Chapter Seven - The Tell-Tale Toe
A loud crash woke Severus up the next day. He was still in
his robes, and he smelled strongly of vodka. The sheets of his bed clung to his
ankles, which were stretched out three inches off the mattress. He felt his
wand resting in his pocket and he got up to see what the noise was.
It was around noon and Lucius was in his room, stuffing as
many clothes as he could into a large leather suitcase.
"Oh, good afternoon, Severus," he said with a
grunt as he shoved three sweater vests into a tight space.
"What's with this?" he said, flicking the side of
the suitcase with his long finger.
"I'm going on a trip!" he said, now sitting on the
overloaded suitcase.
"To where? And with whom?" Severus was now a
little interested.
"Well ..." Lucius scratched his forehead, trying
to find the right way to put things. "You see, do you remember the time we
learned to apparate and I was paired up with James?"
"Yes."
"And instead of apparating outside the classroom, we
wound up in a casino?"
"Yes," Severus said, growing a little impatient.
"Well, last night, Sirius and Remus told me they were
going back there--it's a place called Las Vegas--and everyone's going and they
said I could take someone--"
"I don't want to go anywhere with them," Severus interjected defiantly.
"I know that, that's why I'm taking Narcissa. Oh
Severus, I think I'm in love!" Lucius paused and looked at Severus.
Severus looked like he was about to maul Lucius. Lucius backed up a little.
"I-I was only looking out for your best interest, Sev!
P-please don't hurt me!" Lucius flung up his arms over his face.
Severus reached into his pocket and grabbed hold of his
wand. He pointed it at Lucius, but nothing happened. In fact, he wasn't even
holding his wand, but two Crayola markers taped together.
"NO! Don't write on me! I just had this cleaned!
Please! I'll bring you back some dirty playing cards, I promise! Just don't
..."
Lucius stopped pleading and glanced up at his friend through
his fingers. Severus looked like he could make powder out of the markers with
his index finger and thumb. He looked down at Lucius, his eyes blazing. His
eyebrows lowered and his face twisted into a malevolent scowl. Then he erupted
like a volcano.
"GODDAMIT LUTHITH--"
Severus clasped his hands over his mouth. He backed away
slowly out of the room, looking stunned and sick. He shook his head and dashed
down the hall to his room.
"Come on girls,
we've gotta get out of this jail!"
Severus downed a can of beer as he stared at the television.
Without Lucius around to clean up after him, he was covered in filth. Empty
cans of nuts and discarded bags of Cheetos littered the floor. Severus belched
and settled into the couch a little more, taking in the splendor that was Charlie's Angels.
While Severus laid there, a zombie slave to the TV god, his
mind raced with insane thoughts. He thought of what he would do if he ever got
his hands on James. He pondered where his journal and wand could be. But then
he thought of the root of all this trouble. The one who got him into this mess.
The one who kept him from living up to his real potential.
Tom Riddle.
Tom stole his wand. Tom took his journal. Tom forced him to
join his stupid club that wasn't really much of a club at all. This was all
Tom's fault, and Severus was not going to take it anymore.
Maybe it was all the spicy meatballs he had, or maybe it was
because he didn't have Lucius around to stop him, or perhaps it was because he
was sleep deprived, but Severus got an idea.
Severus stood up and let the crumbs fall off his bare legs.
He walked resolutely into the kitchen and flung open the broom closet. With
incredible strength, he ripped the broom off its handle. He tied a fork to the
top of it with shoelace like a makeshift spear. He opened the cupboard and
dipped two of his fingers into a jar of tomato sauce. He streaked them on his
face and put a handprint on his chest. He made a sun out of mustard on his arm
and an odd design on his forehead from toothpaste. On the floor was an old,
brown, suede jacket, and Severus tied it around his head. He smiled viciously
and scrambled into the hall, moving on all-fours.
Severus opened Tom's door slowly. His victim was sleeping
soundly, and Severus moved along the floor like a savage. Tom's window was open
and a cool breeze moved through the room. Tom was lying on the bed silently,
free of blankets. His toe looked eerie in the light of the moon. Severus
snarled and moved toward the bed.
He raised his spear, the fork shining murderously in the
moonlight. He lowered it swiftly, slicing off the toe with one fluid movement.
For an instant, Severus was afraid Tom would awaken, but he only turned over
restlessly.
"Come back, Barbara, sing for me ..." Tom said
dreamily, still very asleep.
It was time for Severus to make his escape. He snatched the
toe and put it in his own mouth. He ran out of the apartment, dashed down the
stairs, still crawling on his feet and hands. He crouched in the middle of the
London street and looked around, the toe hanging out of his mouth slightly. The
few people who were out looked at him strangely, stopping in their tracks to
stare at him. A man in his briefs with war paint wasn't very common there.
Not knowing exactly what to do, Severus stood up and looked
around calmly. Then, without warning, he ran screaming down the street and then
into the forest outside of town.
Severus never stopped running until he saw it through the
trees. The castle looked beautiful in the morning light. Summer was coming to a
close, and the teachers of Hogwarts were readying their classes for the new
students. Severus bounded through the brush and swam across the freezing lake.
It would have felt nice to him, but his heart was pounding so hard and his mind
was elsewhere, he didn't have time to think of the waters' temperature. When he
reached the shore, he jumped right through the first window he saw.
No one was in the first corridor he came tumbling through.
Ignoring the glass stuck in his skin, he ran up staircase after staircase until
he saw him.
"PROFESSOR DUMBLEDORE!" he shouted, running toward
him.
"Severus Snape? Is that you?"
"O great Headmaster, please give me a job!" he
sobbed, burying his face into Dumbledore's silky robes.
"Normally on such short notice, I would
refuse"--Severus cried harder--"But there is a position open."
"Really?" Severus said brightly.
"The Potions Master is going on maternity leave, and
you can have her job."
"What about hers'?" Severus inquired, pointing to
Empiress who had come out of a classroom.
"Yes, Severus, I think you would make an excellent
Potions Master," Dumbledore said thoughtfully.
Severus chased down the Defense Against the Dark Arts
teacher and pounced on her, sending her flying out of the third story window.
Severus dashed back to Dumbledore who was reflecting, just
as he had left him.
"Looks like the Dark Arts position is open,"
Severus said with a grin.
"Get yourself cleaned up, Severus, my boy, for you will be the Potions professor of
Hogwarts!"
Severus trudged moodily down a staircase. He suddenly
realized what he had gotten himself into and sulked even more.
