I do not claim ownership to any of J.K. Rowling's characters, and I am not making any sort of profit from this. It's simply for a larf. Please R&R. Thanx. ~ZiMsta
THE CONFRONTATION
Genevieve was alone in Snape's chambers, and the feeling was more than unsettling. She didn't quite know what to do with herself. Snape's office lacked anything that would be considered appealing to ones eye, and she wasn't one for snooping about. So she went to the bed, grabbing the quill and parchment that had been left there earlier. She decided to occupy her time by drawing. She sat down on the bed, placing the tip of the quill to the paper. She began drawing the first image that came to her mind.
His long, elegant fingers. His glistening black eyes, staring back into hers with a slight glare. His defined lips formed with that all too familiar sarcastic grin. He was handsome, thought most people would think otherwise. There was something about his face that was most appealing. He was not ugly. His personality may have been, at times. But there had to be something more to him than the callous remarks and vicious, sarcastic overtones. He surely couldn't have been born like that. Genevieve shook her head, signing the drawing. At last moment, adding, "Severus Snape: Mystery Man". She then let out a heavy yawn, extinguishing the light with a swift wave of her wand, then crawled into bed.
****
Snape had been gone for three days, and Genevieve was becoming worried. Not just because she was virtually alone in the castle (the house elves had visited frequently to bring food and fresh clothes), but because she had no idea whether Snape was dead of alive. He hadn't said where he was going or why. She would have normally sent Olivia with a note, but one: Snape told her not to leave his chambers, and two: sending a letter might prove to be dangerous for him. If her were to be in a position of secrecy, she would not want to be the cause if her were to be discovered.
She woke on the fourth morning of her stay alone, and as she rubbed her eyes, looking around from the bed, she saw no sign of Snape. She let out a weak sigh, then climbed from the bed, moving instinctively toward the fireplace. The dungeons were dead cold in the mornings, and she needed the fire to call the house elves for breakfast. She only got halfway across the room, her feet hitting something, causing her to fall flat on the floor in front of her. When she had composed herself, she turned her body to see what she had tripped over. It was Snape.
At first, she thought that he was dead, but was relieved when she saw his back move slowly as he breathed. His face was toward her, a large gash just above his eyebrow, covered in dry blood. She crawled to him on her hands and knees, afraid to touch him in case he was hurt elsewhere. So she gently tapped his cheek repeatedly with her hand.
"Professor?Wake up, sir." She whispered. He did not move. She tapped harder. "Wake UP, you irritating slime ball of a prat!" she said, much louder this time. Snape's eyes opened very slowly, wavering in and out of focus until they finally rested on her. He blinked a few times, then sort of smiled. "What did I say about your little disclosures, Miss Hemlock?" he said in a raspy voice, his dry lips barely moving. Genevieve let out a relieved breath as Snape fumbled, trying to get up.
"Don't move. Just relax a minute." Genevieve ordered. Snape did not protest, resting his body back on the rug. Genevieve waited a moment before she spoke, watching Snape as he closed his eyes again, breathing raggedly. "What happened?" She asked, sitting back on her heels. "The cabinetBehind my desk. Top shelf. You will find a bottle containing a pearl liquid. Bring it to me." Snape instructed unevenly. Genevieve stood up and hurried over to the cabinet that he spoke of. She grabbed the vile, and took it back to Snape, who had moved into a sitting position, leaning his back against the bed. She sat down next to him, handing him the bottle.
"Are you going to tell me what happened?" She asked as Snape uncorked the bottle with his teeth, drinking its contents in one gulp. She watched in wonder as the gash across his head disappeared, and the colour returned to his face (or, what little colour he normally had). "No. I will not." He said, trying to get to his feet. Genevieve reached out, taking his arm to help steady him. He quickly ripped it away from her.
"Do not touch me! I will ask if I need your assistance! I would not, however, suggest holding your breath." He grumbled, glowering at her. Genevieve was fuming. "That is IT! I'm not taking any more of this! You just don't know what to do with yourself unless you are torturing and belittling someone! Well, I'm SORRY! But I am not about to let you do that to me! SOD OFF!!" She shouted right in his face. She pushed past him, heading strait for the door. She was intercepted, however, as Snape's arm came around her, jerking her to a full stop. "YOU are not going ANYWHERE! Unless you would rather die at the hands of Voldemort himself, you will do as I say, when I say it! Yes! I am vicious, sarcastic, vindictive, uncaring, as well as every other possible personality flaw you can think of, but DAMNIT, I HAVE MY REASONS!!!" He screamed at her, shaking her vigorously.
Genevieve had never seen Snape explode like that before. His entire face was tight, his eyebrows touching just above his nose as he blared, his nostrils white and flared with fury. She stared at him with unflinching eyes, then cleared her throat quietly. "When are you going to tell me about those reasons?" She said in a very low tone. Snape breathed deeply through his nostrils, his jaw clenched as he released and pushed her away from him. "Because, frankly, it is NONE of your business! Beside the fact that you do not have the mental capacity to understand! It was before your time." His voice quavered slightly at the end. They stared at one another in silence for what seemed like an eternity.
