YAY! I think that I'm finally over my writers block! My mind has been so busy
lately with the numorous tests I'm having to take right now in school! And
while taking one of my tests one day, I came up with some ideas for my
story. But I need to make a couple of shout-outs! first I need to give a
shout-out to Real-Fan05. You introduced me to fanfic and so I owe you a big
thank you! And you've been wonderful to talk to. And then to Vara. You've
been a wonderful help to me! You did such a great job making me realize how
I need to look at my story and characters. And you really helped me with this
chapter! Thanks to both of you guys! You've been the greatest, and you've
been wonderful friends!
***
After a long embrace in the snow they parted enough to finally enter
Sheyliegh's mother's home. Snape was led to a sitting room, where a fire
cheerfully crackled and danced within the stone hearth. The fire warmed him
on the outside; thawing his numb fingers, but he was warmed from within by
Sheyliegh's presence.
"Mother? I would like to introduce you to Severus. He is the potion's master
from Hogwart's that I have told you about."
"Ah, yes! The one that Albus talks of so often. It is nice to finally meet
you, Severus. I have herad wonderful things about you. I must tell you, my
dear brother is very fond of you."
"Why, thank you, ma'am, it's wonderful to finally meet you. I must tell
you that you have raised a beautiful, bright young lady. And I don't know
what kind of state I would be in if she hadn't of showed up to help me with
my classes. She did a wonderful job, i must insure you."
"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without her. She has
truly been a blessing. Would you care to stay for lunch?"
"Thank you ma'am. I believe I would like that very much."
So he stayed for lunch. They ate turkey sandwiches, creamed corn, and some
thing that Severus had never had before... soda. He quickly took a liking to
the fizzy muggle drink. For desert they ate fruit salad. Snape asked many
questions about the distinctly Muggle meal. Shey's mother answered him with
amusement.
"I never knew that Albus even had a sister... let alone, a Muggle for
a sister- I mean, not that it's bad in any way. I just- I was, surprised."
"Oh yes.The fact that I'm a muggle would mean that I should have died long
before now. But my dear brother has been kind enough to send me an elixer as
to keep me alive. I mean seeing that he is 150 years old himself. It was a
major surpirse to all of us when he first got his letter, since we were all
muggles and no idea that the wizarding world even existed. It came as quite
the shock. We were almost sure that it was nothing but a prank some one was
pulling on us. But then the game keeper for the school showed up. It was also
a shock to have a fully trained wizard in the house. All though he did hardly
any magic while there, we knew there was something different about him.
Perhaps it was his appearance. But anyways, let's talk about you. Did you
attend Hogwarts as a boy?"
"Er- well, yes. Actually Sheyliegh and I were in the same year. But of
course we were in different houses. I was in, Slytherin."
"Really?" She turned in her seat to look at Sheyliegh. "How come you never
mentioned him to me? Were the two of you friends?"
"Well... umm..."
"Well we did interact a little. But I wouldn't say that we were really
that close. We uhm, traveled in different circles. We -er- crossed paths,
every once in a while."
Severus looked across the table at Sheyliegh. She had her head bent and was
looking at her hands which were folded in her lap. He then looked into her
mother's face. He could perceive some resemblance. They had the same hair
color, and the same nose. But Shey's cheekbones, and the eyes more than
likely came from her father. Her mother had brown eyes that were not even
close to the glowing silver of Sheyliegh's eyes. The question was though...
where was Sheyliegh's father? That was quickly followed his observations. He
thought on it for a minute, taking rather large bites of fruit without
noticing. But then he decided that, maybe he shouldn't ask.
Finally Sheyliegh broke the silence, but still kept her eyes in her lap. "How
did you know where to find me?"
"Albus."
"Was he mad at me?" She tentatively looked up into his face, fear and anxiety
clearly visable in her face.
"No. But he did want me to deliver a message to you for him." Suddenly
a mix of relief and curiosity appeared on Sheyliegh's face. "He wanted me to
tell you that if you were willing to come back, there would be a job waiting
for you. But- you know... only if you want it."
Sheyliegh jumped out of her chair with excitement. The curiosity and
lingering worry were gone and joy was the only emotion that appeared upon
her face. "A job?! But what position could he mean? Surly no one quit! Did
they Severus?!"
"Shh-shh. Calm down." Sheyliegh made her way back to her seat and sat down.
She sat, looking at Severus with wide eyes, and waiting for an answer.
Severus laughed within himself. She looked like an excited child on Christmas
morning.
"Well.... I suppose...." He said this in a slow, teasing, sort of voice. He
knew that she wouldn't be able to stand the anticipation.
"Severus, do I have to wait and ask Albus myself?! Or will you, TELL ME!"
