Chapter Five--Tempers
A/N: There's bit of harsh/colorful language. I warned you. If anyone's horrifically offended, I'll think about lightening it up for the kiddies. But probably not...
As they landed in front of Hogwarts, Georgie hopped on one foot and then the other as Snape struggled with the knot. He frowned at it, finally got it loose and Georgie took off at a run for the castle leaving Snape with both of their brooms in his hand. He paused for a second looked around him briefly to make sure no one was watching, shook his head with a grimace then followed her inside.
Minerva McGonaggall watched the entire thing from her window high up on in the castle wall. She was staring as if she couldn't believe what was in front of her eyes. She frowned; appearing a bit perplexed, then removed herself from the window and tried to forget the whole thing.
They walked into the Great Hall together but didn't appear to be any friendlier than they used to be. Snape looked angry once more and Georgie seemed to ignore him and his fussiness. Normality is good, she grinned to herself sappily.
After the meal, Georgie nervously followed Dumbledore and the four House Heads upstairs to the headmaster's office. When they were all seated Dumbledore began the informative meeting to reveal which classes Georgie would be attending. She bit her lip.
He read off of a small piece of parchment, "You will be attending Herbology with Sprout, Defense against the Dark Arts with Lupin, Care of Magical Creatures, and Advanced Divination." She groaned inwardly at this last one. "It appears your two strongest subjects here will be Potions and Transfiguration, which I wish you to continue even at your advanced level. You will work closely with both Professors on independent study projects and assisting them with whatever else then need a helping hand with." She nodded at this-this is going to be interesting….
He continued, interrupting her thoughts, "I must say you far exceeded my own expectations for you and from your school. I am very glad that you are here with us and I know you'll make a fine addition to our small school family." His eyes twinkled at her and she grinned widely back.
They all sat a few more minutes going over the details and answering her preliminary questions, before Dumbledore dismissed them all as they were disturbing Fawkes the phoenix' sleep.
Walking back to the dungeons with Snape, she was over flowing. "Oh, I'm excited. I can't wait for school to start so I can meet everyone. It'll be such fun, won't it?" He scowled and didn't say anything. "Where am I supposed to sit during meals when school starts up?" She wondered if she'd sit with the students or continue up with the teachers.
"Most likely the teachers, though no one would stop you if you sat with the students either." Unless she sat with, say a Gryffindor. Stupid house distinctions only caused trouble and snobbery.
Georgie initiated, "So, for your class, what did Dumbledore mean, 'help you out'? Does that mean be a teaching assistant of sorts?" She was to be a teaching assistant with Minerva and she was ecstatic about the opportunity.
"I have no need for a teaching assistant." He spat. Ooh, touchy subject.
"So what'll I do?"
"Whatever I need you to."
"Yes, Master," she replied, zombie-like. "Just promise me we can make some dangerous and highly illegal potions, or else it won't be much fun."
"Promise." He said seriously, with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
Georgie looked up from her class books and grinned as Snape walked into the lounge and looked over her shoulder to see what she was reading.
"Already?" He asked, not in the least surprised.
"Oh course! It's fascinating stuff! I need to know all I can, so when I graduate I can know all about magical herbs and fungi when I'm brewing butterbeers." She wisecracked.
He ignored that and sat down, his own book in hand.
"What are you reading?" She prodded, straining her neck to see the title.
"Nothing…It's a Muggle psychology book. I borrowed it from Dumbledore." She nodded her head quite approvingly and looked down at her own pages.
"You are just like Hermione Granger--always your nose in a book."
"Oh, is she a student?" she asked excitedly. Snape had never volunteered information about his students before. She was all ears.
"Yes, a fifth-year Gryffindor, a bit of a know-it-all, very eager, very smart." She was pleased that he compared her to someone like that. "She is friends with Potter," he said bitterly.
"Oh Harry Potter?" She asked flatly. "He's in school now? Forgot about all that."
Snape stared at her like she had five heads instead if the one. What?" She demanded nervously.
