Anything in 'these' is what Severus writes down. Thought I would state
that up here so people don't get confused.
Chapter Two
When Severus woke the next day, he really didn't feel like getting up, yet the fact that somebody was nudging him brought him to a state of consciousness he would rather not be in. Surely he didn't need to be at breakfast today?
"Severus? Albus wants to talk to you as soon as possible." Minerva McGonagall announced, looking down at him. She should have realised something was wrong when all the answer she got was a tired groan.
Severus angrily pushed away his sheets and put on a nearby robe. Tying it at his waist, his nightclothes still visible for anybody looking beyond the robe, he didn't care how many people saw him looking a wreck when he felt like one. Why should he bother changing anyway when he would be going straight back to bed when he had talked to Albus.
Looking around his room, he arched an eyebrow at it. Here Minerva was in his rooms and it looked like a hurricane had just gone sweeping through it. He frowned and shook his head at the sight. He was amazed that Minerva hadn't said anything about it.yet.
"Tough night? The staff heard you were called." She said.
Severus spun around fast, about to ask her exactly what everyone had heard. He shut his mouth fast when he realised that was impossible now. He was now mighty pissed off! Growling, he stalked out of his private chambers and headed straight for the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's Office. He stopped short when he reached his destination. It suddenly occurred to him that he couldn't say the password to get in. He would either have to wait for a member of staff to walk by, or for Dumbledore to come out.
To his surprise, the gargoyle took one look at him and moved so he could pass through. Severus sighed in relief. Albus must have charmed it to let him in without a password.
Going up the spiral staircase he was hit with a wave of uncertainty. How exactly was he going to communicate with the Headmaster? His rage was coming back just thinking about it. By the time the door had come into sight, he was nearing the same state he had been in last night.
Like all wizards, the power of his magic greatly increases with anger. He knew he was angrier than he should be when a glass jar holding some of Dumbledore's Muggle sweets exploded. He was given the Don't-Do-That-Again look. Seething, he whipped out his wand, went to an open window and sent all the extra energy out in a light show of magic.
It helped him a bit, rid of the magic that needed to be let loose. He smiled wickedly when he realised he had set fire to Hagrid's vegetable garden. Now he felt much better.
"Calm now, Severus?" Albus asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement at the younger wizards anger.
Severus turned back around, shrugged his shoulders and gave his head a short nod. He did feel a whole lot calmer then he had last night.
Albus smiled gently and nodded himself. "Good, good. Now, we seemed to have run into a problem with communicating. I have thought that, for the time being, you can write down whatever yo wish to say." With this said, the old wizard got out a quill and a roll of parchment from somewhere in his desk.
Severus picked up the quill and hurriedly jotted down the first thing that came to his mind. 'What about the others?' he then proceeded to show Albus.
"Ah! Well, I would say you should stick to your dungeons until you are ready to tell the rest of the staff. They will find out on their own though, so it might be wise if you write them all a letter explaining . . ."
Severus started to furiously shake his head, no. 'No. I am not only talking about the rest of the staff, Albus. What about the students? How am I meant to teach? There is no possible way you could get another Potion's Professor fast enough for the beginning of the new school year. I am also the best in the country. That is probably the only reason I am still alive right now.'
Dumbledore read this silently, a look f worry etched on his features. "What do you mean? Did he keep you alive just for your skills in Potions?"
Severus nodded slightly, all of a sudden feeling as old as Albus looked. He went and sat down in the chair directly in front of Albus' desk. He buried his head in his hands. How come this stuff only happens to me? He thought glumly to himself. He suddenly felt terribly alone in the world.
" Severus . . . Severus! Did you hear what I just said?"
Raising his head, he blinked at the Headmaster. He realised he hadn't heard a word the old wizard had just said to him.
"Are you feeling alright? Your mind was wandering."
Slowly he shook his head, no. How could Albus ask such a thing? Of course I'm not all right! His thoughts were clearly written on his face. At least he hoped they were. Albus would then drop THAT subject.
"I said if it is possible, I will find somebody who knows Sign Language." When all Albus got was a blank look, he added, "You know, Hand Speak. Speaking through signs made with your hands."
Severus growled and went for the paper again. 'I know what it is Albus. Why? How is that going to help me? All I want is my voice back, but that isn't ever going to happen again. HE made sure of that when he closed the wound.'
Albus sighed. "I know how attached you were to your voice. Your tongue has been, if you don't mind me saying so, your most valuable weapon. Something you could wield effortlessly for both defence and offence. Now it is gone and you are feeling more vulnerable than you have in a long time."
Severus frowned. The memories that brought up he wanted to keep buried for another day. Slowly he nodded his head when he realised Albus was right. He was about to write down a quick reply when the door opened and Minerva came barging into the Office. Severus dropped his head forward, making it bang onto the desk in front of him with a loud thud.