"I suppose I should tell you. Albus said that if you were interested,
and only if you were interested, that you could fulfill the duties as a
potions master along side me. But I didn't think that you would be-"
Sheyliegh's tightening arms around his neck cut off his teasing. She had
simply reached across the table in her excitement.
***
An hour later, Sheyliegh hugged her mother good-bye, and Severus thanked
her for lunch. Together, with Sheyliegh's things, they disapperated.
An instant later they reapperated at the edge of the dark forest. Carefully
they made their way through the forest and toward the castle.
Reaching the castle, they went directly to the dungeons so Sheyliegh could
unpack her things. This was the first time Severus had ever been into
Sheyliegh's living quarters. It was a lot like his, except that everything
was reversed. The things that, in his room were on the left, were placed on
the right here.
"I'm so excited! I'm going to be a full time teacher at one of the
best Wizarding schools on the planet! Come on, we have to tell Albus that
I'm here."
Sheyliegh rushed past Severus and headed out the door. She was almost
jogging down the hall. But with his long strides, Severus was able to keep
right beside her. Finally they reached the stone gargoyle that was the
doorway to Albus' office. Snape stood right beside the statue and said the
password that would allow them to pass. "Chocolate frogs."
The statue began to move and stairs appeared; spiraling upward until they
reached the door to the Headmaster's office. Severus gave his usual one-
knock. No one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer...
"Maybe he's still in the classroom teaching. I mean, he was covering potions
for you right?" Sheyliegh asked taking a hold of Severus' arm.
"But this is my free period. With slowly increasing worry, he reached into
his robes and drew out his wand. "Alohomora."
The lock came undone and the door swung open. Sitting at Albus' great oak
desk was Minerva. Her face was buried in her folded arms. Severus quickly
entered and Sheyleigh followed, quietly closing the door. Finally Minerva
realized that someone had entered and looked up. Instead of her usual stern
look, there was a vulnerable sheen in her tear drenched eyes. Her brow was
creased in worry, and she was obviously nearly exhausted.
"Minerva-" Severus was giving her his full attention. There was something
wrong. But what?
"He's gone."
"What? What do you mean? Who's gone?" Seyliehg took a step closer to the
desk.
"He's gone," she once again said in a whisper of a voice.
***
The darkness of the room was obliterated by the sudden lighting of a fire
place that he had been unaware of. Albus looked about the room for a moment,
then down at his own arms. He had been tied to a chair with a sinking feeling
he remembered, My wand! It's in my office.
He looked around again, hoping to get a glimpse of his assailant, but there
was no one else in the room. A chill was slowly steeling over his body. He
thought with pointless longing about the fire. He was placed so far away from
it, that it had no effect on him, temperature wise.
He sat there and waited. No one came. There was no noise.
He sat and waited he believed at least an hour had passed. Without a time
piece or even a window it was only a guess though. He felt himself shivering
from the cold, dampness of the room. Then, without warning, the door to his
right flew open. He couldn't see anyone standing there at first, but as his
eyes adjusted, he could just make out the dim outline of someone covered
head-to-toe in black. "The Dark Lord will be thrilled to know that he finally
has got a servant capable of accomplishing the task given him."
The shadow stepped forward. His face was hidden by a mask... a Death Eater's
mask.
"Reveal yourself."
The masked person walked closer to him, until he was a foot away. He got down
on his knees and looked Albus in the eyes. Their noses were an inch a part.
"And why should I do that?"
"To prove yourself a real man. A real man is proud of what he
is. Show your face you coward."
The Death Eater reached up with one hand and grasped his mask. With one fluid
movement, he removed his mask.Lucius Malfoy.
He then stood and looked down at Albus. "I have been waiting my entire life
to see you bound and helpless, old man."
"You can interogate me as much as you wish. You will get no
information on the workings or members of the Order of the Pheonix. Nor will
I tell you anything about the school, the staff, or students."
"First of all," he looked at him while a sneer came across his face. "I want
nothing to do with the Order- my master does. And secondly, if I wanted to
know something about the school, staff, or the students, all I would have to
do is consult my son. Old man, you must be wiser than that."
"If Voldemort wants to speak with me, why doesn't he come here
himself? Why send an underling instead?" Albus looked him square in the eye.
his eyes did not scare him. He knew that he could not kill him without
direct orders from his master.
Albus felt a stinging pain explode across the side of his face and a galaxy
of stars burst out before his eyes, Malfoy had slapped him.
"How dare you speak the name of my master so freely! I thought you had
better manners than that."
"I would spit in the face of your 'master', and think it a tribute
to my manners."
Another stinging pain on his cheek.
"You don't get it do you, old man? He has you where he wants you.
This time, he will triumph over you and your pathetic little 'Order'. His
followers will once again rise, and his name will frighten even the birds in
the air. No one is safe. No one will ever be safe again. Only his loyal
servants will enjoy freedom and leisure. The Dark Lord will hold the world
in his hands!"