"How long will I be forced to stay here?" Genevieve inquired. Snape walked over to his desk, putting the vile back into the cabinet. "As long as we have to." He said, rubbing his eyes. "What is this 'We'? You have to follow me now? Who appointed you ruler of my life?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips. Snape slammed the cabinet door shut, whirling around to face her. "DUMBLEDORE! And I will DO SO until I am told otherwise! So I suggest you get used to the idea, because quite frankly, you have no choice!" he finished with an enraged tone.
"This has something to do with my mother, doesn't it?" Genevieve asked, knowing full well that it did. Snape glared at her. "So what if it does, Miss Hemlock?" He began as he stalked towards her menacingly. "What are you going to do about it? Act as the merciful hero by becoming a fool and seeking her out yourself? What would you do when you found her, with powers you can't even fathom? She would kill you, just as she killed your father." Genevieve moved before even thinking, slapping Snape hard across the face. He looked at her, blood trickling from his lip. His expression was of shock and anger, yet holding an heir of regret and withdrawal. He put his finger to his lip, pulling it away and looking at his own blood.
"If you want to avenge his death, Miss Hemlock, and that time will come, I assure you, you would be wise to not lose your head. And unless you listen to me and do as I sayyou will only get yourself killed." He warned, touching his lip again. "It's a bit hard to listen to a man who speaks only in hatred and secrecy." Genevieve spat, glaring at him with all her strength. "What have I ever done to make you feel that you cannot trust me?" She added, still giving him a dirty look. "What have you done to show me that I can?" he shot back.
"It would help if you gave me a chance. But no. You're too busy hiding your little secrets. Yelling at people and making them feel worthless. Maybe it's you that is worthless. You want to make everyone just as miserable as you are. Severus Snape, the miserable old man who never showed one ounce of love to anyone, and died alone. With his little secrets." Genevieve turned around and walked right out of the room, without a backward glance.
She had said that he was an attractive man, but when he acted like this, she found it hard not to hate him. As she stormed through the empty hallways, she wondered why she had used the word 'love' when yelling at him. Why hadn't she chosen another word? Did she mean to say love? She couldn't possible love Snape. That was simply too ridiculous to believe. But then again, why did he make her so angry? If she didn't think anything of him, then his comments would not phase her. They did phase her, though. She couldn't understand why he would say such things to her. She didn't deserve it. She had never wronged him. Hell, she even stuck up for him once. She almost regretted saying the bit about him not showing an ounce of love to anyone. He had shown her a few small glimpses of his well-hidden better half over the past few weeks. She only wished that he would show that side more often.
She wandered around the castle, eventually making it to the Great Hall, which was lacking its normal vibrancy. All of the tables were gone, as there were no bodies to occupy them, and the room was virtually dark. Something caught her eye, however, that she was quite sure had never been there before. It was a very large, old mirror that stood where the Teacher's table was normally placed. She walked forward cautiously, drawing closer to the mirror until she could see the full reflection of her body. At first, she thought it was simply a mirror. But when a dark figure suddenly appeared behind her, she thought better of it. Because when she turned to look around her, she was still the only on in the hall.
The reflection's image soon moved into the light, and Genevieve sort of gasped. It was Snape, smiling back at her as he placed his hands on her upper arms. She slowly put her hand over his, and could not help but smile as well. Snape's expression soon turned to pain as he grabbed his left forearm, falling to his knees. She tried to help him, to reach out for him. But he disappeared, and she was left standing alone again.
"Ah, the mirror of Erised. Another of Dumbledore's foolish artifacts, stowed away in this God forsaken place." A voice echoed across the room. Genevieve spun around, her eyes searching for the voice that sent a chill up her spine and pulsed fear through her veins. "You are looking thin, my dear. Been ill, have we? Something bothering you, perhaps?" The voice asked. It had moved closer, but still Genevieve saw no one, though she knew that voice almost better than anyone's. The voice that had tormented her for 19 years. The voice that belonged to the one person she had disliked more than anyone she had ever known. It was the voice of her mother, Patricia.
"Where are your manners? Can't you even say hello to your own mother?" Patricia asked, Genevieve noticing that her voice was dangerously close. "Are you afraid. Genevieve?" Patricia's cold voice wondered. Genevieve screamed as her mother suddenly appeared in front of her, one of her hands clamped tightly around Genevieve's throat. "You should be!" Patricia finished with a cruel smile, as Genevieve gasped for breath. Patricia laughed, throwing her backwards and into the Mirror of Erised, which shattered around her. She slumped to the floor, coughing and choking, trying to regain her breath.