"What? Did you forget to make a huge production over him, to congratulate him on his part in bringing down Voldemort? He is the boy who lived, you know." He said nastily.
"Man, you're scaring me. Bring it down a notch." She said calmly. "I didn't make a big deal because I didn't see any reason too. He's a boy. There are millions of boys just like him. He lived--others live too. If his biggest claim is that his mom gave him powers to defeat a great wizard, kudos to her then. If he survived a few more attacks, good for him. He's lucky maybe even a cool and nice guy, but he's not god or anything, he's just a kid, with acne and crushes and final examinations." She ended with a shrug.
Snape just stared at her, incredulous look on his twisted features.
"Say something," She breathed quietly.
"Fine. Since you won't, I will. I was once traveling on this bus in Egypt and I met a boy. He had crutches as both of his legs were missing. He told me he'd stepped on a landmine left over from a war and survived, but with one less leg. He then was hit by some terrorists' stray bullet, shredding the other leg. His parents were both killed by those some terrorists. He'd caught a fever and lost most of his eyesight. But that boy was the happiest most complete person. He didn't feel sorry for himself, or make a big deal out of how much he'd survived. And he's just a boy also. I called him Lucky and made him sit next to me on the bus," she laughed at that recollection.
"I'll at some point meet this boy Harry Potter and see if he lives up to the heroism I saw in Lucky's life--I mean, by just going on--and with a smile to boot." Then pressing her luck perhaps, she went on, "But until I meet him, you can begin to tell me why it seems you hate him so much." She starred unwaveringly at him.
"To make a long story short, he doesn't deserve the praise, he doesn't deserve to coddled. He should be taught to harden up because if he goes soft, he's as good as dead." He explained resolutely. "In addition his father--the famous and egotistic James Potter--played a trick on me that almost killed me when we were students here. He then turned around and saved my life. I owe it to him, however undeserving, to ensure that the boy continues to live."
"How honorable." She said thoughtfully. "In a kinda screwed kinda way…"
"Yeah, well you know," His eyes returned to his book. "Chivalrous and just…" He said bitingly.
"Yup." She agreed with a smile and went back to her book.
The next week Georgie was either found with a class book in her hand on the shore of the lake or in the lounge when the light failed her eyes. She tried taking one to dinner one night, but Snape lifted it out of her hands as she passed him in the doorway and threw it clear across the lounge and it landed softly on the couch. He had smiled and gestured, "After you." She had gotten the message.
She and Hagrid were still frequenting the kitchens, so Georgie was almost never without her precious Diet Coke in her hand plus some other goodies. As a present, she had magically painted a picture of a Diet Coke can in pop-art style, like the Andy Warhol painting of a Campbell's Soup can. She had hung it on the kitchen wall, grinning stupidly when a few of the house-elves had been moved to tears.
By Thursday night they were getting to be quite comfortable in sharing their rooms. It was becoming common for them to sit about the place and chat and bug each other until it could get quite late. When Georgie returned from her raid on the kitchens that night-goodies in hand-she slowed to a stop when she entered the room. Snape was sitting there staring off into la-la land and on her couch sat her guitar. She walked in, deposited the refreshments on the coffee table. Then looking to Snape, laughed, "Okay, I get the point." She took off her robes and through them into her darkened room and shut the door. Snape gave her an I-have-no-idea-what-you-are-insinuating look.
She plopped down and got comfortable, cracked her fingers and burped loudly. He looked at her. "Already had one down there," she stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "No comments, from you punk. Or no Mrs. Nice guy."
"I'd never…" trying to act shocked, then he stopped, "No that's not true. I would," He confessed. "And I would at every occasion I got. Never pass up an opportunity if I could help it…."
"Got your point mean-man."
She played a wordless song, then a few where she had to sing, but he had stopped throwing her looks every time her voice cracked after the third threat from her that she'd stop. He'd sat back and stretched out on the couch, looking very relaxed.
The boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a murderous desire for love.
how can they look into my eyes
and still they don't believe me?
how can they hear me say those words
and still they don't believe me?
and if they don't believe me now
will they ever believe me?
