Chapter # 14
Sunday, October 8th- 1:00 P.M Severus felt a pang of panic. It couldn't be gryffins. It just couldn't be! Gryffins were animals who lived in caves that dotted the sides of mountains. They were rarely seen in caves or caverns anywhere else. Of course, they were used to guard treasures, but that was about it.
"Ohhh." Severus whispered, sinking down to his knees as a wave of loneliness surged through his brain. "Not now, James! Not now!" But he was already feeling weak, and he was trembling. Soft tapping of sharp talons on the ground. Though there wasn't as many as he had thought there would be, there were two gryffins. Only two. Only? Two wizards could hardly handle a fairly mellow one. One wizard, trying to calm down at the sign of two gryffins, was expected to panic. He grimaced as a wave of pain washed over him. His knees buckled. Why?
"Caaaww!" Well, there's one of them, shrieking his head off.
"Ugh!" Severus dived out of the way as a set of razor-sharp talons grazed his ribs painfully. He grabbed the pendant and took off, his legs aching and his head pounding painfully. He leapt up and pushed open the steel door. A gust of cool wind hit him. Severus gasped as he slammed the door painfully on his foot. He was still holding the pendant in his now ripped, bleeding arm.
"Caaww! Caaww!"
"Urgh!" Severus groaned as he ran for the exit, and took a flying leap out of the small air pocket in the bottom of the lake. He shot out into the water and swam desperately to the surface. He thought his ribs would explode. He couldn't go anymore, he just couldn't. He was about to give up when he finally broke through the surface and gasped for air as though he had never breathed before. He trembled and clambered out of the water. Oh, it had been a close shave down there, all alone, with a couple of mad gryffins. Severus groaned and swam carefully to shore. It was quite hot out, so there were no students around. That was good. If a kid saw Snape dripping from head to toe and holding an arm that was viciously gushing out blood, rumors would be flying around like crazy. He sighed and pulled himself up the stairs and right into the Great Hall.
"Professor Snape! Oh my God, what happened to your arm?" There were only two students. Hermione Granger and, oh no. Potter. Snape sighed bitterly.
"Ah. Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter. My favorite students." Snape hissed, before shoving past them and walking towards the marble staircase. Harry scowled.
"What's gotten into him?" He murmured. "Or is he just being Snape?"
"I think he's just being Snape. C'mon, let's go to the common room. I've got that essay to do." Hermione said quietly. Harry sighed.
"Alright." He followed Hermione up the stairs. But he didn't make it all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Ginny Weasley was blocking his path.
"Hi, Ginny!" Hermione said cheerfully.
"So Harry. Did you have fun with her last night?" Ginny snarled, her eyes narrowed. Harry glanced at Hermione.
"C'mon Ginny! That was just an excuse and you know it!" Hermione said quickly.
"Yeah! I was just trying to help."
"I don't have a problem with the lying Harry! But now Dumbledore knows! He knows you lied, and he knows I'm seeing you. And Ron thinks you're cheating on me, and he's jealous because he thinks you and Hermione are together." Ginny finished breathlessly.
"Ron? He's jealous? I mean, I know Hermione is seeing someone, but that's just, I mean.!" Harry was at a loss for words.
"Why don't you take Ginny and calm her down, or something, Harry." Hermione said nervously. Harry shrugged.
"Okay," Harry took Ginnys' hand and led her away quickly. Hermione sighed. Maybe she should go see Dumbledore. Tell him she was sorry that she lied. She started towards the headmasters' office. But she didn't make it all the way there. Someone was, once again, blocking her path. Snape. Hadn't he gone to the hospital wing? He had obviously been there, because his arm was healed.
"Are you going to tell me?" He asked softly, obviously trying to be nice.
"Are you going to force me to tell you?" Hermione asked uncertainly.
"I won't force you to do anything. Except your homework." Snape replied, rubbing his head.
"Do you always get this much headaches?" Hermione asked, feeling that she should get away as soon as possible, rather than meddling in Snapes' personal life.
"No, not usually. Just lately." Snape replied. "Good day, Ms. Granger." At that he left, walking swiftly towards the dungeons. Hermione tilted her head, then shrugged. Who really cares if Snape knows? She did care. She cared about James. He had told her, he wasn't ready to face everyone yet. And then there was the relationship between them, which had, by now, reached a very romantic spot. It was all very confusing. Why was Snape getting headaches? Why did she care about her teachers' migraine? And why, why was he being so goddamn nice?
