Chapter 14 – Snips and Spirals Asunder
It was a good thing that Severus Snape was a Potions Master. If he had truly wanted to become a multi-millionaire, he would have been able to do so by selling the patent of his 'brown bottle flu remedy' to the Muggle world. As soon as he had come out of his Ambrosia-induced fog, he had crawled over to his black bag and had whipped up a batch.
"Down the hatch," he said to himself, tossing it back, then scowled.
Needed sugar.
And why the hell was he craving goat milk??
A few minutes later he was sitting outside on the patio, watching the calm blue sea and the cloudless sky. He heard the sound of children at play, and soon saw the breaking of the waves by the dolphins and their human riders.
Odd. He had been around children his whole life, and yet the thought of having any of his own had scarcely occurred to him. He had been so solitary, so damaged, and so alone as far back as his distant memory took him, that his isolation had nearly always been total. With Britomartis back in his life, though, who knows? Maybe they would retire here someday and watch their own grandchildren ride the dolphins -
'Careful, old boy', he thought.
'You be, oh, so careful, now.
People enter your life all the time, and then they leave you.
Just - like - that.'
Sighing, he closed his eyes as the potion calmed his last vestiges of headache, and he thought of how Britomartis had been snatched from his life once before ...
----------
"Quite a commotion in the Common Room this morning, Snips," Lucius Malfoy remarked at breakfast, the tinge of a sneer on his handsome face. "Woke every soul in the place. What the devil happened?"
Fifteen-year-old Severus Snape was more or less in a state of shock, and did not answer his older Slytherin 'brother' right away. "Britomartis got ... transferred to Beauxbatons."
"Your little friend? Really?" sniffed Lucius, who had never liked the girl because she had seen right through his aristocratic facade and recognized him as the sneering and pompous git he really was. "How unfortunate for you. Really."
Two of his roommates had awoke Sev in the middle of the night - or perhaps it was closer to dawn; it did not matter. Within a moment, the Slytherin Head of House Gallo Penderdandis was shaking his shoulder. "Get your robe on, Severus. We have a situation downstairs."
Stunned out of a deep sleep, his feet ice cold from the stone floors (he had forgotten his slippers), Sev at first thought he heard someone crying.
Martis?
Crying?
With a gasp, he flew down the stairs and into the Common Room where the Slytherin House Mother Rowena Price was attempting to comfort the distraught Britomartis Vox.
"Spirals?"
"Snips!" she sobbed, her arms raised up toward him, her sunglasses absent from her tear-streaked face. "SNIPS! Mother is sending me away!"
Sev was in her arms in a heartbeat, his own arms around her and squeezing her tightly. "What? Spirals! Slow down! What's happened?"
"My mother is transferring me to Beauxbatons! I can't believe it, Snips!"
He felt his heart catch in his throat. "How did you find out?"
"By owl." She pulled away, her lips pulled back in a snarl. "Nasty, hateful woman couldn't even let me know ahead of time! She really must hate me! She's sending me away from you as well!"
The Slytherin Heads of House had shooed away any extraneous children from the Common Room, threatening them with beheading if they hung back and eavesdropped. Both adults hung back themselves, as both realized the friendship of one child had been the life's blood of the other. Despite Penderdandis' coolness to his students and Price's nonsensical manner, both were heartbroken as the two teenage friends cried.
Sev clutched her tightly, running his hand over her ash blonde hair in comfort. "Don't worry. Nobody can keep Snips and Spirals apart, don't you know? Can't you make her change her mind?"
"That's just what I'm going to do," she answered, pulling back again and wiping the tears harshly. "I'll go ahead and enroll, then I'll owl Mother and tell her what she can do with her snooty French academy. She'll have to transfer me back here, or I won't study anything! I'll - " Martis eyed him solemnly, sniffing. "I'll ... flunk out!"
Sev, still clinging to her so tightly he probably left bruises, knew he had to console her, and not burden her mind further at the relief of his own. Anxiety over losing her was overwhelming his senses, making him hear nothing but a roaring in his ears and his vision blurring. "It'll be all right," he told her in a thin voice, trying to convince himself as well as her. "You'll see. She'll have to let you come back, then! In the meantime, owl me every day, won't you? I - I'll miss you so much. My best pal, my friend! Snips and Spirals Forever!"
By this time, both young teenagers were sobbing, holding each other tightly and burying their faces in the other's necks.
"Come along, Miss Vox," Miss Price said quietly, laying her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Mr. Snape, why don't you sit here until I come back? We can talk about it, all right?"
Sev, shivering with the chill of the early morning and with a steady stream of tears rolling down his cheeks, nodded solemnly.
If he had known that over twenty years would pass before he would hold his beloved Spirals in his arms again, he would have cried all the harder.
* * *
Severus Snape shivered, in spite of the warm breeze and Mediterranean sun. He realized he had been crying for some time. Quickly wiping his eyes, and darting looks to his right and left to ensure that no one had been around to see him, he stood and walked to the limestone balustrade.
"Whatever deity or deities look over this House and my soul, please listen to my prayer. Please allow me to keep the gift of Britomartis Vox in my life. Please. Amen."