She looked over at Snape and saw that his eyes were closed so he was probably asleep. She glanced at her watch. It was only 10--the night was still young, she grinned wickedly. Setting down the guitar quietly on the floor. She sighed and stretched out looking back at Snape, his arms were spread out long past his head as he was slumped up against the back of the plush couch. Man, he's too thin. I could totally crush his bones if I accidentally fell on him, she joked to herself, knowing that it so wasn't true.
His long black robes ("You're such a freaking goth!") usually covered up almost every square inch of skin, he even colored once when she called him a puritan. Then she noticed his arms. Sleeves had fallen away to reveal up to his elbows. Something caught her eye and her eyes slowly grew wide in terror. He opened his eyes at that exact moment and started a little when he saw her looking so wildly at him.
He had the mark on his left arm. The skull with the snake coming out of it's mouth, it was there--plain as day. She stood up and began to shake as she backed away from him. He sat up in alarm, tensely casting his eyes about him for what the reason for this was…
"Oh my god…" she said just above a whisper. He jumped to his feet suddenly, and she lost it. Georgie opened her mouth and screamed bloody murder. Snape tried yelling above her "What is wrong with you?!" But she was hysterical by this point. She was shaking violently and seemed to be frightened out of her wits by the man standing in front of her. Still screaming, Snape took a step towards her, but she instantly had her wand in her hand., and he had followed suit before she could think of what to do next. Her wand hand was unsteady and her eyes never left his face. "You're a fucking Death Eater! What the hell!" She was yelling her lungs out at him. They stood only a few paces away from each other, both wands pointing at the other. Georgie was livid, her brown face screwed up in rage and Snape's was purple as he fought to keep himself under control as well. "You're a Death Eater! What are you going to do kill me?! Betray us all to Voldemort?" Snape just kept his eyes calmly on her shaking wand. He found that more alarming than her hysterics.
"Georgie, Let me just explain."
"No fucking way. How can I trust you--I don't even know who you are!"
Georgie!" He yelled impatiently.
"Shut-up!" She screamed back. It only got worse from there.
McGonagall was up in Dumbledore's office playing chess against him, when the old man suddenly sat up and got a far off look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked anxiously.
"They're going to kill each other in the dungeons. Come. We must go now," He spoke with some urgency so McGonagall leapt to her feet and they both raced down to the bottom of the castle as fast as they could. McGonagall was used to Albus' intuitions and trusted them. The raised voices met their ears while they were still a long way off. They exchanged a dire look, and ran even faster.
"Georgie, I didn't lie. Now be reasonable!"
"No, why should I?" She shrieked. "The guy next to me on the couch, sleeping without a care in the world is a nasty-ass bastard from HELL!" Her voice was straining from the yelling.
Snape tried to take a step forward, but she rose her wand warningly and stared daggers at him. "You killer, Murderer! How can you sleep!" You're a Death Eater, you joined HIS side?!" She shook her head unbelievingly.
He was worrying, now, she seemed to be ranting more and more disconnectedly. He figured he'd have to do something to stop her long enough to get the wand away from her-stun her or something. He kept his eyes open for the chance. Still not having lost her fury, she went on, "You're the bad guy! I can't believe it!" She bit her lip and paused, "Well maybe I can--I can believe anything now! Try me!"
"I'm not anymore--"
"Don't give me that--why the hell should I listen you! You've got the mark! You never told me, of course! I know what you are and what you did!" She felt hot and sick to her stomach, like her world was dropping out from under her.
"I freaking trusted you, thought you were fun, now look what happens! I could kill you right now you asshole!" She yelled passionately. His eyes widened at this and his mind reeled. If he was going to do something, now might be his only chance.
He raised his wand and bellowed "Stupefy!" but she'd raised her wand at the same moment and had managed to get off a screaming defensive, "Reducto!" before being blasted back against the wall into an unconscious heap. Snape himself flew forcibly into the opposite wall and knocked his head quite hard against the wall. He felt a trickle of blood on the back of his neck. He was alive--maybe some broken ribs--nothing uncommon or something he couldn't handle, but he didn't want to stand up just yet. He felt drained.
