Chapter 17
After a couple of days of listening to the mirror prattle on about different spells and their uses, Snape knew he must get out of the Leaky Cauldron or run mad. So one day, he went down to the main room of the inn and sat in a dark corner, observing the various witches and wizards around him. One or two seemed to look his way with surprise; but with a distracting charm the mirror had taught him the night before, they went back to their drinks.
One interesting thing Snape noted was that every so often a wizard would go through a back door that apparently led outside and they didn't come back for many hours or, in a few cases, at all. He wondered if there was another wizarding establishment back there.
Finally, his decision was being made for him. The boy with the long black hair and green eyes had entered by the fireplace. When he looked up, Snape noticed with a jolt that the boy wasn't wearing his glasses which made him look alarmingly like a younger version of the face in the mirror he had so recently gotten used to. Who is that boy?
Two adult wizards followed the black-haired young man out of the fireplace. Again, Snape felt that familiar awareness when he looked at them, although if someone had asked him, he would neither be able to name them or say where he had met them. They were both about the same height although one was noticeably older than the other. He had a grey-flecked beard and long dark hair with streaks of white in it.
The other wizard might have been Snape's own age but he looked weary. Not weary, sick. Snape blinked with surprise. His hair was light brown and he had a smile that lit up his face, despite that the man's illness was painfully obvious to Snape's eyes. The sick wizard clapped a familiar hand on the boy's shoulder and, together, they went towards the back door. Hardly realizing what he was doing, Snape stood to follow them but checked himself in time.
He waited until a small gaggle of schoolgirls prepared to exit about fifteen minutes later. He followed them out, hands twitching impatiently, and found himself facing a brick wall. Was this some kind of joke?
In the silence that followed he realized that a small hand was preparing to tug on his robes. "Mister?" Snape looked down into a pair of big blue eyes, belonging to a child about ten years old.
"What?" he asked warily, resisting the urge to yank his robes out of reach.
"Did you want to open the wall to Diagon Alley?"
Snape blinked. "Uh, no. You go right ahead." He backed away from the brick wall and the little girl gestured towards an older girl who confidently stepped forward and tapped a few bricks with a short wand.
* * *
The silence seemed to stretch on into infinity until Snape's dark eyes roamed over the suddenly silent group and finally settled on Harry. A flicker of recognition crossed on his narrow face. "I know you," he said, almost as if he wasn't sure.
Remus cleared his throat in the silence. "Severus. This is certainly a… surprise. Er, Dumbledore has been looking for you for some time. You might want to let him know…" he trailed off, suddenly struck by the quizzical look in the potion master's eyes.
Sirius swore under his breath and called Snape something that made Ginny blush but Snape didn't look at Sirius. His dark eyebrows furrowed as he turned his dark glare upon Remus. "Dumbledore?" The shadowy eyes flickered again.
Harry didn't know what to think but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Remus was watching Snape with a puzzled expression and Sirius looked ready to leap for the potion master's throat. Ginny simply looked confused, her brown eyes darting from Snape to Harry and back.
"Sirius, I think you should go get Dumbledore," Remus said finally breaking the awkward silence. He stood and went to Snape who watched him warily. "Severus, I don't know what's happened to you but you can trust me. I'm Remus Lupin, I went to school with you."
"Are you mad, Remus?" Sirius finally burst out, "What are you doing? He knows who you are-"
Remus shot his friend a hard look. "Sirius, don't take this the wrong way but shut up and Apparate as close to Hogwarts as you can. We'll be waiting here."
Sirius opened his mouth and gaped like a fish for a few seconds before finally closing his mouth with a snap and Disapparating with a soft pop.
Snape refused to sit, but remained standing a few feet away from the table where his dark eyes continually darted to Harry, who no longer had an appetite for his ice cream. Remus talked to him quietly for a few moments in a calming voice. Gradually, Snape's body seemed to relax and the suspicious glint in his eyes finally faded.
"I don't know," Snape replied irritably in response to a question Remus asked him, "I recognize you but I don't know you. I don't remember what happened to me."
"You'll be okay, Severus," Remus assured him, "There's a special hospital for wizards. They'll be able to help get your memory back. "
"I'm not sure I want it back," Snape replied quietly.
Remus opened his mouth but hesitated. Snape saw it and laughed bitterly. "So, you know it too? Tell me the truth, Remus, is the past of Severus Snape truly worth remembering?"
Remus was saved from answering by the arrival of Dumbledore and Sirius. Sirius was still frowning but he remained quiet. Dumbledore nodded briefly to Remus and walked silently up to Snape. The aged wizard looked intently at Snape who looked back for a moment and then flinched at something he saw reflected in those twinkling blue eyes.
"My dear boy, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he asked gently. Snape looked away. Dumbledore touched his shoulder. "Come, Severus. We must get you patched up."
* * *
The old wizard's touch was so familiar and comforting that Snape followed him without question. They walked along the cobblestone street until stopping at a little box set into the wall of a rundown store. The box said, in faded letters: "Emergency Portkey to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Please use only if injured witch/wizard is unable to Apparate." Dumbledore opened the front of it to reveal a small statue of what appeared to be a monk in his brown habit, holding a fish in one hand and a ring in the other.
"St. Mungo himself," said Dumbledore cheerfully, noticing Snape's curious expression. "Severus, I want you, on the count of three, to touch the statue. One, two, three!"
