Chapter Four
Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter. I still am not exactly loving this story, but it's getting a bit better... kindof. I still have yet to figure out where I'm going with it. We'll all find out together, won't we? :-)
* * *
Snape Apparated in the woods outside Hogwarts, just beyond the reach of the Anti-Apparation Wards. After taking a moment to gather his former Slytherin mannerisms about himself like the cloak he wore, he started towards the building, trudging through the ankle-deep layer of snow that had already accumulated on the ground. More thick flakes fluttered down from the sky above, littering his body with unwelcome dampness.
His trek gave him much needed time to think. What the hell was he doing here? Simply because his Mark had burned didn't mean that he needed to return to Hogwarts. No one had called him *there.* Merlin knows he was probably not even wanted there. Not that he ever had been.
But he still felt drawn to the place, for all the effort he had put into avoiding it. He hated irony.
It was hard to ignore the stares that followed his tall frame as he whisked his way through the halls to the headmaster's office. Most of the students from three years ago were still here and all recognized him. Whispered comments and questions floated around him, as did some pointed glares.
He was stopped just outside his destination by a familiar soft voice. "Severus."
He whirled on his heel to face the speaker. The man wore the same tattered robes he always had, though his hair had greyed a bit more since they had parted. He scowled. This was not exactly the person that he had hoped to find. "Lupin."
The werewolf smiled mundanely. "You've returned as well, Severus?"
"Only briefly," he snapped. "I only wish, for the good of Hogwarts, that the same could be said about yourself?"
The smile twitched a bit. "Sadly, no. I've been here for the past two years."
"Pity no better substitute can be found for a monster like yourself."
Remus' pale eyes hardened. "Pity you cannot get past childish grudges in times like these, Severus. There are enough troubles without our adding to it."
Any biting comment evaporated. "You are aware of..."
"His return? Yes." There was... something in his tone that caused Snape to shudder. Something was wrong.
"I must speak to the headmaster immediately."
Something unreadable passed across Lupin's face, and Severus resisted the urge to forcibly shake the werewolf. Finally, he spoke. "Come with me." He turned to the entrance. "Moon's glow."
Snape sneered. "Never one to hide the obvious, were you Lupin." He didn't respond, merely walked silently up the stairs, leaving Snape to follow and to wonder why Lupin had chosen the password.
"Take a seat," Remus said blandly, himself settling down behind the desk.
"I told you, Lupin," he said annoyedly. "I must speak with the headmaster."
Remus pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can you never cease to speak? Or do you simply enjoy hearing your own voice?" Snape was taken aback. He had never imagined the werewolf being so curt with anyone. That was a comment that was much more likely to spew from his own mouth. He fell silent. "I do not know where you have been for the past three years, but as for myself, I have been doing my damnedest to help, to fight. You can't simply breeze in here and expect to take charge, just because you used to frighten people into doing your will three years ago."
The words took effect. "I apologize."
Remus almost smiled. "Those are two words I never thought I'd hear you say. Now, I suppose you are a bit... behind the times. After the last war, Minerva took the role as Headmaster... or Headmistress, if you prefer. Things appeared to be settling down, as students dealt with their losses and finished their terms. We found a new Potions professor, of course, as well as someone new to teach Transfigurations. And... everything continued as it should."
"Until...?"
"Yes, until. Until last week." He hesitated, leaving the words to hang ominously in the air. "Minerva was... taken... last week Tuesday."
Snape felt his breath hitch at the words. Taken. He swallowed hard, concentrating on forcing his voice not to quaver and trying to ignore the acrid bile that rose in his throat. "Death Eaters, I presume."
"Correct."
"How?"
"Does it matter?" Remus looked more dismal than Severus had ever seen him.
"I suppose not."
They fell into dreary silence. Minerva... taken. Most likely dead. His black eyes fell on the portrait of Albus Dumbledore that hung directly above the desk. The old man's eyes were still twinkling as ever, their mirth captured for all time. For a moment, he was lost in the past, hearing the old headmaster ramble on childishly about candy and socks. Snape would give anything to be able to leave a pair of the desired clothing items lying on the desk for Dumbledore. But it would be pointless now.