"Good Heavens!" Snape looked up to see Dumbledore and McGonagall jump back at the sight of the two crumpled people. "You're too late," Snape informed and looked up at them. "Oh my," McGonagall covered her mouth with her hands. "You don't mean…"
"No," he said dryly. "She's unconscious." He tried to stand up, but winced at the pain and collapsed back down. "She fights hard." He said without humor.
Dumbledore turned to McGonagall and instructed her to get Madam Pomfrey and bring two stretchers with her. She turned and immediately left.
Dumbledore leaned against the back of the couch and asked quietly, "What happened?" Coming from anyone other than Dumbledore right then Snape would have bit their head off, but Dumbledore was the best of men, and probably one of the closest friends in his life. He sighed. "She saw my arm." Dumbledore nodded understandingly. "Then what happened?"
"She went ballistic. She started screaming and raving like a madwoman, saying I lied to her--how could she trust me, that I was a murderer…." His voice dropped off. "She was hysterical, screaming that she was going to kill me, so I cast Stupefy at the same time that she sent a Reductor my way. A good one too," he tried to smile, but it didn't come. He looked away quickly.
"Severus, we all know the real you--that you are no murderer. You saw the right thing to do and you changed your allegiances. You were never one of them--your heart isn't that way--we all see that now. I will vouch for you with my dying breath if I must. It's the truth. She will recognize the truth for what it is--give it time."
"Should I have told her?" Snape wondered, more to himself than Dumbledore.
After a few moments, Dumbledore laid a hand on his friend's shoulder and reasoned, "Then or now: the reaction most likely would have been the same, with the same tempers behind it. For my part, I think you were right in letting her get to know the real you before she found out. It'll make the healing period shorter." Snape didn't look like her believed this.
On hearing McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey approaching the room, he explained "You're to stay in the hospital overnight--I mean it Severus. What use will you be to me with a bleeding head? Rest. And make sure she does the same," he established forcefully. "I'll speak to her when she wakes up." And with that Dumbledore left.
A/N-Ha, forgive me for I have sinned. Dirty words--marvelous, bloody marvelous. I rather relish violence--you'll see more of it I think. The Smiths once again. Please review and all that….
A/N: There's bit of harsh/colorful language. I warned you. If anyone's horrifically offended, I'll think about lightening it up for the kiddies. But probably not...
As they landed in front of Hogwarts, Georgie hopped on one foot and then the other as Snape struggled with the knot. He frowned at it, finally got it loose and Georgie took off at a run for the castle leaving Snape with both of their brooms in his hand. He paused for a second looked around him briefly to make sure no one was watching, shook his head with a grimace then followed her inside.
Minerva McGonaggall watched the entire thing from her window high up on in the castle wall. She was staring as if she couldn't believe what was in front of her eyes. She frowned; appearing a bit perplexed, then removed herself from the window and tried to forget the whole thing.
They walked into the Great Hall together but didn't appear to be any friendlier than they used to be. Snape looked angry once more and Georgie seemed to ignore him and his fussiness. Normality is good, she grinned to herself sappily.
After the meal, Georgie nervously followed Dumbledore and the four House Heads upstairs to the headmaster's office. When they were all seated Dumbledore began the informative meeting to reveal which classes Georgie would be attending. She bit her lip.
He read off of a small piece of parchment, "You will be attending Herbology with Sprout, Defense against the Dark Arts with Lupin, Care of Magical Creatures, and Advanced Divination." She groaned inwardly at this last one. "It appears your two strongest subjects here will be Potions and Transfiguration, which I wish you to continue even at your advanced level. You will work closely with both Professors on independent study projects and assisting them with whatever else then need a helping hand with." She nodded at this-this is going to be interesting….
He continued, interrupting her thoughts, "I must say you far exceeded my own expectations for you and from your school. I am very glad that you are here with us and I know you'll make a fine addition to our small school family." His eyes twinkled at her and she grinned widely back.
