Chapter 2
The honey-colored wood of the study doors glinted in the sun shine that came though the gallery windows. She knocked softly with no reply. She waited a polite minute and tried again and then heard a brusque reply.
"Enter."
The brass of the knob felt cold in her hand as Eugenie opened the door and entered the richly furnished room. Mr. Snape looked up from his work only long enough to point with his chin to a chair near the desk. The stiff chair with the flat back made her almost sit at attention. In the quietness of the room the only sound present was the ticking of the clock and the scratching of his quill. Her fortitude began to fail as she waited for him to address her.
It seemed like an eon before he finally looked up and reached for an envelope that was sitting on the desk. As he rose, he looked at her in a dismissive manner. His deep baritone voice resonated as he spoke,
"Miss Ermengild, your services will not be needed here after the end of the month." He strode around the desk and held out to her a thick envelope, that matched the note she had received earlier.
"This contains a letter of reference and most generously I feel, a month's wages."
"Sir, " that is Wednesday, the day after tomorrow. But why, is there something I have done wrong?" The words tumbled out of her mouth in a shocked tone.
Valerius Snape looked down at her with his hard dark eyes. He towered over her with his hands held behind his back and an acrid smile on his lips.
"After the death of Isaias, Severus is now my heir." He continued, his thin lips forming the harsh works. " It is time that he took his nose out of a book and quit acting like a fool scholar instead of my heir. I have made arrangements with Professor Quen who will begin tutoring Severus on Wednesday."
"But Sir," she said as she rose to her feet, "he's just a little boy." Eugenie pleaded with tears rising in her voice. "Severus is a very sensitive and bright child. He's not ready..."
"Enough!" "Please inform Master Severus of the changes." With that he moved back to his desk.
She opened her mouth to speak but his cold dismissive look told her that anything she said would be in vain. She turned and left the room quietly closing the door behind her.