--------------------------------
Part 5
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"I can not remember a teacher at this school behaving in such a deplorable fashion!" The Grey Lady shrieked while she floated jerkily around the third floor corridor. "Such language!" The Grey Lady was waving her fan so forcefully that she would have broken it if it had been solid.
"Bah!" replied the Bloody Baron. "Stop this foolishness! Peeves uses that sort of language daily."
"Peeves is not a teacher! Nor is he so ... creative." The Grey Lady replied haughtily. "I am sorry, my lord Baron, but I cannot condone wedding poor Professor Sinistra to such a rude creature." With that she floated down the hallway and in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room.
The Bloody Baron watched her leave and smiled his bone-chilling smile. He didn't need the snobbish wench's help. Judging by Snape's reaction most of the siege towers were moving into place. All that was needed for victory was a well-timed attack on Snape's and Sinistra's defences and for the final traps to be sprung; then victory would be his.
"Oh yes," he thought while he glided down the staircase, "their's will be a true old-fashioned Syltherin marriage. They will be throwing insults, hexes and furniture from the start. How delicious!"
--------------------------------
For the third time in a month, Professor's Snape and Sinistra found themselves in the Headmaster's office explaining their actions to Albus Dumbledore. The last time either of them could remember seeing Dumbledore look as angry as he did at that moment was the day the Triwizard Cup had come to an abrupt end.
"I am deeply disappointed in both of you," Dumbledore looked at them over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Hogwarts is a community and everything we do affects that community. As teachers you both influence the behaviour and wellbeing of all the students at this school. If you wish to continue to teach at Hogwarts, I expect you to act more appropriately in future!"
"Yes, Albus," said Aurora quietly. Severus was surprised by Aurora's meek nod to the older man.
"Severus, I trust I won't have to ask this a third time?" Dumbledore's voice held the familiar gentle bark of command.
Snape winced, remembering the scene with Sirius Black months ago that'd prompted Dumbledore's first request. "My apologies, Professor."
"Good, now what in the world is this all about?" Dumbledore demanded.
"This!" Snape pulled a letter out of his pocket and began to read it aloud,
"From: Madame Medusa Snape
"Cottage 6
"Baldoro's Retirement Village for Elderly Wizards and Witches
"Kreaki
"Sicili
"To: Professor Severus Snape
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Scotland
"My dear Great-Grandson,
I have not heard from you in three years. I had assumed you were lost in the wilds of some Muggle-infested slum or Azkaban Prison. For if you were not lost you must be ignoring me, and that, dear Severus, is not wise.
"I hope you are shocked to hear from me after all these years. Soon, you will be more shocked. I have decided to leave you a legacy. You know I have little money, thanks to that no-good son of mine, your grandfather. However, today I received news of you and an opportunity came to me that I just had to take.
"A certain contract was presented to me by a nice young man, I believe his name was Greenwood. As head of our tiny family of two, your old great-granny was happy to sign it. It seemed such a perfect opportunity to make up for all those birthday and Halloween gifts you have not sent to me.
"Enjoy married life, if you can.
"I will be thinking of you, often.
"Yours gleefully,
"Medusa Snape"
"It is a rather harsh letter, Severus," Dumbledore murmured. The old Professor's anger had melted away while Snape had read the letter.
"Actually, for Medusa it is a nice letter." Snape replied ruefully; he added his great-grandmother's name to his growing mental list of people who took pleasure in manipulating him.
"The old tart!" Aurora muttered.
"I'll thank you," Snape snarled, "not to speak of my great-grandmother like that." Silently he added, "that's my job."
"I was talking about my uncle." Sinistra replied sharply.
Snape was silent for a moment then he laughed humourlessly, "Revenge at the hands of a younger man. The old Witch must have thought all her Halloweens had come at once."
"We should put a Wizard's Honour Contract on them and they can go off and have the 'romantic honeymoon' my uncle keeps talking about."
Dumbledore sighed, "That's a mental image I could live without. Definitely not one for my Pensieve."
"Uh huh," Sinistra added quietly, her mind full of images of her Uncle Edgar yelling bad poetry and chasing Severus' granny around the bedroom in his tiny cottage. "Sorry."
"How do we stop this? Can we cancel the ceremony?" Severus growled. He sat forward in his chair and covered his eyes with his hands. 'If I pretend this isn't happening,' he thought, 'it might all go away. Damn it! I am so sick of not being in control of my life.'
"Under the Wizards Honour Law there is not requirement for a ceremony. Once the contract is signed you are married, but it will not be finally binding until it's publicly announced," Dumbledore said quietly. The elderly wizard was tempted to return the twenty points to Slytherin House. If he had been in Snape's situation he would have been tempted to use more than a few very rude words.
Snape lowered his hands, "So there's a chance...?"
"Oh yes!" Sinistra said sharply. She sighed, "So long as making an announcement in Kreaki Village, sending an advert to the Daily Prophet and notifying the Ministry of Magic in writing do not constitute a public announcement." She tossed the letter from her uncle onto the table.
Albus picked up the letter and quickly read it. "I am afraid," he said solemnly, "that this means you are already legally married."
"Oh." Severus blinked owlishly for a moment. "Excuse me," he said before he calmly stood, took a deep breath and fainted.
"Not taking the news well, is he," said Dumbledore as he looked at the unconscious form of the Potions Master.
Speechless, Aurora shook her head.
"I think we could all use a nice cup of tea." Dumbledore said firmly. "Don't wake him until I return."