They all sat a few more minutes going over the details and answering her preliminary questions, before Dumbledore dismissed them all as they were disturbing Fawkes the phoenix' sleep.
Walking back to the dungeons with Snape, she was over flowing. "Oh, I'm excited. I can't wait for school to start so I can meet everyone. It'll be such fun, won't it?" He scowled and didn't say anything. "Where am I supposed to sit during meals when school starts up?" She wondered if she'd sit with the students or continue up with the teachers.
"Most likely the teachers, though no one would stop you if you sat with the students either." Unless she sat with, say a Gryffindor. Stupid house distinctions only caused trouble and snobbery.
Georgie initiated, "So, for your class, what did Dumbledore mean, 'help you out'? Does that mean be a teaching assistant of sorts?" She was to be a teaching assistant with Minerva and she was ecstatic about the opportunity.
"I have no need for a teaching assistant." He spat. Ooh, touchy subject.
"So what'll I do?"
"Whatever I need you to."
"Yes, Master," she replied, zombie-like. "Just promise me we can make some dangerous and highly illegal potions, or else it won't be much fun."
"Promise." He said seriously, with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
Georgie looked up from her class books and grinned as Snape walked into the lounge and looked over her shoulder to see what she was reading.
"Already?" He asked, not in the least surprised.
"Oh course! It's fascinating stuff! I need to know all I can, so when I graduate I can know all about magical herbs and fungi when I'm brewing butterbeers." She wisecracked.
He ignored that and sat down, his own book in hand.
"What are you reading?" She prodded, straining her neck to see the title.
"Nothing…It's a Muggle psychology book. I borrowed it from Dumbledore." She nodded her head quite approvingly and looked down at her own pages.
"You are just like Hermione Granger--always your nose in a book."
"Oh, is she a student?" she asked excitedly. Snape had never volunteered information about his students before. She was all ears.
"Yes, a fifth-year Gryffindor, a bit of a know-it-all, very eager, very smart." She was pleased that he compared her to someone like that. "She is friends with Potter," he said bitterly.
"Oh Harry Potter?" She asked flatly. "He's in school now? Forgot about all that."
Snape stared at her like she had five heads instead if the one. What?" She demanded nervously.
"What? Did you forget to make a huge production over him, to congratulate him on his part in bringing down Voldemort? He is the boy who lived, you know." He said nastily.
"Man, you're scaring me. Bring it down a notch." She said calmly. "I didn't make a big deal because I didn't see any reason too. He's a boy. There are millions of boys just like him. He lived--others live too. If his biggest claim is that his mom gave him powers to defeat a great wizard, kudos to her then. If he survived a few more attacks, good for him. He's lucky maybe even a cool and nice guy, but he's not god or anything, he's just a kid, with acne and crushes and final examinations." She ended with a shrug.
Snape just stared at her, incredulous look on his twisted features.
"Say something," She breathed quietly.
"Fine. Since you won't, I will. I was once traveling on this bus in Egypt and I met a boy. He had crutches as both of his legs were missing. He told me he'd stepped on a landmine left over from a war and survived, but with one less leg. He then was hit by some terrorists' stray bullet, shredding the other leg. His parents were both killed by those some terrorists. He'd caught a fever and lost most of his eyesight. But that boy was the happiest most complete person. He didn't feel sorry for himself, or make a big deal out of how much he'd survived. And he's just a boy also. I called him Lucky and made him sit next to me on the bus," she laughed at that recollection.
"I'll at some point meet this boy Harry Potter and see if he lives up to the heroism I saw in Lucky's life--I mean, by just going on--and with a smile to boot." Then pressing her luck perhaps, she went on, "But until I meet him, you can begin to tell me why it seems you hate him so much." She starred unwaveringly at him.
"To make a long story short, he doesn't deserve the praise, he doesn't deserve to coddled. He should be taught to harden up because if he goes soft, he's as good as dead." He explained resolutely. "In addition his father--the famous and egotistic James Potter--played a trick on me that almost killed me when we were students here. He then turned around and saved my life. I owe it to him, however undeserving, to ensure that the boy continues to live."