When he felt a pat on his head, he looked up, an angry scowl on his face. The scowl deepened when Albus chuckled.
"Come now, Severus. I believe Minerva is here to come remind us about the Farewell Feast."
Minerva nodded. "The students are now rising and packing their belongings. The feast is about to begin."
"Very well. Shall we go Severus."
That last was not a question. Looked like he had to go to breakfast after all. He had forgotten all about the Farewell Feast. Still, he thought the way he was emphatically shaking his head would have given the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress all the answers they needed to that anyway. This turned out to be a mistake.
"Why so quiet Severus? Lost your voice or something?" Minerva asked in a sickly sweet voice. She and Severus were on speaking terms. At least more than he was with the other teachers. Even if it was to snipe at who had the better Quidditch team.
As soon as she had said the words, she wished she could take them back. She knew instantly that it had been the wrong thing to say.
Severus saw red. He was aware something else broke but all he could see was the target of this new wave of rage. Striding towards Minerva, he raised his fist and before anybody had even thought to stop him, he punched her hard in the jaw.
Before he had the chance to repeat the act, his whole body froze just like it had when he had had his tongue cut out. In a few short seconds he went from red-hot rage to blind panic.
He shrieked and tried to move even though he knew it was pointless. When Albus moved in front of him, anger evident in his eyes, he almost passed out. He was in BIG trouble.
When the spell was lifted, he slid to the ground and curled himself into as much a ball as his long legs would allow. A hand touched him gently on the arm and he jerked away from it.
"Minerva, I suggest you leave him alone. If you put him under another spell, I will not be as gentle as Severus was on you."
"Gentle?! He hit me! I was protecting myself."
"I suggest you go down to the Feast now. Severus and I will join you shortly."
With a loud "humph" the stern woman stormed out of the Headmaster's Office, slamming the door behind her. Albus then knelt down near the younger wizard. "I am not angry with you, Severus. She should not have put you under the Full-Body Bind. I am guessing He did that to you?"
Severus nodded, straightened himself out, and then sat up. With a gentle helping hand from albus, he was soon back on his feet. They then proceeded to make it slowly down to the Great Hall and the waiting students.
----------------------------------------
After her awkward nights sleep, Hermione really was quite glad that, by that night, she would be able to sleep in her bed in her parents' home.
She made herself get up and slowly made her way to the bathroom. After her shower and dressing in fresh clothes, she felt a little more awake and was ready for breakfast. It was then she realised that she was the only girl left in the 5th year Girls' Dormitory. Walking down to the Gryffindor Common Room, she realised with a start that the Farewell Feast had already started.
Swearing softly under her breath, she hurried out to the passageways of Hogwarts and flat out ran all the way to the Great Hall.
She was well aware of every pair of eyes staring at her as she made her way to her seat at the Gryffindor table. Looking around as she sat down, she was quite aware of two empty seats at the Head Table and Professor McGonagall sporting a bruised jaw.
As she realised the two missing were Dumbledore and Snape, she calmed a bit. She was well aware of the almost father/son bond between Snape and the Headmaster. But with the way she had dragged the Potion Master inside last night, she felt somewhat afraid that her Professor might be in the Hospital Wing very hurt.
With this in her mind, she was quite shocked when Dumbledore and Snape walked in together. Was it her imagination, or did her Professor look nervous about being there. And why is he only wearing a robe over his nightclothes?
Shaking her head, she began to put some food on her plate and began to eat, well aware that her eyes kept on wondering to the Potion's aster. She realised he wasn't eating anything, though that was not unusual in itself. What was unusual was the fact that he wouldn't even touch the coffee that was placed in front of him.
Looking back away, she concentrated on her own food and when it came, the announcement that Dumbledore just had to say at every feast, whether it was a Dinner Feast, like all the others, or this Breakfast Feast.
Afterwards, she followed Harry and Ron, her two best friends out to the front of the school where the Horseless Carriages awaited to take them to the Hogsmeade Station and the Hogwarts Express that would take them home.
She didn't bother stating her concern about Professor Snape to the two boys. She knew quite well they wouldn't care, or why she noticed in the first place. That, she had promised not to tell anybody. It would be one promise she could easily keep.
A/N - So what did you all think of that? I have found a way to make this story so both the SS/HG and SS/RL people will like, hopefully. I was going to change it to SS/RL in the people involved when Remus enters the story and that won't be for a while. Until then, it is a SS/HG very strong friendship.
What will happen? It is actually quite easy to know.oh well. Nobody said I couldn't be predictable, though I will try to not be in the future.
Hope ya all enjoy! R/r please. Constructive criticism is welcome.
