Magic of the soul
_____________
Lesson two: Don't tease moody potion masters
-----------------------------------------------
"You don't come out of your bat cave often, do you?"
The man turned around so fast that Kari needed to take a step back. Boy, did he seem angry. She KNEW she shouldn't have said it, but the temptation had simply been too great. First the dark hallways, then the pale scary looking guy and then the billowing robes. . .you get the idea. The man had been glaring at her, Kari looked again and yep, she was right, he was STILL staring at her.
Okay, she admitted it, her humour was not of the best but dang, that HAD been funny! Perhaps she should try to handle this situation. . . .
"Is there something wrong?' She purred in a sugary sweet voice while fluttering her eyelids suspiciously innocent.
Now Kari had expected many responses, from shouting to silently walking away in the opposite direction, but she hadn't expected to hear him growl.
"Growl!"
Just like that he growled. Made you wonder if he was an animal of sorts. And there the temptation was again. . .
"Ooooohhhhh that gave me some good shivers! Do it again!"
This time he didn't growl, he just glared at her. If glares could kill, then she would be tortured at the spot even after she had died. A VERY, VERY EXCRUTIATING and PAINFUL death would have been heaven. A small part of her mind told her not to irk the man, but the other part? The other part, the big part of her brain wasn't so smart. So what did she do?
She laughed.
He was just standing there, glaring at her, doing nothing wrong, really. He was even taking her to the office! And what did she do? Laugh! His reward was being laughed at. Some reward.
"I do not see what was so funny. You do realise that I know the way around the castle and you do not!" He said with a voice that seemed to be made of steel.
Kari abruptly stopped laughing.
"I realise that and I apologize. Now would you kindly give me your name or shall I have to refer to you as batman?"
He snorted. "You will not refer to me as that insult!"
She merely raised her brow as to say: Try me. The man sneered. "Severus Snape."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Snape. My name is Kari. Feel free to use it. You may also call me catwoman."
He didn't even dignify that with an answer. He just kept walking, so she would just follow. She didn't suspect a thing at first, but when they kept walking for over an hour, she HAD to ask. "Are you deliberately walking in circles?"
Snape didn't answer, but his smirk told her everything she needed to know. He WAS walking in circles. Now Kari glared, but it didn't have the same effect as his glare, because she wasn't so well practiced. Perhaps she should try another tactic.
"Oh dear, grandpa will be worried about me." She sighted. This got Snapes' attention.
"And who is your 'grandpa'?"
Kari looked at him in fake wonder. "Why Albus Dumbledore of course!" It's not that she had to believe it, Snape had to believe it. But from the looks of it, he didn't believe it. He just sneered at her.
"Fine, don't believe me, ask grandpa later."
He just kept sneering. Kari decided to push her luck. "I believe you were leading me to the headmasters' office?"
Snape turned and walked away with Kari following him. They arrived at the office fairly soon this time. Albus was waiting for them.
"Albus, this girl claims to be your granddaughter."
"Young woman, thank you very much!" Kari said insulted.
"Albus, is this true?"
Albus' eyes twinkled. "No, she is not, Severus."
Snape turned around and looked somewhere between triumphant and like he was ready to kill Kari.
"Actually, she is my great-granddaughter."
"Not that I believe it, mind you." Kari said a bit angry. She still couldn't accept it, even if she got the feeling that it was truth. "And now I'm going home. Bye" Kari started to walk away but Albus interrupted her.
"I already explained to you that you can't go home."
"I can and by God I will!" Kari nearly shouted. "I don't care what you say!"
"So you would risk their deaths? Just like that? And you would not feel guilty?"
Kari didn't answer. How could she answer? Every answer seemed to be the wrong one. But she did realise that Albus was right. What was she to do? Where was she to stay? She just wanted to go home and carry on with her comfortable life. She knew what to expect in that life. If she were to stay here then she wouldn't know what to expect. She wouldn't know what to do.
"Then where am I to stay? What am I to do? I can't just throw my life away. . . I have friends and family and expectations!"
Snape realised that he wasn't supposed to be part of this conversation.
