had been able to pretend- to hope that he would come around and tell her what was going on, and life would return to its proper order. But now she had admitted it- something had changed, and there was no going back to before.
Perdita turned away, allowing Sass a moment to control her tears and voice. "I- um- well, I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't think there was anyone else in the school who was as bad off as me, but I guess you qualify." This elicited a wry grin from Sass. "Hey- I think this is the part where we become friends- the ex-Snape-friend and the parentless transfer-from- Durmstrang- a match made in heaven, wouldn't you say? But I-" Perdita quieted as Madam Pomfrey reentered the room.
"Shoo! Out! This young lady needs rest- you can chat another time. Now go! You should be eating, or studying, or something!" As Perdita exited, Madam Pomfrey turned to Sass. "How do you feel?"
"Horrible," said Sass, thinking of the orphanage and Snape and Jessica. "How should I feel?"
"Well, I'd say 'abysmal' is what I was thinking of, but it sounds like your right on track. Now, Miss Ridno was supposed to tell you that you'll be staying overnight, not that it matters as you're still recovering from your pneumonia- dear me, you do seem to get into trouble. Would you like something to eat? Or have you already had dinner?"
Sass thought of her stomach and practically heaved right there. "Er- no thanks, I'm fine," she said. Could you summon my book bag so I can do my homework?"
Madam Pomfrey smiled. "Certainly. /Accio bookbag/!" After a few seconds, the desired object whooshed into the room and stopped in Madam Pomfrey's hand. "Here," she said, lying it down on Sass' nightstand, "just be careful not to overstress yourself. Call me if you need anything." Then she turned and walked back into her office. Sass got to work on her Transfiguration.
* * * * *
Sirius was getting very worried. Yes, Sass had left him a note in early December, saying she was sick and would be out for a while, but it had been nearly three weeks since then, with no further contact. /I don't know all that much about her/, he admitted reluctantly, /but from what I've seen, she would /never/ let an illness keep her in bed that long, unless she was in major trouble. But there's no way I could sneak into the castle right now- everyone's on the alert for anything suspicious, because the end of the semester is close, and I 'might try something.' God- I hope nothing's happened to her. / He paced up and down in his small cave. /What if she needs me, and I'm not there? I've got to make sure she's okay. But how'll I get in? /
Sirius stopped and sat down, stood up, and started pacing again. /If I go through the tunnel at night, then wait until classes are in session to find her, then maybe./ Abruptly, he transformed into a shaggy black dog and trotted down to Hogsmeade, the nearby wizarding town that just happened to contain the exit to a certain tunnel where he and Sass usually met. /I've just got to go and risk it. The odds have been worse before, and I've come out okay- except for when they captured me- I ended up with twelve years in Azkaban, no trial, no escape. God, this is not the time to be thinking of that./
Sirius already knew how to get into the Honeydukes Candy Shop, which housed the secret tunnel. The owners had a dog themselves, and, accordingly, there was a small door-flap around back. It was a tight squeeze, even as skinny as he was, but as always, Sirius made it without problems. He crept down to the basement, nosed open a trap door, and set off towards Hogwarts. It was a long ways, and the black dog was tired when he reached the stone chute that led up into the castle. Sirius flopped down and slept soundly until morning.
* * * * *
/I wish I could find a Gryffindor causing trouble/, Severus thought. /Then I'd have someone to take this out on/. Then he shook his head. /No, that's what started the whole problem. I don't know what to think anymore- Lupin's about ready to bite my head off, but those bloody prats I overheard in the hall seem /far/ too pleased. An exceedingly cynical werewolf believes her, and she was certainly genuine the other day when she screamed at me. Could I have been wrong? What if the signs in the Hospital Wing were just because she was muddled, from the pneumonia- has she really been climbing the school every night? Did I have that much importance to her? And if I was wrong- what have I done?/ He bowed his head, glad no one was there to see his sorrow.
/I'll talk to her again on Thursday/, he decided. /And this time, I'll hear her out. No assumptions, no harsh words, I'll just listen. Can she forgive me though, even if I apologize? What I did- God, did I want to hurt her in the worst way possible? Kincaid hit her, I hit her, that puts me in the same category as him./
Severus was forced to turn his mind to other things as he reached a stone gargoyle that jumped aside when he said, "Rasberry chews." /Damned if I know why Albus keeps coming up with these ridiculous candy passwords/, he thought. /Of course, it is the last thing a dark wizard would think of to gain entrance./ The gargoyle jumped aside and bowed him through the entrance behind it. Severus sighed and scaled the steps to the Headmaster's office.
When he reached the upper landing, a wooden door swung open, revealing a smiling and far-too-cheerful Albus Dumbledore.
"Well?" Severus said, knowing the older man didn't mistake his sharp tone for real dislike. "What's important enough to call me away from my lunch?" He winced mentally as he realized he'd given Albus the perfect opening for his favorite game: evasion.