Chapter Two
When Severus woke the next day, he really didn't feel like getting up, yet the fact that somebody was nudging him brought him to a state of consciousness he would rather not be in. Surely he didn't need to be at breakfast today?
"Severus? Albus wants to talk to you as soon as possible." Minerva McGonagall announced, looking down at him. She should have realised something was wrong when all the answer she got was a tired groan.
Severus angrily pushed away his sheets and put on a nearby robe. Tying it at his waist, his nightclothes still visible for anybody looking beyond the robe, he didn't care how many people saw him looking a wreck when he felt like one. Why should he bother changing anyway when he would be going straight back to bed when he had talked to Albus.
Looking around his room, he arched an eyebrow at it. Here Minerva was in his rooms and it looked like a hurricane had just gone sweeping through it. He frowned and shook his head at the sight. He was amazed that Minerva hadn't said anything about it.yet.
"Tough night? The staff heard you were called." She said.
Severus spun around fast, about to ask her exactly what everyone had heard. He shut his mouth fast when he realised that was impossible now. He was now mighty pissed off! Growling, he stalked out of his private chambers and headed straight for the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's Office. He stopped short when he reached his destination. It suddenly occurred to him that he couldn't say the password to get in. He would either have to wait for a member of staff to walk by, or for Dumbledore to come out.
To his surprise, the gargoyle took one look at him and moved so he could pass through. Severus sighed in relief. Albus must have charmed it to let him in without a password.
Going up the spiral staircase he was hit with a wave of uncertainty. How exactly was he going to communicate with the Headmaster? His rage was coming back just thinking about it. By the time the door had come into sight, he was nearing the same state he had been in last night.
Like all wizards, the power of his magic greatly increases with anger. He knew he was angrier than he should be when a glass jar holding some of Dumbledore's Muggle sweets exploded. He was given the Don't-Do-That-Again look. Seething, he whipped out his wand, went to an open window and sent all the extra energy out in a light show of magic.
It helped him a bit, rid of the magic that needed to be let loose. He smiled wickedly when he realised he had set fire to Hagrid's vegetable garden. Now he felt much better.
"Calm now, Severus?" Albus asked, his eyes twinkling in amusement at the younger wizards anger.
Severus turned back around, shrugged his shoulders and gave his head a short nod. He did feel a whole lot calmer then he had last night.
Albus smiled gently and nodded himself. "Good, good. Now, we seemed to have run into a problem with communicating. I have thought that, for the time being, you can write down whatever yo wish to say." With this said, the old wizard got out a quill and a roll of parchment from somewhere in his desk.
Severus picked up the quill and hurriedly jotted down the first thing that came to his mind. 'What about the others?' he then proceeded to show Albus.
"Ah! Well, I would say you should stick to your dungeons until you are ready to tell the rest of the staff. They will find out on their own though, so it might be wise if you write them all a letter explaining . . ."
Severus started to furiously shake his head, no. 'No. I am not only talking about the rest of the staff, Albus. What about the students? How am I meant to teach? There is no possible way you could get another Potion's Professor fast enough for the beginning of the new school year. I am also the best in the country. That is probably the only reason I am still alive right now.'
Dumbledore read this silently, a look f worry etched on his features. "What do you mean? Did he keep you alive just for your skills in Potions?"
Severus nodded slightly, all of a sudden feeling as old as Albus looked. He went and sat down in the chair directly in front of Albus' desk. He buried his head in his hands. How come this stuff only happens to me? He thought glumly to himself. He suddenly felt terribly alone in the world.
" Severus . . . Severus! Did you hear what I just said?"
Raising his head, he blinked at the Headmaster. He realised he hadn't heard a word the old wizard had just said to him.
"Are you feeling alright? Your mind was wandering."
Slowly he shook his head, no. How could Albus ask such a thing? Of course I'm not all right! His thoughts were clearly written on his face. At least he hoped they were. Albus would then drop THAT subject.
"I said if it is possible, I will find somebody who knows Sign Language." When all Albus got was a blank look, he added, "You know, Hand Speak. Speaking through signs made with your hands."
Severus growled and went for the paper again. 'I know what it is Albus. Why? How is that going to help me? All I want is my voice back, but that isn't ever going to happen again. HE made sure of that when he closed the wound.'
Albus sighed. "I know how attached you were to your voice. Your tongue has been, if you don't mind me saying so, your most valuable weapon. Something you could wield effortlessly for both defence and offence. Now it is gone and you are feeling more vulnerable than you have in a long time."
Severus frowned. The memories that brought up he wanted to keep buried for another day. Slowly he nodded his head when he realised Albus was right. He was about to write down a quick reply when the door opened and Minerva came barging into the Office. Severus dropped his head forward, making it bang onto the desk in front of him with a loud thud.