"Albus, I still have some potions to make. I'll see you later. You too, catwoman."
Kari held a ghost of a smile on her face. Well, who would have thought that Severus has a sense of humour? Certainly not she, who had teased him before but had gotten an angry reaction. She got sad again. What was she to do?
"You'll be staying here at Hogwarts, of course. The house elves already moved your personal belongings into your room. I hope you do not mind your rooms to be in the teachers' wing?"
"No, no problem." Kari answered feeling defeated. "And what am I to do?"
"Well, you could be an assistant for one or more of our teachers here. Who knows, you might become a teacher someday!"
"Yeah, how fun. How am I going to do that? You said yourself that this place teaches magic. I can't do magic."
"You don't need magic to make potions or teach about muggles. You could probably also help in herbology."
"If I were to accept your offer, you mean. I'll stay for now. But that doesn't mean that I believe you are family of me!"
Albus smiles sadly. "That is understandable. Though I do hope you will believe me one day."
"What were my parents' names?"
"Why would you ask if you do not believe me?"
Kari fidgeted. "I. . . used to have. . . nightmares. I never could explain them. It was about a guy with brown hair and a woman with red hair. They loved me in some dreams. In my nightmare they were both afraid, so. . . terrified. . .I dreamed that they put me in a closet. . .and then this guy storms into the room. . . . After that. . ." Kari did not continue.
"What happened after that?" Albus asked gently with a caring voice.
"Screams, a green light, an evil laugh, death. . ." Kari had turned into a ghostly pale. "The screams, God, those screams. . ." Kari seemed lost in her memories for a moment, but she suddenly pulled herself out of them. "They were just nightmares, weren't they?" Her eyes pleaded with Albus.
"I'm sorry, they're not. The man and woman in your dreams are your parents."
Kari felt herself falling. For years she had tried to tell herself that it was a nightmare, not a memory. Her mind could not accept this as the truth, yet it could no longer deny it. She welcomed the comforting darkness.
*
*
*
Please review
*
*
*
_____________
Lesson two: Don't tease moody potion masters
-----------------------------------------------
"You don't come out of your bat cave often, do you?"
The man turned around so fast that Kari needed to take a step back. Boy, did he seem angry. She KNEW she shouldn't have said it, but the temptation had simply been too great. First the dark hallways, then the pale scary looking guy and then the billowing robes. . .you get the idea. The man had been glaring at her, Kari looked again and yep, she was right, he was STILL staring at her.
Okay, she admitted it, her humour was not of the best but dang, that HAD been funny! Perhaps she should try to handle this situation. . . .
"Is there something wrong?' She purred in a sugary sweet voice while fluttering her eyelids suspiciously innocent.
Now Kari had expected many responses, from shouting to silently walking away in the opposite direction, but she hadn't expected to hear him growl.
"Growl!"
Just like that he growled. Made you wonder if he was an animal of sorts. And there the temptation was again. . .
"Ooooohhhhh that gave me some good shivers! Do it again!"
This time he didn't growl, he just glared at her. If glares could kill, then she would be tortured at the spot even after she had died. A VERY, VERY EXCRUTIATING and PAINFUL death would have been heaven. A small part of her mind told her not to irk the man, but the other part? The other part, the big part of her brain wasn't so smart. So what did she do?
She laughed.
He was just standing there, glaring at her, doing nothing wrong, really. He was even taking her to the office! And what did she do? Laugh! His reward was being laughed at. Some reward.
"I do not see what was so funny. You do realise that I know the way around the castle and you do not!" He said with a voice that seemed to be made of steel.
Kari abruptly stopped laughing.
"I realise that and I apologize. Now would you kindly give me your name or shall I have to refer to you as batman?"
He snorted. "You will not refer to me as that insult!"
She merely raised her brow as to say: Try me. The man sneered. "Severus Snape."
"Pleasure to meet you, Mister Snape. My name is Kari. Feel free to use it. You may also call me catwoman."
