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Wizards Honour
Part 13
--------------------------------
'Pop'. 'Pop'.
Snape barely waited for Sinistra to apparate beside him before he opened the gates and strode onto the Hogwarts grounds.
Behind him Aurora shivered in the late afternoon breeze and pulled at her short skirt. She gave up tugging at the cloth, there was no way the skirt was going to reach to top of her knee high boots and she didn't have time to try to remember a clothing alteration charm. Instead quickly cast a warming charm on the air around her knees.
"What are you doing? Must you always keep me waiting?"
Aurora shot a quick glare at Severus. He was standing, with his arms crossed and left foot tapping, ten yards into the grounds. She quelled the urge to hex him and picked up her small suitcase.
"My knees were cold. I didn't have time to change before we left."
"And whose fault is that?" Snape bickered. He turned on his heel and strode away.
Sinistra didn't bother to reply. She jogged to catch up to the Potions Master and hoped that he wasn't so angry that she'd lose her job and her best friend.
They walked in silence for close to five minutes, when Sinistra's curiosity finally got the better of her.
"Why did you burn the form?" she asked quietly.
"Why did you throw the bird cage at me?" Snape replied coldly.
"You know why! I told you." She stepped in front of him, forcing him to stand still, and poked him in the chest with her finger. "You started it!"
"You," Snape pulled her hand away from his chest and held onto it so she couldn't use it on him again, "got us thrown out!"
"We wouldn't have been chucked out if you hadn't ducked!" Aurora shrugged, "Anyway, the stupid bird was only slightly singed."
"I did not know your uncle was that powerful."
"Yes, well." Aurora blushed as she recalled the summoning spell her uncle had cast to pull the birdcage out of the fire and the powerful healing spell he'd used on the tiny bird. She looked down and realised that Snape was still holding her wand hand. She tugged hard and pulled her hand free of Snape's grasp.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you burn the - arrrggghh!" Sinistra jumped a foot in the air, dropped her suitcase and spun around.
A huge black dog stood in front of her.
Sinistra was pulling out her wand when Harry Potter came running up.
"Hello, Professors," the boy said warily.
Snape, who was recovering from having a suitcase dropped on his right foot, yelled, "What is he #!~&*!$ doing here?"
"Is this your dog?" Sinistra demanded at the same time, her wand aimed between the huge animal's eyes.
"Yes, he doesn't bite."
"Answer me, Potter," snarled Snape while he limped menacingly towards the boy, "what is that creature doing here?"
"Professor Dumbledore gave permission for him to stay over Christmas." Harry replied.
Sinistra didn't like the unspoken defiant 'so there' in the boy's attitude. He lacked respect for his teachers, that one. Giving a child that mischievous a huge dog was just asking for trouble.
"Then why haven't I seen him before now?" Snape demanded.
"Snuffles has been staying with Hagrid, Professor."
Snape growled at the boy and Snuffles snarled at Snape.
"Are you sure he doesn't bite?" Sinistra asked again, her gaze fixed on the huge dog.
"He's never bitten me, Professor."
Aurora heard Severus mutter, "That means nothing." Snape limped off towards the hospital wing.
"Just keep him away from me," Sinistra told Harry firmly. She picked up her suitcase. "I'm warning you, Harry. If he licks my leg like that again I'll hex him into next week. Got it?"
Harry nodded and watched Professor Sinistra run after Professor Snape. As soon as the Professors were out of hearing range, Harry turned on Snuffles.
"Sirius," he hissed, "how could you?!"
The big dog sniggered wheezily.
~~~~~~~
Once the Professors were out of hearing range of Harry, Snape stopped walking and grabbed Sinistra by the shoulders.
"Uh, sorry about your foot, Severus." Sinistra squeaked, "It was an accident."
"Forget my foot. Listen, we don't have a lot of time." Snape looked around to see if they had an audience then let go of her shoulders. "Before Christmas you told me you wanted to fight? Is that still true?"
"I thought we were fighting."
"Not each other." Snape sighed, "Them."
"Yes. Of course." Sinistra looked up at him. "But how?"
"Good." He smiled coldly, "I have a plan. But first there's something I have to tell you."
~~~~~
By the time Snape limped into the door to the hospital wing he had told Sinistra all about Moody's bookmaking and the list of odds. They parted at the door, Snape went to have his broken foot bones healed while Sinistra went up to her room in the Astronomy Tower.
Sinistra had a lot to think about. Snape had told her that he'd burned the revocation form to stop her great-uncle discovering that they meant to cancel the contract. He had said that it was because he didn't want to have to fight her uncle.
Yet, Aurora had seen a twinkle in Severus' eye after their fight in the cottage and she was beginning to suspect that he'd burned the form so he could fight with her. But that would mean that Severus hadn't told her the whole truth.
"Come to think of it," thought Aurora, "why didn't he tell me about Moody's betting straight away? Just what is he up to?"
Aurora entered her room determined to take advantage of Severus' plan and discover everything Snape had kept secret from her.
To be continued
Authors note: thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter (arcee, Normandie M, wmlaw, Lataradk, bdwrm, Leila C. Snape, LunaDaisy, et al).
I've posted some more as soon as it was typed up - apologies if I've left any mistakes in it.
Lataradk,
You don't want to be near the Snape family when they get together. That's how Medusa got thrown out of her previous retirement village. :D
Lucius daydreamed of five Veelas waving palm-leaf fans, feeding him grapes and doing uh, um, other stuff =)
As to 'or something else' from chapter 11 - have you ever exercised and discovered muscles you'd forgotten you had? Well Snape's discovered hormones he forgot he had. :D
Wizards Honour
Part 13
--------------------------------
'Pop'. 'Pop'.