"How honorable." She said thoughtfully. "In a kinda screwed kinda way…"
"Yeah, well you know," His eyes returned to his book. "Chivalrous and just…" He said bitingly.
"Yup." She agreed with a smile and went back to her book.
The next week Georgie was either found with a class book in her hand on the shore of the lake or in the lounge when the light failed her eyes. She tried taking one to dinner one night, but Snape lifted it out of her hands as she passed him in the doorway and threw it clear across the lounge and it landed softly on the couch. He had smiled and gestured, "After you." She had gotten the message.
She and Hagrid were still frequenting the kitchens, so Georgie was almost never without her precious Diet Coke in her hand plus some other goodies. As a present, she had magically painted a picture of a Diet Coke can in pop-art style, like the Andy Warhol painting of a Campbell's Soup can. She had hung it on the kitchen wall, grinning stupidly when a few of the house-elves had been moved to tears.
By Thursday night they were getting to be quite comfortable in sharing their rooms. It was becoming common for them to sit about the place and chat and bug each other until it could get quite late. When Georgie returned from her raid on the kitchens that night-goodies in hand-she slowed to a stop when she entered the room. Snape was sitting there staring off into la-la land and on her couch sat her guitar. She walked in, deposited the refreshments on the coffee table. Then looking to Snape, laughed, "Okay, I get the point." She took off her robes and through them into her darkened room and shut the door. Snape gave her an I-have-no-idea-what-you-are-insinuating look.
She plopped down and got comfortable, cracked her fingers and burped loudly. He looked at her. "Already had one down there," she stuck her tongue out sheepishly. "No comments, from you punk. Or no Mrs. Nice guy."
"I'd never…" trying to act shocked, then he stopped, "No that's not true. I would," He confessed. "And I would at every occasion I got. Never pass up an opportunity if I could help it…."
"Got your point mean-man."
She played a wordless song, then a few where she had to sing, but he had stopped throwing her looks every time her voice cracked after the third threat from her that she'd stop. He'd sat back and stretched out on the couch, looking very relaxed.
The boy with the thorn in his side
behind the hatred there lies
a murderous desire for love.
how can they look into my eyes
and still they don't believe me?
how can they hear me say those words
and still they don't believe me?
and if they don't believe me now
will they ever believe me?
She looked over at Snape and saw that his eyes were closed so he was probably asleep. She glanced at her watch. It was only 10--the night was still young, she grinned wickedly. Setting down the guitar quietly on the floor. She sighed and stretched out looking back at Snape, his arms were spread out long past his head as he was slumped up against the back of the plush couch. Man, he's too thin. I could totally crush his bones if I accidentally fell on him, she joked to herself, knowing that it so wasn't true.
His long black robes ("You're such a freaking goth!") usually covered up almost every square inch of skin, he even colored once when she called him a puritan. Then she noticed his arms. Sleeves had fallen away to reveal up to his elbows. Something caught her eye and her eyes slowly grew wide in terror. He opened his eyes at that exact moment and started a little when he saw her looking so wildly at him.
He had the mark on his left arm. The skull with the snake coming out of it's mouth, it was there--plain as day. She stood up and began to shake as she backed away from him. He sat up in alarm, tensely casting his eyes about him for what the reason for this was…
"Oh my god…" she said just above a whisper. He jumped to his feet suddenly, and she lost it. Georgie opened her mouth and screamed bloody murder. Snape tried yelling above her "What is wrong with you?!" But she was hysterical by this point. She was shaking violently and seemed to be frightened out of her wits by the man standing in front of her. Still screaming, Snape took a step towards her, but she instantly had her wand in her hand., and he had followed suit before she could think of what to do next. Her wand hand was unsteady and her eyes never left his face. "You're a fucking Death Eater! What the hell!" She was yelling her lungs out at him. They stood only a few paces away from each other, both wands pointing at the other. Georgie was livid, her brown face screwed up in rage and Snape's was purple as he fought to keep himself under control as well. "You're a Death Eater! What are you going to do kill me?! Betray us all to Voldemort?" Snape just kept his eyes calmly on her shaking wand. He found that more alarming than her hysterics.