He didn't even dignify that with an answer. He just kept walking, so she would just follow. She didn't suspect a thing at first, but when they kept walking for over an hour, she HAD to ask. "Are you deliberately walking in circles?"
Snape didn't answer, but his smirk told her everything she needed to know. He WAS walking in circles. Now Kari glared, but it didn't have the same effect as his glare, because she wasn't so well practiced. Perhaps she should try another tactic.
"Oh dear, grandpa will be worried about me." She sighted. This got Snapes' attention.
"And who is your 'grandpa'?"
Kari looked at him in fake wonder. "Why Albus Dumbledore of course!" It's not that she had to believe it, Snape had to believe it. But from the looks of it, he didn't believe it. He just sneered at her.
"Fine, don't believe me, ask grandpa later."
He just kept sneering. Kari decided to push her luck. "I believe you were leading me to the headmasters' office?"
Snape turned and walked away with Kari following him. They arrived at the office fairly soon this time. Albus was waiting for them.
"Albus, this girl claims to be your granddaughter."
"Young woman, thank you very much!" Kari said insulted.
"Albus, is this true?"
Albus' eyes twinkled. "No, she is not, Severus."
Snape turned around and looked somewhere between triumphant and like he was ready to kill Kari.
"Actually, she is my great-granddaughter."
"Not that I believe it, mind you." Kari said a bit angry. She still couldn't accept it, even if she got the feeling that it was truth. "And now I'm going home. Bye" Kari started to walk away but Albus interrupted her.
"I already explained to you that you can't go home."
"I can and by God I will!" Kari nearly shouted. "I don't care what you say!"
"So you would risk their deaths? Just like that? And you would not feel guilty?"
Kari didn't answer. How could she answer? Every answer seemed to be the wrong one. But she did realise that Albus was right. What was she to do? Where was she to stay? She just wanted to go home and carry on with her comfortable life. She knew what to expect in that life. If she were to stay here then she wouldn't know what to expect. She wouldn't know what to do.
"Then where am I to stay? What am I to do? I can't just throw my life away. . . I have friends and family and expectations!"
Snape realised that he wasn't supposed to be part of this conversation.
"Albus, I still have some potions to make. I'll see you later. You too, catwoman."
Kari held a ghost of a smile on her face. Well, who would have thought that Severus has a sense of humour? Certainly not she, who had teased him before but had gotten an angry reaction. She got sad again. What was she to do?
"You'll be staying here at Hogwarts, of course. The house elves already moved your personal belongings into your room. I hope you do not mind your rooms to be in the teachers' wing?"
"No, no problem." Kari answered feeling defeated. "And what am I to do?"
"Well, you could be an assistant for one or more of our teachers here. Who knows, you might become a teacher someday!"
"Yeah, how fun. How am I going to do that? You said yourself that this place teaches magic. I can't do magic."
"You don't need magic to make potions or teach about muggles. You could probably also help in herbology."
"If I were to accept your offer, you mean. I'll stay for now. But that doesn't mean that I believe you are family of me!"
Albus smiles sadly. "That is understandable. Though I do hope you will believe me one day."
"What were my parents' names?"
"Why would you ask if you do not believe me?"
Kari fidgeted. "I. . . used to have. . . nightmares. I never could explain them. It was about a guy with brown hair and a woman with red hair. They loved me in some dreams. In my nightmare they were both afraid, so. . . terrified. . .I dreamed that they put me in a closet. . .and then this guy storms into the room. . . . After that. . ." Kari did not continue.
"What happened after that?" Albus asked gently with a caring voice.
"Screams, a green light, an evil laugh, death. . ." Kari had turned into a ghostly pale. "The screams, God, those screams. . ." Kari seemed lost in her memories for a moment, but she suddenly pulled herself out of them. "They were just nightmares, weren't they?" Her eyes pleaded with Albus.
"I'm sorry, they're not. The man and woman in your dreams are your parents."
Kari felt herself falling. For years she had tried to tell herself that it was a nightmare, not a memory. Her mind could not accept this as the truth, yet it could no longer deny it. She welcomed the comforting darkness.
*
*
*
Please review
*
*
*