Albus smiled even more broadly, as if he knew what Severus was thinking. "Actually, your appetite need not wait. I ordered lunch for two, so if you would care to join me," he gestured to a table at the far end of the room, "we can eat now." Severus sighed and sat down, realizing that Albus would tell him what was going on when he felt like it and not a moment sooner. After the requisite fifteen minutes of drinking tea and choking on pleasantries, Severus finally brought the older man around to the point.
"Now, Albus, I know you didn't bring me up here to discuss Leah's latest acquisitions," he said when Albus went off on yet another side trip about some Pangora bushes the Herbology teacher had found. "What's the point?"
The Headmaster sighed. "Very well, Severus. I wanted to talk to you about vampires."
This was certainly not what the Potions Master had been expecting to hear. "What about them?" he said. "Has there been a problem with the treaty?" The International Vampiric Code, signed in 1982, put very strict limits on where, when, and how vampires could take prey. The ideal would be, of course, to not allow any bloodsucking of humans, but it was almost impossible to break the addiction once a vampire had taken its first victim. So far the Ministry'd had very little trouble enforcing it, but with vampires, you never knew what would happen next.
"No, not as such," Albus said. "A group of Muggles in America have found out about their existence. The vampires, of course, want to suck them all dry- that or change them." That referred to when a vampire turned a human into another vampire. "And I guess the American Ministry has allowed that once or twice before on a smaller scale, not technically of course. But now we're talking about oh, say, fifty people, and most of them are people who would be missed. You know why we can't just alter their memories-"
Severus grimaced. "No memory of a vampire can be erased from an adult's mind- it's too much of a shock to see a creature of the night. So what can I do about it?"
"After Christmas I want you to go over there, as the official British Representative, and look into it. Help if you can, but mostly I want to get straight information about what's going on. It's not like the vampires to be so careless as to let a human see them undisguised," said Albus. "Is that alright with you?" Severus nodded, and the Headmaster smiled. "Thank you, Severus," he said. "If I find anything else out between now and then, I'll let you know. If you're finished eating.?" Severus nodded his assent, and Albus whisked away the remains of their lunch. The two men stood up.
"Thank you for lunch," Severus said. "I'll start getting my things in order. You'll want me back by the start of the term, correct?" Albus nodded.
"Unless something pressing comes up that requires more time. Well, so long Severus, as always it was a pleasure to see you." The Headmaster shooed him out the door, and the next thing the Potions Master knew, he was back in the hallway outside the gargoyle.
"I hate it when he does that," Severus muttered as he swept down the hall to prepare for his next class.
He didn't notice the black shadow that crept out after him, shaking with relief.
* * * * *
When Sirius had made his plans to infiltrate Hogwarts, he hadn't planned on the idea that in the twenty-some years since he'd been there the schedules might have changed. Or maybe his trip was just cursed. He figured he would slip in right after lunch ended, since he knew Sass had an open period in the afternoon on Tuesdays. But as he neared the Great Hall, Sirius knew he'd been wrong. /Oh shit/- he thought as a rumble and a bell indicated that the next class started in five minutes. Fortunately, no one noticed the black dog hiding behind a suit of armor, and he was able to let the main rush past.
The first place Sirius wanted to check was the Gryffindor common room. But what if she wasn't there? If Sass were sick, she would probably be in the Hospital Wing, right? He was so preoccupied that he barely had time to duck into the shadows before Snape caught up with him. Sirius had always been a little afraid of the man, ever since that damned joke he'd played in the sixth year. When he emerged, Sirius was shaking. And then he heard the other footsteps, practically on top of him, and the female voice that said, "Who keeps a /dog/ as a pet?"
How's that as a cliffie? Ok, reviews.
Tinne- yep. Well, that's what happened.
Diety- yep. NO LOVE POTIONS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Lol. sorry, no, you're not a loser, you review my story and like sass!!!! So you rock!!!!! PS I'm very sorry I said I'd get this out sooner and didn't. ::winces:: sorry.
friend from ash.- who in the monkey are you?!?!?!?! Will you PLEASE email me and say who you are? Please? I'm glad you liked, yeah, I know it was depressing, but I think I'm getting to the point where it will soon become less so. I'm also gonna get to the part where there's some more action. :D
Tigress of the Night- DUH I know who you are.I'm glad your comma key works now. Made you cry? I see. hmm.
harrypottermagic32- you were right, here it is.
friend from ash- here it is! Here it is! Lol.
Tigress- Breathe. Deeply. Count to ten. Slowly. Then do it again. And again. Now go take a sedative.and I knew you weren't friend from ash, but I do wish I knew who they were.
THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO REVIEWED!!!!!!!!! ITS BECAUSE OF YOU GUYS THAT I WORKED THROUGH MY WRITERS BLOCK AND GOT THIS DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND IF YOU AREN"T REVIEWING, PLEASE DO SO NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Later.