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" A voice snarled. Hermione tilted her head and walked uncertainly up to an empty classroom. Or at least, she thought it was empty.
"Sirius, you don't know for sure that this is actually true! We can go see the place, you know."
"Damn it Remus! Who the hell would do such a thing! You'd think the dark side would just quit picking on that poor family, but no! Voldemort isn't even satisfied that he has no parents! Raiding the Potters' grave! Poor James. If they threw my best friends' body into some river for kelpies to eat, I'll go kill the dark lord myself!" It was Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
"Not very wise, Sirius."
"We've got to find that body! What else is in this piece of shit?" Sirius snapped, flipping through the daily Prophet.
"Oh yeah, there's something about the age of consent, too. Apparently it was raised a bit, but I'm not sure." Remus said slowly. Sirius found the page and began to read. When he was finished he shook his head.
"I think it's good that they raised it." He said simply. Hermione shook her head and snick away from the classroom, then darted back towards the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron were standing, reading the papers together, their mouths open in shock.
"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.
"Eww. Just eww." Ron muttered. Harry shook his head.
"I second it for both articles in that paper. Poor Dad. I can't believe it!" He muttered angrily. Hermione flinched slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"My dads' body is missing! I. ugh, that's disgusting!" Harry turned away from the paper and faced Hermione.
"What about the other article you were talking about?" She asked, hoping it wasn't really bad.
"That's just totally disgusting!" Ron exclaimed.
"What?" Hermione demanded.
"Okay, you know how the age of consent for a girl is 14?"
"Age of consent?" Hermione asked in confusion.
"You know." Ron muttered. "The age of consent was 14, so if a girl is 14 or older she's allowed to have sex with a man 18 or older." He shook his head.
"It's only 14?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Not anymore. Now it's 16, thank god." Harry muttered. "That's disgusting. Why would a girl want to have sex with a man?" Hermione blushed, then realized something. Age of consent. 16. She was turning 15 in October. Oh great. She had a very romantic relationship, but that article in the daily prophet. Now her relationship was not only secret, it was. illegal.
{DRUM ROLL!!}
END OF CHAPTER!
Sunday, October 8th- 1:00 P.M Severus felt a pang of panic. It couldn't be gryffins. It just couldn't be! Gryffins were animals who lived in caves that dotted the sides of mountains. They were rarely seen in caves or caverns anywhere else. Of course, they were used to guard treasures, but that was about it.
"Ohhh." Severus whispered, sinking down to his knees as a wave of loneliness surged through his brain. "Not now, James! Not now!" But he was already feeling weak, and he was trembling. Soft tapping of sharp talons on the ground. Though there wasn't as many as he had thought there would be, there were two gryffins. Only two. Only? Two wizards could hardly handle a fairly mellow one. One wizard, trying to calm down at the sign of two gryffins, was expected to panic. He grimaced as a wave of pain washed over him. His knees buckled. Why?
"Caaaww!" Well, there's one of them, shrieking his head off.
"Ugh!" Severus dived out of the way as a set of razor-sharp talons grazed his ribs painfully. He grabbed the pendant and took off, his legs aching and his head pounding painfully. He leapt up and pushed open the steel door. A gust of cool wind hit him. Severus gasped as he slammed the door painfully on his foot. He was still holding the pendant in his now ripped, bleeding arm.
"Caaww! Caaww!"
"Urgh!" Severus groaned as he ran for the exit, and took a flying leap out of the small air pocket in the bottom of the lake. He shot out into the water and swam desperately to the surface. He thought his ribs would explode. He couldn't go anymore, he just couldn't. He was about to give up when he finally broke through the surface and gasped for air as though he had never breathed before. He trembled and clambered out of the water. Oh, it had been a close shave down there, all alone, with a couple of mad gryffins. Severus groaned and swam carefully to shore. It was quite hot out, so there were no students around. That was good. If a kid saw Snape dripping from head to toe and holding an arm that was viciously gushing out blood, rumors would be flying around like crazy. He sighed and pulled himself up the stairs and right into the Great Hall.
"Professor Snape! Oh my God, what happened to your arm?" There were only two students. Hermione Granger and, oh no. Potter. Snape sighed bitterly.
"Ah. Ms. Granger and Mr. Potter. My favorite students." Snape hissed, before shoving past them and walking towards the marble staircase. Harry scowled.
"What's gotten into him?" He murmured. "Or is he just being Snape?"