***
lately with the numorous tests I'm having to take right now in school! And
while taking one of my tests one day, I came up with some ideas for my
story. But I need to make a couple of shout-outs! first I need to give a
shout-out to Real-Fan05. You introduced me to fanfic and so I owe you a big
thank you! And you've been wonderful to talk to. And then to Vara. You've
been a wonderful help to me! You did such a great job making me realize how
I need to look at my story and characters. And you really helped me with this
chapter! Thanks to both of you guys! You've been the greatest, and you've
been wonderful friends!
***
After a long embrace in the snow they parted enough to finally enter
Sheyliegh's mother's home. Snape was led to a sitting room, where a fire
cheerfully crackled and danced within the stone hearth. The fire warmed him
on the outside; thawing his numb fingers, but he was warmed from within by
Sheyliegh's presence.
"Mother? I would like to introduce you to Severus. He is the potion's master
from Hogwart's that I have told you about."
"Ah, yes! The one that Albus talks of so often. It is nice to finally meet
you, Severus. I have herad wonderful things about you. I must tell you, my
dear brother is very fond of you."
"Why, thank you, ma'am, it's wonderful to finally meet you. I must tell
you that you have raised a beautiful, bright young lady. And I don't know
what kind of state I would be in if she hadn't of showed up to help me with
my classes. She did a wonderful job, i must insure you."
"Thank you. I don't know what I would do without her. She has
truly been a blessing. Would you care to stay for lunch?"
"Thank you ma'am. I believe I would like that very much."
So he stayed for lunch. They ate turkey sandwiches, creamed corn, and some
thing that Severus had never had before... soda. He quickly took a liking to
the fizzy muggle drink. For desert they ate fruit salad. Snape asked many
questions about the distinctly Muggle meal. Shey's mother answered him with
amusement.
"I never knew that Albus even had a sister... let alone, a Muggle for
a sister- I mean, not that it's bad in any way. I just- I was, surprised."
"Oh yes.The fact that I'm a muggle would mean that I should have died long
before now. But my dear brother has been kind enough to send me an elixer as
to keep me alive. I mean seeing that he is 150 years old himself. It was a
major surpirse to all of us when he first got his letter, since we were all
muggles and no idea that the wizarding world even existed. It came as quite
the shock. We were almost sure that it was nothing but a prank some one was
pulling on us. But then the game keeper for the school showed up. It was also
a shock to have a fully trained wizard in the house. All though he did hardly
any magic while there, we knew there was something different about him.
Perhaps it was his appearance. But anyways, let's talk about you. Did you
attend Hogwarts as a boy?"
"Er- well, yes. Actually Sheyliegh and I were in the same year. But of
course we were in different houses. I was in, Slytherin."
"Really?" She turned in her seat to look at Sheyliegh. "How come you never
mentioned him to me? Were the two of you friends?"
"Well... umm..."
"Well we did interact a little. But I wouldn't say that we were really
that close. We uhm, traveled in different circles. We -er- crossed paths,
every once in a while."
Severus looked across the table at Sheyliegh. She had her head bent and was
looking at her hands which were folded in her lap. He then looked into her
mother's face. He could perceive some resemblance. They had the same hair
color, and the same nose. But Shey's cheekbones, and the eyes more than
likely came from her father. Her mother had brown eyes that were not even
close to the glowing silver of Sheyliegh's eyes. The question was though...
where was Sheyliegh's father? That was quickly followed his observations. He
thought on it for a minute, taking rather large bites of fruit without
noticing. But then he decided that, maybe he shouldn't ask.
Finally Sheyliegh broke the silence, but still kept her eyes in her lap. "How
did you know where to find me?"
"Albus."
"Was he mad at me?" She tentatively looked up into his face, fear and anxiety
clearly visable in her face.
"No. But he did want me to deliver a message to you for him." Suddenly
a mix of relief and curiosity appeared on Sheyliegh's face. "He wanted me to
tell you that if you were willing to come back, there would be a job waiting
for you. But- you know... only if you want it."
Sheyliegh jumped out of her chair with excitement. The curiosity and
lingering worry were gone and joy was the only emotion that appeared upon
her face. "A job?! But what position could he mean? Surly no one quit! Did
they Severus?!"
"Shh-shh. Calm down." Sheyliegh made her way back to her seat and sat down.
She sat, looking at Severus with wide eyes, and waiting for an answer.
Severus laughed within himself. She looked like an excited child on Christmas
morning.
"Well.... I suppose...." He said this in a slow, teasing, sort of voice. He
knew that she wouldn't be able to stand the anticipation.
"Severus, do I have to wait and ask Albus myself?! Or will you, TELL ME!"
"I suppose I should tell you. Albus said that if you were interested,
and only if you were interested, that you could fulfill the duties as a
potions master along side me. But I didn't think that you would be-"
Sheyliegh's tightening arms around his neck cut off his teasing. She had
simply reached across the table in her excitement.
