Disclaimer: Aw, do I really have to do this part? Oh, all right. I do not own the Harry Potter universe. There. Happy?
Creamy Mimi – Carbon gets your fingers all grimy. Most unpleasant.
Phoenix Flight – Harry likes his anonymity. It always seemed strange to me that wizards everywhere seemed to recognize him on sight. Apparently, a baby snake can escape through incredibly small spaces. It could get out of the terrarium and be lost in the castle. Also, it could hide in the plants and hiding places that are part of a good terrarium and starve. *shrugs* It was in the book I read about breeding snakes.
Grey Malfoy – There will be more people doing double takes when they see him. *grin*
sk8reagle – Well, it is not a typical Severitus challenge fic, but I am answering the challenge. I read many of them before I had a brainstorm and started this.
Darth Stitch – Hey, I like you. Lots of flattering comments. More James later, the good and the bad. I am planning to pull Severus OOC, but slowly. (coughvampirescough) *giggle*
misses-nugget – Thank you. I will try to remember the e-mail thing. Fun, yes. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do twice.
A/N - This Chapter does not add much in the way of excitement, not to mention being shorter than average. I just wanted to get it posted and out of the way.
*****
The next day, Lupin rode the underground with Harry to King's Cross Station.
"I got you something as a late birthday gift, Harry. Padfoot picked it out in Flourish and Blotts yesterday. He would not tell me why this particular book. I hope you like it." He handed Harry parcel.
Harry tore the paper off. "Reading the Leaves" by Rosemary Thornton.
Harry looked at it in astonishment. "Thank you, Professor." Harry grinned and flipped through it. "It has a section on common herbs useful for Divination. It tells what each one is good for. Cool."
Lupin shook his head. "I guess old Padfoot was right." He watched Harry flip through the book for a while. "You know, I have thought of something, Harry. You are starting to look less like James." He frowned, thoughtfully. The funny thing is you really don't look like Lily either."
Harry looked at Lupin in astonishment. "But…"
"No, don't mistake me." Lupin held up his hand. "You do resemble Lily, especially around the eyes. Only…" Lupin paused. "I'd say you really looked like other members of her family. Lily's mother or her cousin."
"Della?" Harry asked, barely above the noise of the underground train.
Lupin stiffened. "Yes, Della. I didn't think anyone would have mentioned her to you. She died just when you were born."
"Oh," Harry said, slightly disappointed. "Well, no one has mentioned her, really. I ran across these in my Aunt Petunia's things." Harry pulled the book and the photograph out of his pocket.
Lupin looked over the book dedication in surprise, and perhaps a little alarm. "I see. I didn't know Della, really. Can you make out this name?"
"No." Harry admitted sadly. Lupin relaxed a little. "I wish I could." Harry continued. "So that I could ask them about her."
"Ask Dumbledore." Lupin suggested. "He will know what to tell you."
"I already have. He told me to ask Professor Snape at school."
Some of Lupin's tension returned. "Yes, that might be best." He said in a strained voice.
*****
Snape brooded in the privacy of his own rooms. The books provided by Madame Maxine had proved more tantalizing than useful.
There was a spell for the complete removal of the Mark. However, it was supposed to be preformed by the original caster of the spell. Minerva had insisted that they try it anyway, of course. It made a cute little fireworks display that knocked them both out for a few minutes.
There was a history of the stratagems people had undertaken to remove allegiance oath marks; including severing the marked limb.
There was a reference to a spell that was supposed to repudiate an allegiance oath, but not the spell itself.
The entire business was immensely frustrating.
Now the summer was over and he would soon be inundated with students. His lip curled in disgust. Then he shook his head. He /liked/ teaching. Great Merlin's beard! He wouldn't do it if he didn't like it. It was not as if he needed money.
Snape sighed. He had this mental argument every year, right before the brats returned. The problem was that so few of them actually understood the subject that was his passion. It was worth suffering all those who did not in order to guide those who did. He told himself that daily.
He tried to pacify his disgust with thoughts of his most promising students. He laughed out loud at the first faces that came to mind.
Those blasted Weasely twins were terribly promising if they could be serious enough not to blow themselves up. Snape had given up steering them towards the respectable side of Alchemy. Now he just tried to monitor their extracurricular brewing enough to prevent permanent harm to anyone. He winced. An essay he had assigned as punishment in their second year had contributed to their delinquency more than anything else he had ever done.
He forced his mind to find someone else. There was Rodney Pinkersly, a Ravenclaw fifth year. Clever and resourceful, but too focused on studying to be really creative.
He dismissed Hermione Granger with scarcely a thought. She took no joy in the subject, just in being correct.
Colin Creevy was promising. His love of his camera had translated into a love of developing and printing moving photographs. That had crossed over into a real desire to understand magi-chemical reactions.
Snape nodded. See. He liked to teach. He even liked his students. Sometimes. When they were not blowing things up.
*****
A/N – Hum…Lupin knows more than he is saying. I wonder what he is hiding… Ha! As if I didn't know. *maniacal laughter*
I hope you liked my digging in Severus' motivations. It seemed just a little forced to me, but… oh well.