"SoHow is my only child? I see your love life is progressing nicely." Patricia said, folding her hands and pacing back and forth in front of Genevieve. "Severus Snape? Honestly, Genevieve, I never would have expected that from you. He isn't exactly what I would call virile. But then again, you've always had strange taste. Just like your father." She looked sidelong at Genevieve, grinning wickedly as she awaited her reaction. "Don't you dare talk about my father." Genevieve growled, rubbing her throat.
"OhI'm sorry. That must be a rather tender subject. If it helps, he was calling for you in his last moments." Patricia claimed, pulling out her wand and twirling it between her fingers. Genevieve slowly got to her feet, trying to avoid the broken shards of glass that surrounded her. "So you did kill him. You must be very proud of yourself." She said, her throat tightening as she swaggered a little. "I wouldn't go that far. I do find a sort of satisfaction in it, yes, but that is not what I came to talk about. Do take a seat." Patricia waved her wand, and a chair appeared out of nowhere, landing next to Genevieve, who was quickly forced into it by an unseen dynamism. Golden ropes then emerged from the tip of her mother's wand, binding her close to the chair.
"Now, my dear. I have a proposition for you. Well, not exactly, because you really don't have any say in the matter. Join Lord Voldemort, or I kill you here and now." Patricia said in a deadly voice. "I will never join the likes of you." Genevieve snapped, struggling against her magical ropes. Patricia laughed. "How funny you should say that. 'The likes of me'. My dear girl, how naïve you are. Are you so completely blind to the fact that Severus Snape is a" Her sentence was cut short.
"Let her go." Snape's voice resonated in the hall. Patricia spun around, smiling. "Ah, Severus. How long has it been? You are looking well, and evidently I'm not the only one who thinks so. My daughter seems to have taken quite a fancy to you." Patricia taunted, motioning her hand back toward Genevieve. Snape did not look like he was taking any notice to what Patricia was saying. "Why the sour face, Sevvy? Don't you find her appealing? Long auburn hairdelicate facebeautiful eyesreminds me of someone we knew during our years here at Hogwarts. Surely you remember her? Lily Evens? Or should I sayLily Potter."
"Why are you here, Hemlock?" Snape demanded, ignoring her attempts at provoking him. "Oh really, Sevy-kins. Isn't that obvious? I'm here to kill Genevieve." She said, placing her hand on her hip. "And by the way, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was just about to tell Genevieve about your little secret. It's probably better that you are here, actually, so that she can hear it from you. It's only fair that she know the truth before she dies..." Patricia lifted her wand, pointing it at Snape, and before he had a chance to react "IMPERIO!" His body stiffened, and he began taking very forced, unnatural steps toward Genevieve. His face was somewhat screwed up, his jaw clenched as he desperately tried to fight off the curse.
"That's it, Sevvy. Don't fight it. Are you that ashamed?" Patricia asked him as he slowly made his way past her, and up the stairs to Genevieve. She was horrified as she watched him struggle against the controlling curse, staring at her with his penetrating black eyes. He stopped in front of her, gradually descending to his knees as he lifted his left arm to her. She just looked away. Whatever it was that he was being forced to show her, she did not want to see it. "Go ahead, Severus. Pull back your sleeve." Patricia instructed with a sneer. Genevieve was now in tears, turning her head as far away from Snape as possible, wishing that he would stop.
"nnnnnnNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO!!!!" Snape cried out suddenly. He spun around and pointed his wand at Patricia, Genevieve looking on in shock. "AVADA KADAVERA!" he screamed, but Patricia had vanished before the words had left his mouth. "Come back here you COWARD!" Genevieve screamed at the spot where her mother had stood. Snape sort of crumpled to the floor, supporting himself on his hands as sweat dripped from his forehead.
"You should have listened to me," Snape scolded her between short breaths. "She could have killed you." He finished, running his fingers through his hair as he sighed. Genevieve was barely paying attention, as she was still shouting at her invisible mother. "I'll kill you! I swear I will! I HATE YOU!" She shrieked, tears streaming down her face, her arms and chest pushing hard against her restraints. She finally tried to calm down, breathing unevenly through heavy sobs, hanging her head. He ropes disappeared, and two arms came around her, pulling her close.
"Calm yourself. She's not worth it." Snape's silky voice whispered in her ear. "She killed him. She took my father away from me. The only man who ever loved me." She wept into his shoulder. He just sort of patted her on the back, quickly becoming uncomfortable. "Come. We must leave." He pulled away and began to lead her out of the Hall.
"My motheryou knew my mother. You went to school with her." She stated, leaning into him as they walked, completely exhausted. "Now is not the time to discuss it. We have to get out of here. It is no longer safe." Snape said, barely holding his arm around her as they walked. Genevieve looked up at him, his image blurry from the tears that were slowly retreating from her eyes. "I'm sorryabout what I said to you earlierI didn't mean it. I was just angry. I should have listened to you." She apologized, feeling miserable about herself. Snape kept his eyes forward, saying nothing. She wanted him to forgive her, but saw in his face that the discussion had ended.