"I think he's just being Snape. C'mon, let's go to the common room. I've got that essay to do." Hermione said quietly. Harry sighed.
"Alright." He followed Hermione up the stairs. But he didn't make it all the way to the Gryffindor common room. Ginny Weasley was blocking his path.
"Hi, Ginny!" Hermione said cheerfully.
"So Harry. Did you have fun with her last night?" Ginny snarled, her eyes narrowed. Harry glanced at Hermione.
"C'mon Ginny! That was just an excuse and you know it!" Hermione said quickly.
"Yeah! I was just trying to help."
"I don't have a problem with the lying Harry! But now Dumbledore knows! He knows you lied, and he knows I'm seeing you. And Ron thinks you're cheating on me, and he's jealous because he thinks you and Hermione are together." Ginny finished breathlessly.
"Ron? He's jealous? I mean, I know Hermione is seeing someone, but that's just, I mean.!" Harry was at a loss for words.
"Why don't you take Ginny and calm her down, or something, Harry." Hermione said nervously. Harry shrugged.
"Okay," Harry took Ginnys' hand and led her away quickly. Hermione sighed. Maybe she should go see Dumbledore. Tell him she was sorry that she lied. She started towards the headmasters' office. But she didn't make it all the way there. Someone was, once again, blocking her path. Snape. Hadn't he gone to the hospital wing? He had obviously been there, because his arm was healed.
"Are you going to tell me?" He asked softly, obviously trying to be nice.
"Are you going to force me to tell you?" Hermione asked uncertainly.
"I won't force you to do anything. Except your homework." Snape replied, rubbing his head.
"Do you always get this much headaches?" Hermione asked, feeling that she should get away as soon as possible, rather than meddling in Snapes' personal life.
"No, not usually. Just lately." Snape replied. "Good day, Ms. Granger." At that he left, walking swiftly towards the dungeons. Hermione tilted her head, then shrugged. Who really cares if Snape knows? She did care. She cared about James. He had told her, he wasn't ready to face everyone yet. And then there was the relationship between them, which had, by now, reached a very romantic spot. It was all very confusing. Why was Snape getting headaches? Why did she care about her teachers' migraine? And why, why was he being so goddamn nice?
"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" A voice snarled. Hermione tilted her head and walked uncertainly up to an empty classroom. Or at least, she thought it was empty.
"Sirius, you don't know for sure that this is actually true! We can go see the place, you know."
"Damn it Remus! Who the hell would do such a thing! You'd think the dark side would just quit picking on that poor family, but no! Voldemort isn't even satisfied that he has no parents! Raiding the Potters' grave! Poor James. If they threw my best friends' body into some river for kelpies to eat, I'll go kill the dark lord myself!" It was Sirius Black and Remus Lupin.
"Not very wise, Sirius."
"We've got to find that body! What else is in this piece of shit?" Sirius snapped, flipping through the daily Prophet.
"Oh yeah, there's something about the age of consent, too. Apparently it was raised a bit, but I'm not sure." Remus said slowly. Sirius found the page and began to read. When he was finished he shook his head.
"I think it's good that they raised it." He said simply. Hermione shook her head and snick away from the classroom, then darted back towards the Gryffindor common room. Harry and Ron were standing, reading the papers together, their mouths open in shock.
"Hey guys, what's up?" She asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.
"Eww. Just eww." Ron muttered. Harry shook his head.
"I second it for both articles in that paper. Poor Dad. I can't believe it!" He muttered angrily. Hermione flinched slightly.
"What's wrong?"
"My dads' body is missing! I. ugh, that's disgusting!" Harry turned away from the paper and faced Hermione.
"What about the other article you were talking about?" She asked, hoping it wasn't really bad.
"That's just totally disgusting!" Ron exclaimed.
"What?" Hermione demanded.
"Okay, you know how the age of consent for a girl is 14?"
"Age of consent?" Hermione asked in confusion.
"You know." Ron muttered. "The age of consent was 14, so if a girl is 14 or older she's allowed to have sex with a man 18 or older." He shook his head.
"It's only 14?" Hermione asked in surprise.
"Not anymore. Now it's 16, thank god." Harry muttered. "That's disgusting. Why would a girl want to have sex with a man?" Hermione blushed, then realized something. Age of consent. 16. She was turning 15 in October. Oh great. She had a very romantic relationship, but that article in the daily prophet. Now her relationship was not only secret, it was. illegal.
{DRUM ROLL!!}
END OF CHAPTER!
