Disclaimer - see part 1.
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Wizards Honour
Part 21
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Snape poured a small dose of pepper-up potion down the throat of the exhausted owl that lay across his desk. The bird hooted weakly and fell asleep, steam leaking out of its ear-holes.
Satisfied that the bird was alive and Madam Pomfrey would not be harassing him for committing cruelty to owls, Severus Snape opened the Ministry document tube.
The Potions Master smirked at the note and unrolled the parchments. He almost laughed when he looked at the two forms. While the Revocation was close to two feet long and required ten separate pieces of information to be added to it, the Acceptance form was eight inches long and only required the signatures of Sinistra, Snape and a witness.
"Bureaucracy," he murmured. "Finally something goes my way for a change." He rolled up the Acceptance form, grabbed a quill and a bottle of ink off the desk and dashed out of the room.
Snape walked quickly up the silent staircase, his footsteps echoing through the still night air. The Bloody Baron glided silently up the stairs behind him.
The old spectre followed the wizard until Snape reached the base of the last staircase.
"I would prefer to not have an audience." Snape said quietly.
"Do Slytherin proud, Professor." The Bloody Baron smiled kindly, a once-in-a-decade sight, and glided off back down the stairs. "Soon," thought the Baron, "I will be able to gloat at the Grey Lady as much as I want."
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"All efforts to record the progress of the Giant's Eyeball Comet are of top priority." Aurora read from the note she'd received that day from the WASSUPS. "Locating is acceptable although personal viewing is preferred."
"Good," Sinistra yawned. "I won't have to stay up for this." She stepped back from the telescope, tapped it with her wand and commanded it to Locate the Giant's Eyeball Comet. The telescope moved as it magically scanned the sky for the comet.
The door to the tower room opened and Professor Snape walked in.
"Oh, hello Professor Snape. I didn't expect to see you here so late." Sinistra said in a formal tone. "I need to finish setting the Locate and then I can talk."
Snape nodded and walked to the window. He stared out at the Forbidden Forest. It appeared to Aurora that he was trying to see if anything nasty was sneaking out of it.
Sinistra shrugged and returned to commanding the telescope. She set the telescope to record the movement of the comet on a charmed piece of parchment. Then, with a flick or three of her wand and a few charms, she cleaned up the room and pushed the viewing chair against the wall.
"That's better." She popped her wand up her sleeve and, hoping she appeared calmer than she felt, turned to face Snape. After a moment he turned to face her and handed her a piece of parchment.
"What is this?" Sinistra said as she took the scroll. She caught sight of the Ministry of Magic crest on the top of the scroll and winced. So it was over.
"My apology." Snape replied.
"Wh-at?" Sinistra opened the scroll and gasped as she read the words 'Wizards Honour Acceptance'.
"That's a very big apology." Sinistra glanced up at him and then back at the parchment. Suddenly, all the angry thoughts she had towards Severus seemed to be so petty. Aurora knew exactly who and what Severus was and his insults were as much a part of him as his rare praise.
"You deserve it." Snape replied.
"I don't know what to say." Sinistra's thoughts were a jumble, although most of them recommended that she scream 'yes, yes, yes' loudly and jump up and down on the spot.
However, before Sinistra had a chance to act, Severus walked up to her. He raised her chin with his hand and brushed his right forefinger over her lips.
"I will leave you to consider my offer." He said quietly. "I shall wait on the stair for ten minutes. If you tell me you do not want this or you do not come out of this room within ten minutes then we will both sign the Revocation form." He swept dramatically towards the door and left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
The mood lasted for all of two seconds.
"Someone's been reading the romantic advice section of 'Witches Weekly'," Sinistra chuckled, her hand clasped over her mouth to smother her laughter at Severus' uncharacteristic behaviour. She considered running out after him and then had another idea. She looked at her watch. "Hmmm, nine and a half minutes should just about do it."
---------------
Severus Snape shot the third glare in a minute up the staircase and at the door to the tower room. 'Damn woman,' he thought mutinously. He was so busy thinking dark thoughts that he didn't hear the tower door open.