Many thanks to Sadilou Who, who is no more than two. She reads for me.
Creamy Mimi – Carbon gets your fingers all grimy. Most unpleasant.
Phoenix Flight – Harry likes his anonymity. It always seemed strange to me that wizards everywhere seemed to recognize him on sight. Apparently, a baby snake can escape through incredibly small spaces. It could get out of the terrarium and be lost in the castle. Also, it could hide in the plants and hiding places that are part of a good terrarium and starve. *shrugs* It was in the book I read about breeding snakes.
Grey Malfoy – There will be more people doing double takes when they see him. *grin*
sk8reagle – Well, it is not a typical Severitus challenge fic, but I am answering the challenge. I read many of them before I had a brainstorm and started this.
Darth Stitch – Hey, I like you. Lots of flattering comments. More James later, the good and the bad. I am planning to pull Severus OOC, but slowly. (coughvampirescough) *giggle*
misses-nugget – Thank you. I will try to remember the e-mail thing. Fun, yes. Don't do anything that I wouldn't do twice.
A/N - This Chapter does not add much in the way of excitement, not to mention being shorter than average. I just wanted to get it posted and out of the way.
*****
The next day, Lupin rode the underground with Harry to King's Cross Station.
"I got you something as a late birthday gift, Harry. Padfoot picked it out in Flourish and Blotts yesterday. He would not tell me why this particular book. I hope you like it." He handed Harry parcel.
Harry tore the paper off. "Reading the Leaves" by Rosemary Thornton.
Harry looked at it in astonishment. "Thank you, Professor." Harry grinned and flipped through it. "It has a section on common herbs useful for Divination. It tells what each one is good for. Cool."
Lupin shook his head. "I guess old Padfoot was right." He watched Harry flip through the book for a while. "You know, I have thought of something, Harry. You are starting to look less like James." He frowned, thoughtfully. The funny thing is you really don't look like Lily either."
Harry looked at Lupin in astonishment. "But…"
"No, don't mistake me." Lupin held up his hand. "You do resemble Lily, especially around the eyes. Only…" Lupin paused. "I'd say you really looked like other members of her family. Lily's mother or her cousin."
"Della?" Harry asked, barely above the noise of the underground train.
Lupin stiffened. "Yes, Della. I didn't think anyone would have mentioned her to you. She died just when you were born."
"Oh," Harry said, slightly disappointed. "Well, no one has mentioned her, really. I ran across these in my Aunt Petunia's things." Harry pulled the book and the photograph out of his pocket.
Lupin looked over the book dedication in surprise, and perhaps a little alarm. "I see. I didn't know Della, really. Can you make out this name?"
"No." Harry admitted sadly. Lupin relaxed a little. "I wish I could." Harry continued. "So that I could ask them about her."
"Ask Dumbledore." Lupin suggested. "He will know what to tell you."
"I already have. He told me to ask Professor Snape at school."
Some of Lupin's tension returned. "Yes, that might be best." He said in a strained voice.
*****
Snape brooded in the privacy of his own rooms. The books provided by Madame Maxine had proved more tantalizing than useful.
There was a spell for the complete removal of the Mark. However, it was supposed to be preformed by the original caster of the spell. Minerva had insisted that they try it anyway, of course. It made a cute little fireworks display that knocked them both out for a few minutes.
There was a history of the stratagems people had undertaken to remove allegiance oath marks; including severing the marked limb.
There was a reference to a spell that was supposed to repudiate an allegiance oath, but not the spell itself.
The entire business was immensely frustrating.
Now the summer was over and he would soon be inundated with students. His lip curled in disgust. Then he shook his head. He /liked/ teaching. Great Merlin's beard! He wouldn't do it if he didn't like it. It was not as if he needed money.
Snape sighed. He had this mental argument every year, right before the brats returned. The problem was that so few of them actually understood the subject that was his passion. It was worth suffering all those who did not in order to guide those who did. He told himself that daily.
He tried to pacify his disgust with thoughts of his most promising students. He laughed out loud at the first faces that came to mind.
Those blasted Weasely twins were terribly promising if they could be serious enough not to blow themselves up. Snape had given up steering them towards the respectable side of Alchemy. Now he just tried to monitor their extracurricular brewing enough to prevent permanent harm to anyone. He winced. An essay he had assigned as punishment in their second year had contributed to their delinquency more than anything else he had ever done.
He forced his mind to find someone else. There was Rodney Pinkersly, a Ravenclaw fifth year. Clever and resourceful, but too focused on studying to be really creative.
He dismissed Hermione Granger with scarcely a thought. She took no joy in the subject, just in being correct.
Colin Creevy was promising. His love of his camera had translated into a love of developing and printing moving photographs. That had crossed over into a real desire to understand magi-chemical reactions.
Snape nodded. See. He liked to teach. He even liked his students. Sometimes. When they were not blowing things up.
*****
A/N – Hum…Lupin knows more than he is saying. I wonder what he is hiding… Ha! As if I didn't know. *maniacal laughter*
I hope you liked my digging in Severus' motivations. It seemed just a little forced to me, but… oh well.
Many thanks to Sadilou Who, who is no more than two. She reads for me.