After a couple of days of listening to the mirror prattle on about different spells and their uses, Snape knew he must get out of the Leaky Cauldron or run mad. So one day, he went down to the main room of the inn and sat in a dark corner, observing the various witches and wizards around him. One or two seemed to look his way with surprise; but with a distracting charm the mirror had taught him the night before, they went back to their drinks.
One interesting thing Snape noted was that every so often a wizard would go through a back door that apparently led outside and they didn't come back for many hours or, in a few cases, at all. He wondered if there was another wizarding establishment back there.
Finally, his decision was being made for him. The boy with the long black hair and green eyes had entered by the fireplace. When he looked up, Snape noticed with a jolt that the boy wasn't wearing his glasses which made him look alarmingly like a younger version of the face in the mirror he had so recently gotten used to. Who is that boy?
Two adult wizards followed the black-haired young man out of the fireplace. Again, Snape felt that familiar awareness when he looked at them, although if someone had asked him, he would neither be able to name them or say where he had met them. They were both about the same height although one was noticeably older than the other. He had a grey-flecked beard and long dark hair with streaks of white in it.
The other wizard might have been Snape's own age but he looked weary. Not weary, sick. Snape blinked with surprise. His hair was light brown and he had a smile that lit up his face, despite that the man's illness was painfully obvious to Snape's eyes. The sick wizard clapped a familiar hand on the boy's shoulder and, together, they went towards the back door. Hardly realizing what he was doing, Snape stood to follow them but checked himself in time.
He waited until a small gaggle of schoolgirls prepared to exit about fifteen minutes later. He followed them out, hands twitching impatiently, and found himself facing a brick wall. Was this some kind of joke?
In the silence that followed he realized that a small hand was preparing to tug on his robes. "Mister?" Snape looked down into a pair of big blue eyes, belonging to a child about ten years old.
"What?" he asked warily, resisting the urge to yank his robes out of reach.
"Did you want to open the wall to Diagon Alley?"
Snape blinked. "Uh, no. You go right ahead." He backed away from the brick wall and the little girl gestured towards an older girl who confidently stepped forward and tapped a few bricks with a short wand.
The silence seemed to stretch on into infinity until Snape's dark eyes roamed over the suddenly silent group and finally settled on Harry. A flicker of recognition crossed on his narrow face. "I know you," he said, almost as if he wasn't sure.
Remus cleared his throat in the silence. "Severus. This is certainly a… surprise. Er, Dumbledore has been looking for you for some time. You might want to let him know…" he trailed off, suddenly struck by the quizzical look in the potion master's eyes.
Sirius swore under his breath and called Snape something that made Ginny blush but Snape didn't look at Sirius. His dark eyebrows furrowed as he turned his dark glare upon Remus. "Dumbledore?" The shadowy eyes flickered again.
Harry didn't know what to think but there was a sinking feeling in his stomach. Remus was watching Snape with a puzzled expression and Sirius looked ready to leap for the potion master's throat. Ginny simply looked confused, her brown eyes darting from Snape to Harry and back.
"Sirius, I think you should go get Dumbledore," Remus said finally breaking the awkward silence. He stood and went to Snape who watched him warily. "Severus, I don't know what's happened to you but you can trust me. I'm Remus Lupin, I went to school with you."
"Are you mad, Remus?" Sirius finally burst out, "What are you doing? He knows who you are-"
Remus shot his friend a hard look. "Sirius, don't take this the wrong way but shut up and Apparate as close to Hogwarts as you can. We'll be waiting here."
Sirius opened his mouth and gaped like a fish for a few seconds before finally closing his mouth with a snap and Disapparating with a soft pop.
Snape refused to sit, but remained standing a few feet away from the table where his dark eyes continually darted to Harry, who no longer had an appetite for his ice cream. Remus talked to him quietly for a few moments in a calming voice. Gradually, Snape's body seemed to relax and the suspicious glint in his eyes finally faded.
"I don't know," Snape replied irritably in response to a question Remus asked him, "I recognize you but I don't know you. I don't remember what happened to me."
"You'll be okay, Severus," Remus assured him, "There's a special hospital for wizards. They'll be able to help get your memory back. "
"I'm not sure I want it back," Snape replied quietly.
Remus opened his mouth but hesitated. Snape saw it and laughed bitterly. "So, you know it too? Tell me the truth, Remus, is the past of Severus Snape truly worth remembering?"
Remus was saved from answering by the arrival of Dumbledore and Sirius. Sirius was still frowning but he remained quiet. Dumbledore nodded briefly to Remus and walked silently up to Snape. The aged wizard looked intently at Snape who looked back for a moment and then flinched at something he saw reflected in those twinkling blue eyes.
"My dear boy, what have you gotten yourself into this time?" he asked gently. Snape looked away. Dumbledore touched his shoulder. "Come, Severus. We must get you patched up."
The old wizard's touch was so familiar and comforting that Snape followed him without question. They walked along the cobblestone street until stopping at a little box set into the wall of a rundown store. The box said, in faded letters: "Emergency Portkey to St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Please use only if injured witch/wizard is unable to Apparate." Dumbledore opened the front of it to reveal a small statue of what appeared to be a monk in his brown habit, holding a fish in one hand and a ring in the other.
"St. Mungo himself," said Dumbledore cheerfully, noticing Snape's curious expression. "Severus, I want you, on the count of three, to touch the statue. One, two, three!"