Snape barely waited for Sinistra to apparate beside him before he opened the gates and strode onto the Hogwarts grounds.
Behind him Aurora shivered in the late afternoon breeze and pulled at her short skirt. She gave up tugging at the cloth, there was no way the skirt was going to reach to top of her knee high boots and she didn't have time to try to remember a clothing alteration charm. Instead quickly cast a warming charm on the air around her knees.
"What are you doing? Must you always keep me waiting?"
Aurora shot a quick glare at Severus. He was standing, with his arms crossed and left foot tapping, ten yards into the grounds. She quelled the urge to hex him and picked up her small suitcase.
"My knees were cold. I didn't have time to change before we left."
"And whose fault is that?" Snape bickered. He turned on his heel and strode away.
Sinistra didn't bother to reply. She jogged to catch up to the Potions Master and hoped that he wasn't so angry that she'd lose her job and her best friend.
They walked in silence for close to five minutes, when Sinistra's curiosity finally got the better of her.
"Why did you burn the form?" she asked quietly.
"Why did you throw the bird cage at me?" Snape replied coldly.
"You know why! I told you." She stepped in front of him, forcing him to stand still, and poked him in the chest with her finger. "You started it!"
"You," Snape pulled her hand away from his chest and held onto it so she couldn't use it on him again, "got us thrown out!"
"We wouldn't have been chucked out if you hadn't ducked!" Aurora shrugged, "Anyway, the stupid bird was only slightly singed."
"I did not know your uncle was that powerful."
"Yes, well." Aurora blushed as she recalled the summoning spell her uncle had cast to pull the birdcage out of the fire and the powerful healing spell he'd used on the tiny bird. She looked down and realised that Snape was still holding her wand hand. She tugged hard and pulled her hand free of Snape's grasp.
"You still haven't answered my question. Why did you burn the - arrrggghh!" Sinistra jumped a foot in the air, dropped her suitcase and spun around.
A huge black dog stood in front of her.
Sinistra was pulling out her wand when Harry Potter came running up.
"Hello, Professors," the boy said warily.
Snape, who was recovering from having a suitcase dropped on his right foot, yelled, "What is he #!~&*!$ doing here?"
"Is this your dog?" Sinistra demanded at the same time, her wand aimed between the huge animal's eyes.
"Yes, he doesn't bite."
"Answer me, Potter," snarled Snape while he limped menacingly towards the boy, "what is that creature doing here?"
"Professor Dumbledore gave permission for him to stay over Christmas." Harry replied.
Sinistra didn't like the unspoken defiant 'so there' in the boy's attitude. He lacked respect for his teachers, that one. Giving a child that mischievous a huge dog was just asking for trouble.
"Then why haven't I seen him before now?" Snape demanded.
"Snuffles has been staying with Hagrid, Professor."
Snape growled at the boy and Snuffles snarled at Snape.
"Are you sure he doesn't bite?" Sinistra asked again, her gaze fixed on the huge dog.
"He's never bitten me, Professor."
Aurora heard Severus mutter, "That means nothing." Snape limped off towards the hospital wing.
"Just keep him away from me," Sinistra told Harry firmly. She picked up her suitcase. "I'm warning you, Harry. If he licks my leg like that again I'll hex him into next week. Got it?"
Harry nodded and watched Professor Sinistra run after Professor Snape. As soon as the Professors were out of hearing range, Harry turned on Snuffles.
"Sirius," he hissed, "how could you?!"
The big dog sniggered wheezily.
~~~~~~~
Once the Professors were out of hearing range of Harry, Snape stopped walking and grabbed Sinistra by the shoulders.
"Uh, sorry about your foot, Severus." Sinistra squeaked, "It was an accident."
"Forget my foot. Listen, we don't have a lot of time." Snape looked around to see if they had an audience then let go of her shoulders. "Before Christmas you told me you wanted to fight? Is that still true?"
"I thought we were fighting."
"Not each other." Snape sighed, "Them."
"Yes. Of course." Sinistra looked up at him. "But how?"
"Good." He smiled coldly, "I have a plan. But first there's something I have to tell you."
~~~~~
By the time Snape limped into the door to the hospital wing he had told Sinistra all about Moody's bookmaking and the list of odds. They parted at the door, Snape went to have his broken foot bones healed while Sinistra went up to her room in the Astronomy Tower.
Sinistra had a lot to think about. Snape had told her that he'd burned the revocation form to stop her great-uncle discovering that they meant to cancel the contract. He had said that it was because he didn't want to have to fight her uncle.
Yet, Aurora had seen a twinkle in Severus' eye after their fight in the cottage and she was beginning to suspect that he'd burned the form so he could fight with her. But that would mean that Severus hadn't told her the whole truth.
"Come to think of it," thought Aurora, "why didn't he tell me about Moody's betting straight away? Just what is he up to?"
Aurora entered her room determined to take advantage of Severus' plan and discover everything Snape had kept secret from her.
To be continued
Authors note: thanks to everyone who commented on the last chapter (arcee, Normandie M, wmlaw, Lataradk, bdwrm, Leila C. Snape, LunaDaisy, et al).
I've posted some more as soon as it was typed up - apologies if I've left any mistakes in it.
Lataradk,
You don't want to be near the Snape family when they get together. That's how Medusa got thrown out of her previous retirement village. :D
Lucius daydreamed of five Veelas waving palm-leaf fans, feeding him grapes and doing uh, um, other stuff =)
As to 'or something else' from chapter 11 - have you ever exercised and discovered muscles you'd forgotten you had? Well Snape's discovered hormones he forgot he had. :D