***
An hour later, Sheyliegh hugged her mother good-bye, and Severus thanked
her for lunch. Together, with Sheyliegh's things, they disapperated.
An instant later they reapperated at the edge of the dark forest. Carefully
they made their way through the forest and toward the castle.
Reaching the castle, they went directly to the dungeons so Sheyliegh could
unpack her things. This was the first time Severus had ever been into
Sheyliegh's living quarters. It was a lot like his, except that everything
was reversed. The things that, in his room were on the left, were placed on
the right here.
"I'm so excited! I'm going to be a full time teacher at one of the
best Wizarding schools on the planet! Come on, we have to tell Albus that
I'm here."
Sheyliegh rushed past Severus and headed out the door. She was almost
jogging down the hall. But with his long strides, Severus was able to keep
right beside her. Finally they reached the stone gargoyle that was the
doorway to Albus' office. Snape stood right beside the statue and said the
password that would allow them to pass. "Chocolate frogs."
The statue began to move and stairs appeared; spiraling upward until they
reached the door to the Headmaster's office. Severus gave his usual one-
knock. No one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer...
"Maybe he's still in the classroom teaching. I mean, he was covering potions
for you right?" Sheyliegh asked taking a hold of Severus' arm.
"But this is my free period. With slowly increasing worry, he reached into
his robes and drew out his wand. "Alohomora."
The lock came undone and the door swung open. Sitting at Albus' great oak
desk was Minerva. Her face was buried in her folded arms. Severus quickly
entered and Sheyleigh followed, quietly closing the door. Finally Minerva
realized that someone had entered and looked up. Instead of her usual stern
look, there was a vulnerable sheen in her tear drenched eyes. Her brow was
creased in worry, and she was obviously nearly exhausted.
"Minerva-" Severus was giving her his full attention. There was something
wrong. But what?
"He's gone."
"What? What do you mean? Who's gone?" Seyliehg took a step closer to the
desk.
"He's gone," she once again said in a whisper of a voice.
***
The darkness of the room was obliterated by the sudden lighting of a fire
place that he had been unaware of. Albus looked about the room for a moment,
then down at his own arms. He had been tied to a chair with a sinking feeling
he remembered, My wand! It's in my office.
He looked around again, hoping to get a glimpse of his assailant, but there
was no one else in the room. A chill was slowly steeling over his body. He
thought with pointless longing about the fire. He was placed so far away from
it, that it had no effect on him, temperature wise.
He sat there and waited. No one came. There was no noise.
He sat and waited he believed at least an hour had passed. Without a time
piece or even a window it was only a guess though. He felt himself shivering
from the cold, dampness of the room. Then, without warning, the door to his
right flew open. He couldn't see anyone standing there at first, but as his
eyes adjusted, he could just make out the dim outline of someone covered
head-to-toe in black. "The Dark Lord will be thrilled to know that he finally
has got a servant capable of accomplishing the task given him."
The shadow stepped forward. His face was hidden by a mask... a Death Eater's
mask.
"Reveal yourself."
The masked person walked closer to him, until he was a foot away. He got down
on his knees and looked Albus in the eyes. Their noses were an inch a part.
"And why should I do that?"
"To prove yourself a real man. A real man is proud of what he
is. Show your face you coward."
The Death Eater reached up with one hand and grasped his mask. With one fluid
movement, he removed his mask.Lucius Malfoy.
He then stood and looked down at Albus. "I have been waiting my entire life
to see you bound and helpless, old man."
"You can interogate me as much as you wish. You will get no
information on the workings or members of the Order of the Pheonix. Nor will
I tell you anything about the school, the staff, or students."
"First of all," he looked at him while a sneer came across his face. "I want
nothing to do with the Order- my master does. And secondly, if I wanted to
know something about the school, staff, or the students, all I would have to
do is consult my son. Old man, you must be wiser than that."
"If Voldemort wants to speak with me, why doesn't he come here
himself? Why send an underling instead?" Albus looked him square in the eye.
his eyes did not scare him. He knew that he could not kill him without
direct orders from his master.
Albus felt a stinging pain explode across the side of his face and a galaxy
of stars burst out before his eyes, Malfoy had slapped him.
"How dare you speak the name of my master so freely! I thought you had
better manners than that."
"I would spit in the face of your 'master', and think it a tribute
to my manners."
Another stinging pain on his cheek.
"You don't get it do you, old man? He has you where he wants you.
This time, he will triumph over you and your pathetic little 'Order'. His
followers will once again rise, and his name will frighten even the birds in
the air. No one is safe. No one will ever be safe again. Only his loyal
servants will enjoy freedom and leisure. The Dark Lord will hold the world
in his hands!"
***