When he felt a pat on his head, he looked up, an angry scowl on his face. The scowl deepened when Albus chuckled.
"Come now, Severus. I believe Minerva is here to come remind us about the Farewell Feast."
Minerva nodded. "The students are now rising and packing their belongings. The feast is about to begin."
"Very well. Shall we go Severus."
That last was not a question. Looked like he had to go to breakfast after all. He had forgotten all about the Farewell Feast. Still, he thought the way he was emphatically shaking his head would have given the Headmaster and Deputy Headmistress all the answers they needed to that anyway. This turned out to be a mistake.
"Why so quiet Severus? Lost your voice or something?" Minerva asked in a sickly sweet voice. She and Severus were on speaking terms. At least more than he was with the other teachers. Even if it was to snipe at who had the better Quidditch team.
As soon as she had said the words, she wished she could take them back. She knew instantly that it had been the wrong thing to say.
Severus saw red. He was aware something else broke but all he could see was the target of this new wave of rage. Striding towards Minerva, he raised his fist and before anybody had even thought to stop him, he punched her hard in the jaw.
Before he had the chance to repeat the act, his whole body froze just like it had when he had had his tongue cut out. In a few short seconds he went from red-hot rage to blind panic.
He shrieked and tried to move even though he knew it was pointless. When Albus moved in front of him, anger evident in his eyes, he almost passed out. He was in BIG trouble.
When the spell was lifted, he slid to the ground and curled himself into as much a ball as his long legs would allow. A hand touched him gently on the arm and he jerked away from it.
"Minerva, I suggest you leave him alone. If you put him under another spell, I will not be as gentle as Severus was on you."
"Gentle?! He hit me! I was protecting myself."
"I suggest you go down to the Feast now. Severus and I will join you shortly."
With a loud "humph" the stern woman stormed out of the Headmaster's Office, slamming the door behind her. Albus then knelt down near the younger wizard. "I am not angry with you, Severus. She should not have put you under the Full-Body Bind. I am guessing He did that to you?"
Severus nodded, straightened himself out, and then sat up. With a gentle helping hand from albus, he was soon back on his feet. They then proceeded to make it slowly down to the Great Hall and the waiting students.
----------------------------------------
After her awkward nights sleep, Hermione really was quite glad that, by that night, she would be able to sleep in her bed in her parents' home.
She made herself get up and slowly made her way to the bathroom. After her shower and dressing in fresh clothes, she felt a little more awake and was ready for breakfast. It was then she realised that she was the only girl left in the 5th year Girls' Dormitory. Walking down to the Gryffindor Common Room, she realised with a start that the Farewell Feast had already started.
Swearing softly under her breath, she hurried out to the passageways of Hogwarts and flat out ran all the way to the Great Hall.
She was well aware of every pair of eyes staring at her as she made her way to her seat at the Gryffindor table. Looking around as she sat down, she was quite aware of two empty seats at the Head Table and Professor McGonagall sporting a bruised jaw.
As she realised the two missing were Dumbledore and Snape, she calmed a bit. She was well aware of the almost father/son bond between Snape and the Headmaster. But with the way she had dragged the Potion Master inside last night, she felt somewhat afraid that her Professor might be in the Hospital Wing very hurt.
With this in her mind, she was quite shocked when Dumbledore and Snape walked in together. Was it her imagination, or did her Professor look nervous about being there. And why is he only wearing a robe over his nightclothes?
Shaking her head, she began to put some food on her plate and began to eat, well aware that her eyes kept on wondering to the Potion's aster. She realised he wasn't eating anything, though that was not unusual in itself. What was unusual was the fact that he wouldn't even touch the coffee that was placed in front of him.
Looking back away, she concentrated on her own food and when it came, the announcement that Dumbledore just had to say at every feast, whether it was a Dinner Feast, like all the others, or this Breakfast Feast.
Afterwards, she followed Harry and Ron, her two best friends out to the front of the school where the Horseless Carriages awaited to take them to the Hogsmeade Station and the Hogwarts Express that would take them home.
She didn't bother stating her concern about Professor Snape to the two boys. She knew quite well they wouldn't care, or why she noticed in the first place. That, she had promised not to tell anybody. It would be one promise she could easily keep.
A/N - So what did you all think of that? I have found a way to make this story so both the SS/HG and SS/RL people will like, hopefully. I was going to change it to SS/RL in the people involved when Remus enters the story and that won't be for a while. Until then, it is a SS/HG very strong friendship.
What will happen? It is actually quite easy to know.oh well. Nobody said I couldn't be predictable, though I will try to not be in the future.
Hope ya all enjoy! R/r please. Constructive criticism is welcome.