"Are you going to sign this thing or not?" Sinistra asked as she climbed down the stairs, the Acceptance form in her hand.
Severus spun around and stared archly at her. "Will you always keep me waiting this long?"
"You don't have to wait." Aurora replied calmly.
"I shall wait if I want to." Severus replied.
"Then I," Aurora smirked, "shall take joy in keeping you waiting." She turned and began walking up the stairs.
"Typical astronomer," Severus quipped as he too climbed the stairs, "always seeing everything thousands of years late."
"Typical Potioner," Aurora replied saucily, "always stirring up things you can't control."
"Star gazer!"
"Stew maker!"
"Mosquito!" Severus reached the top step and smirked down at her.
"Stick insect!" Aurora stepped into the room.
"Door mouse!"
"House Elf!"
"You wish," Severus walked back into the tower room. He grinned, "Astrologer!"
"Oh you-!" Aurora, who hated being called an Astrologer and not an Astronomer, slammed the door shut. She thought for a moment then grinned wickedly. "Lockhart impersonator!"
"Budgie burner!" Severus smirked again. "I'm winning."
"Potter fan!"
"I beg your pardon?" Snape spluttered.
Aurora walked up to him and, with a totally straight face, said, "Potter fan!"
"I do not love Harry Potter." Severus replied fiercely.
"I should hope not," Aurora smiled. "If you did you couldn't love me."
"That's not in the rules of the game, Aurora."
"What rules?"
"You have a point there." Snape reached out and wrapped his fingers in her short mouse-brown hair. "Mosquito."
"You've already used that one, Snake Lover." Sinistra ran one of her fingers along the edge of Severus' robe collar.
"Do I see a pattern here? Veela!"
Aurora chuckled, "I'm flattered. Caveman!"
"I am afraid I left my bearskin cape in the dungeon." Severus leant forward and kissed Aurora on the forehead.
"You forgot to insult me." Aurora said huskily. "And you missed my lips."
"Damn. Oh well," Severus smirked. "Practice makes perfect."
To be continued
Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has commented. You can't see it but I'm blushing like mad at your compliments.
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Wizards Honour
Part 21
---------------
Snape poured a small dose of pepper-up potion down the throat of the exhausted owl that lay across his desk. The bird hooted weakly and fell asleep, steam leaking out of its ear-holes.
Satisfied that the bird was alive and Madam Pomfrey would not be harassing him for committing cruelty to owls, Severus Snape opened the Ministry document tube.
The Potions Master smirked at the note and unrolled the parchments. He almost laughed when he looked at the two forms. While the Revocation was close to two feet long and required ten separate pieces of information to be added to it, the Acceptance form was eight inches long and only required the signatures of Sinistra, Snape and a witness.
"Bureaucracy," he murmured. "Finally something goes my way for a change." He rolled up the Acceptance form, grabbed a quill and a bottle of ink off the desk and dashed out of the room.
Snape walked quickly up the silent staircase, his footsteps echoing through the still night air. The Bloody Baron glided silently up the stairs behind him.
The old spectre followed the wizard until Snape reached the base of the last staircase.
"I would prefer to not have an audience." Snape said quietly.
"Do Slytherin proud, Professor." The Bloody Baron smiled kindly, a once-in-a-decade sight, and glided off back down the stairs. "Soon," thought the Baron, "I will be able to gloat at the Grey Lady as much as I want."
---------------
"All efforts to record the progress of the Giant's Eyeball Comet are of top priority." Aurora read from the note she'd received that day from the WASSUPS. "Locating is acceptable although personal viewing is preferred."
"Good," Sinistra yawned. "I won't have to stay up for this." She stepped back from the telescope, tapped it with her wand and commanded it to Locate the Giant's Eyeball Comet. The telescope moved as it magically scanned the sky for the comet.
The door to the tower room opened and Professor Snape walked in.
"Oh, hello Professor Snape. I didn't expect to see you here so late." Sinistra said in a formal tone. "I need to finish setting the Locate and then I can talk."
Snape nodded and walked to the window. He stared out at the Forbidden Forest. It appeared to Aurora that he was trying to see if anything nasty was sneaking out of it.