"May I ask why you are here, Severus?"
Snape continued to examine the moving portrait. "I was called."
The meaning of the words evaded Lupin for a few moments. "I certainly do not recall summoning you here, Sever... oh." The last word was said with dawning realization. "You mean..."
"Voldemort called me, yes."
Lupin stared at him. Voldemort knew that Snape was a traitor. If he hadn't known before the war, he certainly knew afterwards. So why would he call him? "But... why?"
"Why not? He captured the Headmistress of Hogwarts, why not bring along the traitor and have a bit of fun with them?" He smiled twistedly. "Two birds with one stone, Lupin. More efficient."
"Did he really think you would come back?"
Snape raised his shoulders slightly in a semblance of a shrug. "I suppose it was worth a try, to see if I would come crawling back to grovel at his feet. However," he continued, "I am not that idiotic, even if I have been living among Muggles for three years."
Remus tilted his head to the side to regard Snape. "Funny, I can't quite picture you as a Muggle."
His lips twitched, as if they ached to smile, but he remained in control. "Neither can I, Lupin."
The other wizard smiled, though it was a strained one. "So what do we do now?"
Severus cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you made it clear that I was not to... how did you so eloquently put it... 'just breeze in here and expect to take charge'?"
"Well, if you'd prefer, you could return to your Muggle friends. I'm certain that they all miss you greatly, providing your charming personality hasn't changed since your years here."
He thought, painfully, of Alexia, and a stab of regret stung his heart. "Grown bitter, have we Lupin? Did someone slip something foul-tasting in your wolfsbane?"
"Actually, Severus, our new Potions professor isn't nearly as skilled as you were in taking away the tang of that horrid concoction. I was wondering... if you did decide to stay, if you would be willing to take over the responsibility again?"
Snape longed to refuse, to say that he'd rather watch Lupin gag on the substance, but then he caught the gaze of the portrait-Dumbledore and sighed. One last favor for the old man. "If I must," he grudgingly conceded.
Somehow, he had a feeling that buying socks would have been much, much simpler.
END CHAPTER FOUR
Author's Note: Well, here's another chapter. I still am not exactly loving this story, but it's getting a bit better... kindof. I still have yet to figure out where I'm going with it. We'll all find out together, won't we? :-)
* * *
Snape Apparated in the woods outside Hogwarts, just beyond the reach of the Anti-Apparation Wards. After taking a moment to gather his former Slytherin mannerisms about himself like the cloak he wore, he started towards the building, trudging through the ankle-deep layer of snow that had already accumulated on the ground. More thick flakes fluttered down from the sky above, littering his body with unwelcome dampness.
His trek gave him much needed time to think. What the hell was he doing here? Simply because his Mark had burned didn't mean that he needed to return to Hogwarts. No one had called him *there.* Merlin knows he was probably not even wanted there. Not that he ever had been.
But he still felt drawn to the place, for all the effort he had put into avoiding it. He hated irony.
It was hard to ignore the stares that followed his tall frame as he whisked his way through the halls to the headmaster's office. Most of the students from three years ago were still here and all recognized him. Whispered comments and questions floated around him, as did some pointed glares.
He was stopped just outside his destination by a familiar soft voice. "Severus."
He whirled on his heel to face the speaker. The man wore the same tattered robes he always had, though his hair had greyed a bit more since they had parted. He scowled. This was not exactly the person that he had hoped to find. "Lupin."
The werewolf smiled mundanely. "You've returned as well, Severus?"
"Only briefly," he snapped. "I only wish, for the good of Hogwarts, that the same could be said about yourself?"
The smile twitched a bit. "Sadly, no. I've been here for the past two years."
"Pity no better substitute can be found for a monster like yourself."
Remus' pale eyes hardened. "Pity you cannot get past childish grudges in times like these, Severus. There are enough troubles without our adding to it."
Any biting comment evaporated. "You are aware of..."
"His return? Yes." There was... something in his tone that caused Snape to shudder. Something was wrong.
"I must speak to the headmaster immediately."
Something unreadable passed across Lupin's face, and Severus resisted the urge to forcibly shake the werewolf. Finally, he spoke. "Come with me." He turned to the entrance. "Moon's glow."