To be continued
Part 5
--------------------------------
"I can not remember a teacher at this school behaving in such a deplorable fashion!" The Grey Lady shrieked while she floated jerkily around the third floor corridor. "Such language!" The Grey Lady was waving her fan so forcefully that she would have broken it if it had been solid.
"Bah!" replied the Bloody Baron. "Stop this foolishness! Peeves uses that sort of language daily."
"Peeves is not a teacher! Nor is he so ... creative." The Grey Lady replied haughtily. "I am sorry, my lord Baron, but I cannot condone wedding poor Professor Sinistra to such a rude creature." With that she floated down the hallway and in the direction of the Ravenclaw common room.
The Bloody Baron watched her leave and smiled his bone-chilling smile. He didn't need the snobbish wench's help. Judging by Snape's reaction most of the siege towers were moving into place. All that was needed for victory was a well-timed attack on Snape's and Sinistra's defences and for the final traps to be sprung; then victory would be his.
"Oh yes," he thought while he glided down the staircase, "their's will be a true old-fashioned Syltherin marriage. They will be throwing insults, hexes and furniture from the start. How delicious!"
--------------------------------
For the third time in a month, Professor's Snape and Sinistra found themselves in the Headmaster's office explaining their actions to Albus Dumbledore. The last time either of them could remember seeing Dumbledore look as angry as he did at that moment was the day the Triwizard Cup had come to an abrupt end.
"I am deeply disappointed in both of you," Dumbledore looked at them over the top of his half-moon glasses. "Hogwarts is a community and everything we do affects that community. As teachers you both influence the behaviour and wellbeing of all the students at this school. If you wish to continue to teach at Hogwarts, I expect you to act more appropriately in future!"
"Yes, Albus," said Aurora quietly. Severus was surprised by Aurora's meek nod to the older man.
"Severus, I trust I won't have to ask this a third time?" Dumbledore's voice held the familiar gentle bark of command.
Snape winced, remembering the scene with Sirius Black months ago that'd prompted Dumbledore's first request. "My apologies, Professor."
"Good, now what in the world is this all about?" Dumbledore demanded.
"This!" Snape pulled a letter out of his pocket and began to read it aloud,
"From: Madame Medusa Snape
"Cottage 6
"Baldoro's Retirement Village for Elderly Wizards and Witches
"Kreaki
"Sicili
"To: Professor Severus Snape
"Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
"Scotland
"My dear Great-Grandson,
I have not heard from you in three years. I had assumed you were lost in the wilds of some Muggle-infested slum or Azkaban Prison. For if you were not lost you must be ignoring me, and that, dear Severus, is not wise.
"I hope you are shocked to hear from me after all these years. Soon, you will be more shocked. I have decided to leave you a legacy. You know I have little money, thanks to that no-good son of mine, your grandfather. However, today I received news of you and an opportunity came to me that I just had to take.
"A certain contract was presented to me by a nice young man, I believe his name was Greenwood. As head of our tiny family of two, your old great-granny was happy to sign it. It seemed such a perfect opportunity to make up for all those birthday and Halloween gifts you have not sent to me.
"Enjoy married life, if you can.
"I will be thinking of you, often.
"Yours gleefully,
"Medusa Snape"
"It is a rather harsh letter, Severus," Dumbledore murmured. The old Professor's anger had melted away while Snape had read the letter.
"Actually, for Medusa it is a nice letter." Snape replied ruefully; he added his great-grandmother's name to his growing mental list of people who took pleasure in manipulating him.
"The old tart!" Aurora muttered.
"I'll thank you," Snape snarled, "not to speak of my great-grandmother like that." Silently he added, "that's my job."
"I was talking about my uncle." Sinistra replied sharply.
Snape was silent for a moment then he laughed humourlessly, "Revenge at the hands of a younger man. The old Witch must have thought all her Halloweens had come at once."
"We should put a Wizard's Honour Contract on them and they can go off and have the 'romantic honeymoon' my uncle keeps talking about."
Dumbledore sighed, "That's a mental image I could live without. Definitely not one for my Pensieve."
"Uh huh," Sinistra added quietly, her mind full of images of her Uncle Edgar yelling bad poetry and chasing Severus' granny around the bedroom in his tiny cottage. "Sorry."
"How do we stop this? Can we cancel the ceremony?" Severus growled. He sat forward in his chair and covered his eyes with his hands. 'If I pretend this isn't happening,' he thought, 'it might all go away. Damn it! I am so sick of not being in control of my life.'
"Under the Wizards Honour Law there is not requirement for a ceremony. Once the contract is signed you are married, but it will not be finally binding until it's publicly announced," Dumbledore said quietly. The elderly wizard was tempted to return the twenty points to Slytherin House. If he had been in Snape's situation he would have been tempted to use more than a few very rude words.
Snape lowered his hands, "So there's a chance...?"
"Oh yes!" Sinistra said sharply. She sighed, "So long as making an announcement in Kreaki Village, sending an advert to the Daily Prophet and notifying the Ministry of Magic in writing do not constitute a public announcement." She tossed the letter from her uncle onto the table.
Albus picked up the letter and quickly read it. "I am afraid," he said solemnly, "that this means you are already legally married."
"Oh." Severus blinked owlishly for a moment. "Excuse me," he said before he calmly stood, took a deep breath and fainted.
"Not taking the news well, is he," said Dumbledore as he looked at the unconscious form of the Potions Master.
Speechless, Aurora shook her head.
"I think we could all use a nice cup of tea." Dumbledore said firmly. "Don't wake him until I return."
To be continued