It was a good thing that Severus Snape was a Potions Master. If he had truly wanted to become a multi-millionaire, he would have been able to do so by selling the patent of his 'brown bottle flu remedy' to the Muggle world. As soon as he had come out of his Ambrosia-induced fog, he had crawled over to his black bag and had whipped up a batch.
"Down the hatch," he said to himself, tossing it back, then scowled.
Needed sugar.
And why the hell was he craving goat milk??
A few minutes later he was sitting outside on the patio, watching the calm blue sea and the cloudless sky. He heard the sound of children at play, and soon saw the breaking of the waves by the dolphins and their human riders.
Odd. He had been around children his whole life, and yet the thought of having any of his own had scarcely occurred to him. He had been so solitary, so damaged, and so alone as far back as his distant memory took him, that his isolation had nearly always been total. With Britomartis back in his life, though, who knows? Maybe they would retire here someday and watch their own grandchildren ride the dolphins -
'Careful, old boy', he thought.
'You be, oh, so careful, now.
People enter your life all the time, and then they leave you.
Just - like - that.'
Sighing, he closed his eyes as the potion calmed his last vestiges of headache, and he thought of how Britomartis had been snatched from his life once before ...
----------
"Quite a commotion in the Common Room this morning, Snips," Lucius Malfoy remarked at breakfast, the tinge of a sneer on his handsome face. "Woke every soul in the place. What the devil happened?"
Fifteen-year-old Severus Snape was more or less in a state of shock, and did not answer his older Slytherin 'brother' right away. "Britomartis got ... transferred to Beauxbatons."
"Your little friend? Really?" sniffed Lucius, who had never liked the girl because she had seen right through his aristocratic facade and recognized him as the sneering and pompous git he really was. "How unfortunate for you. Really."
Two of his roommates had awoke Sev in the middle of the night - or perhaps it was closer to dawn; it did not matter. Within a moment, the Slytherin Head of House Gallo Penderdandis was shaking his shoulder. "Get your robe on, Severus. We have a situation downstairs."
Stunned out of a deep sleep, his feet ice cold from the stone floors (he had forgotten his slippers), Sev at first thought he heard someone crying.
Martis?
Crying?
With a gasp, he flew down the stairs and into the Common Room where the Slytherin House Mother Rowena Price was attempting to comfort the distraught Britomartis Vox.
"Spirals?"
"Snips!" she sobbed, her arms raised up toward him, her sunglasses absent from her tear-streaked face. "SNIPS! Mother is sending me away!"
Sev was in her arms in a heartbeat, his own arms around her and squeezing her tightly. "What? Spirals! Slow down! What's happened?"
"My mother is transferring me to Beauxbatons! I can't believe it, Snips!"
He felt his heart catch in his throat. "How did you find out?"
"By owl." She pulled away, her lips pulled back in a snarl. "Nasty, hateful woman couldn't even let me know ahead of time! She really must hate me! She's sending me away from you as well!"
The Slytherin Heads of House had shooed away any extraneous children from the Common Room, threatening them with beheading if they hung back and eavesdropped. Both adults hung back themselves, as both realized the friendship of one child had been the life's blood of the other. Despite Penderdandis' coolness to his students and Price's nonsensical manner, both were heartbroken as the two teenage friends cried.
Sev clutched her tightly, running his hand over her ash blonde hair in comfort. "Don't worry. Nobody can keep Snips and Spirals apart, don't you know? Can't you make her change her mind?"
"That's just what I'm going to do," she answered, pulling back again and wiping the tears harshly. "I'll go ahead and enroll, then I'll owl Mother and tell her what she can do with her snooty French academy. She'll have to transfer me back here, or I won't study anything! I'll - " Martis eyed him solemnly, sniffing. "I'll ... flunk out!"
Sev, still clinging to her so tightly he probably left bruises, knew he had to console her, and not burden her mind further at the relief of his own. Anxiety over losing her was overwhelming his senses, making him hear nothing but a roaring in his ears and his vision blurring. "It'll be all right," he told her in a thin voice, trying to convince himself as well as her. "You'll see. She'll have to let you come back, then! In the meantime, owl me every day, won't you? I - I'll miss you so much. My best pal, my friend! Snips and Spirals Forever!"
By this time, both young teenagers were sobbing, holding each other tightly and burying their faces in the other's necks.
"Come along, Miss Vox," Miss Price said quietly, laying her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Mr. Snape, why don't you sit here until I come back? We can talk about it, all right?"
Sev, shivering with the chill of the early morning and with a steady stream of tears rolling down his cheeks, nodded solemnly.
If he had known that over twenty years would pass before he would hold his beloved Spirals in his arms again, he would have cried all the harder.
* * *
Severus Snape shivered, in spite of the warm breeze and Mediterranean sun. He realized he had been crying for some time. Quickly wiping his eyes, and darting looks to his right and left to ensure that no one had been around to see him, he stood and walked to the limestone balustrade.
"Whatever deity or deities look over this House and my soul, please listen to my prayer. Please allow me to keep the gift of Britomartis Vox in my life. Please. Amen."