Snape sneered. "Never one to hide the obvious, were you Lupin." He didn't respond, merely walked silently up the stairs, leaving Snape to follow and to wonder why Lupin had chosen the password.
"Take a seat," Remus said blandly, himself settling down behind the desk.
"I told you, Lupin," he said annoyedly. "I must speak with the headmaster."
Remus pressed a hand to his forehead. "Can you never cease to speak? Or do you simply enjoy hearing your own voice?" Snape was taken aback. He had never imagined the werewolf being so curt with anyone. That was a comment that was much more likely to spew from his own mouth. He fell silent. "I do not know where you have been for the past three years, but as for myself, I have been doing my damnedest to help, to fight. You can't simply breeze in here and expect to take charge, just because you used to frighten people into doing your will three years ago."
The words took effect. "I apologize."
Remus almost smiled. "Those are two words I never thought I'd hear you say. Now, I suppose you are a bit... behind the times. After the last war, Minerva took the role as Headmaster... or Headmistress, if you prefer. Things appeared to be settling down, as students dealt with their losses and finished their terms. We found a new Potions professor, of course, as well as someone new to teach Transfigurations. And... everything continued as it should."
"Until...?"
"Yes, until. Until last week." He hesitated, leaving the words to hang ominously in the air. "Minerva was... taken... last week Tuesday."
Snape felt his breath hitch at the words. Taken. He swallowed hard, concentrating on forcing his voice not to quaver and trying to ignore the acrid bile that rose in his throat. "Death Eaters, I presume."
"Correct."
"How?"
"Does it matter?" Remus looked more dismal than Severus had ever seen him.
"I suppose not."
They fell into dreary silence. Minerva... taken. Most likely dead. His black eyes fell on the portrait of Albus Dumbledore that hung directly above the desk. The old man's eyes were still twinkling as ever, their mirth captured for all time. For a moment, he was lost in the past, hearing the old headmaster ramble on childishly about candy and socks. Snape would give anything to be able to leave a pair of the desired clothing items lying on the desk for Dumbledore. But it would be pointless now.
"May I ask why you are here, Severus?"
Snape continued to examine the moving portrait. "I was called."
The meaning of the words evaded Lupin for a few moments. "I certainly do not recall summoning you here, Sever... oh." The last word was said with dawning realization. "You mean..."
"Voldemort called me, yes."
Lupin stared at him. Voldemort knew that Snape was a traitor. If he hadn't known before the war, he certainly knew afterwards. So why would he call him? "But... why?"
"Why not? He captured the Headmistress of Hogwarts, why not bring along the traitor and have a bit of fun with them?" He smiled twistedly. "Two birds with one stone, Lupin. More efficient."
"Did he really think you would come back?"
Snape raised his shoulders slightly in a semblance of a shrug. "I suppose it was worth a try, to see if I would come crawling back to grovel at his feet. However," he continued, "I am not that idiotic, even if I have been living among Muggles for three years."
Remus tilted his head to the side to regard Snape. "Funny, I can't quite picture you as a Muggle."
His lips twitched, as if they ached to smile, but he remained in control. "Neither can I, Lupin."
The other wizard smiled, though it was a strained one. "So what do we do now?"
Severus cocked an eyebrow. "I thought you made it clear that I was not to... how did you so eloquently put it... 'just breeze in here and expect to take charge'?"
"Well, if you'd prefer, you could return to your Muggle friends. I'm certain that they all miss you greatly, providing your charming personality hasn't changed since your years here."
He thought, painfully, of Alexia, and a stab of regret stung his heart. "Grown bitter, have we Lupin? Did someone slip something foul-tasting in your wolfsbane?"
"Actually, Severus, our new Potions professor isn't nearly as skilled as you were in taking away the tang of that horrid concoction. I was wondering... if you did decide to stay, if you would be willing to take over the responsibility again?"
Snape longed to refuse, to say that he'd rather watch Lupin gag on the substance, but then he caught the gaze of the portrait-Dumbledore and sighed. One last favor for the old man. "If I must," he grudgingly conceded.
Somehow, he had a feeling that buying socks would have been much, much simpler.
END CHAPTER FOUR