Sinistra shrugged and returned to commanding the telescope. She set the telescope to record the movement of the comet on a charmed piece of parchment. Then, with a flick or three of her wand and a few charms, she cleaned up the room and pushed the viewing chair against the wall.
"That's better." She popped her wand up her sleeve and, hoping she appeared calmer than she felt, turned to face Snape. After a moment he turned to face her and handed her a piece of parchment.
"What is this?" Sinistra said as she took the scroll. She caught sight of the Ministry of Magic crest on the top of the scroll and winced. So it was over.
"My apology." Snape replied.
"Wh-at?" Sinistra opened the scroll and gasped as she read the words 'Wizards Honour Acceptance'.
"That's a very big apology." Sinistra glanced up at him and then back at the parchment. Suddenly, all the angry thoughts she had towards Severus seemed to be so petty. Aurora knew exactly who and what Severus was and his insults were as much a part of him as his rare praise.
"You deserve it." Snape replied.
"I don't know what to say." Sinistra's thoughts were a jumble, although most of them recommended that she scream 'yes, yes, yes' loudly and jump up and down on the spot.
However, before Sinistra had a chance to act, Severus walked up to her. He raised her chin with his hand and brushed his right forefinger over her lips.
"I will leave you to consider my offer." He said quietly. "I shall wait on the stair for ten minutes. If you tell me you do not want this or you do not come out of this room within ten minutes then we will both sign the Revocation form." He swept dramatically towards the door and left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
The mood lasted for all of two seconds.
"Someone's been reading the romantic advice section of 'Witches Weekly'," Sinistra chuckled, her hand clasped over her mouth to smother her laughter at Severus' uncharacteristic behaviour. She considered running out after him and then had another idea. She looked at her watch. "Hmmm, nine and a half minutes should just about do it."
---------------
Severus Snape shot the third glare in a minute up the staircase and at the door to the tower room. 'Damn woman,' he thought mutinously. He was so busy thinking dark thoughts that he didn't hear the tower door open.
"Are you going to sign this thing or not?" Sinistra asked as she climbed down the stairs, the Acceptance form in her hand.
Severus spun around and stared archly at her. "Will you always keep me waiting this long?"
"You don't have to wait." Aurora replied calmly.
"I shall wait if I want to." Severus replied.
"Then I," Aurora smirked, "shall take joy in keeping you waiting." She turned and began walking up the stairs.
"Typical astronomer," Severus quipped as he too climbed the stairs, "always seeing everything thousands of years late."
"Typical Potioner," Aurora replied saucily, "always stirring up things you can't control."
"Star gazer!"
"Stew maker!"
"Mosquito!" Severus reached the top step and smirked down at her.
"Stick insect!" Aurora stepped into the room.
"Door mouse!"
"House Elf!"
"You wish," Severus walked back into the tower room. He grinned, "Astrologer!"
"Oh you-!" Aurora, who hated being called an Astrologer and not an Astronomer, slammed the door shut. She thought for a moment then grinned wickedly. "Lockhart impersonator!"
"Budgie burner!" Severus smirked again. "I'm winning."
"Potter fan!"
"I beg your pardon?" Snape spluttered.
Aurora walked up to him and, with a totally straight face, said, "Potter fan!"
"I do not love Harry Potter." Severus replied fiercely.
"I should hope not," Aurora smiled. "If you did you couldn't love me."
"That's not in the rules of the game, Aurora."
"What rules?"
"You have a point there." Snape reached out and wrapped his fingers in her short mouse-brown hair. "Mosquito."
"You've already used that one, Snake Lover." Sinistra ran one of her fingers along the edge of Severus' robe collar.
"Do I see a pattern here? Veela!"
Aurora chuckled, "I'm flattered. Caveman!"
"I am afraid I left my bearskin cape in the dungeon." Severus leant forward and kissed Aurora on the forehead.
"You forgot to insult me." Aurora said huskily. "And you missed my lips."
"Damn. Oh well," Severus smirked. "Practice makes perfect."
To be continued
Author's Note: Thank you, thank you, thank you to everyone who has commented. You can't see it but I'm blushing like mad at your compliments.