"Georgie, Let me just explain."
"No fucking way. How can I trust you--I don't even know who you are!"
Georgie!" He yelled impatiently.
"Shut-up!" She screamed back. It only got worse from there.
McGonagall was up in Dumbledore's office playing chess against him, when the old man suddenly sat up and got a far off look in his eyes. "What's wrong?" She asked anxiously.
"They're going to kill each other in the dungeons. Come. We must go now," He spoke with some urgency so McGonagall leapt to her feet and they both raced down to the bottom of the castle as fast as they could. McGonagall was used to Albus' intuitions and trusted them. The raised voices met their ears while they were still a long way off. They exchanged a dire look, and ran even faster.
"Georgie, I didn't lie. Now be reasonable!"
"No, why should I?" She shrieked. "The guy next to me on the couch, sleeping without a care in the world is a nasty-ass bastard from HELL!" Her voice was straining from the yelling.
Snape tried to take a step forward, but she rose her wand warningly and stared daggers at him. "You killer, Murderer! How can you sleep!" You're a Death Eater, you joined HIS side?!" She shook her head unbelievingly.
He was worrying, now, she seemed to be ranting more and more disconnectedly. He figured he'd have to do something to stop her long enough to get the wand away from her-stun her or something. He kept his eyes open for the chance. Still not having lost her fury, she went on, "You're the bad guy! I can't believe it!" She bit her lip and paused, "Well maybe I can--I can believe anything now! Try me!"
"I'm not anymore--"
"Don't give me that--why the hell should I listen you! You've got the mark! You never told me, of course! I know what you are and what you did!" She felt hot and sick to her stomach, like her world was dropping out from under her.
"I freaking trusted you, thought you were fun, now look what happens! I could kill you right now you asshole!" She yelled passionately. His eyes widened at this and his mind reeled. If he was going to do something, now might be his only chance.
He raised his wand and bellowed "Stupefy!" but she'd raised her wand at the same moment and had managed to get off a screaming defensive, "Reducto!" before being blasted back against the wall into an unconscious heap. Snape himself flew forcibly into the opposite wall and knocked his head quite hard against the wall. He felt a trickle of blood on the back of his neck. He was alive--maybe some broken ribs--nothing uncommon or something he couldn't handle, but he didn't want to stand up just yet. He felt drained.
"Good Heavens!" Snape looked up to see Dumbledore and McGonagall jump back at the sight of the two crumpled people. "You're too late," Snape informed and looked up at them. "Oh my," McGonagall covered her mouth with her hands. "You don't mean…"
"No," he said dryly. "She's unconscious." He tried to stand up, but winced at the pain and collapsed back down. "She fights hard." He said without humor.
Dumbledore turned to McGonagall and instructed her to get Madam Pomfrey and bring two stretchers with her. She turned and immediately left.
Dumbledore leaned against the back of the couch and asked quietly, "What happened?" Coming from anyone other than Dumbledore right then Snape would have bit their head off, but Dumbledore was the best of men, and probably one of the closest friends in his life. He sighed. "She saw my arm." Dumbledore nodded understandingly. "Then what happened?"
"She went ballistic. She started screaming and raving like a madwoman, saying I lied to her--how could she trust me, that I was a murderer…." His voice dropped off. "She was hysterical, screaming that she was going to kill me, so I cast Stupefy at the same time that she sent a Reductor my way. A good one too," he tried to smile, but it didn't come. He looked away quickly.
"Severus, we all know the real you--that you are no murderer. You saw the right thing to do and you changed your allegiances. You were never one of them--your heart isn't that way--we all see that now. I will vouch for you with my dying breath if I must. It's the truth. She will recognize the truth for what it is--give it time."
"Should I have told her?" Snape wondered, more to himself than Dumbledore.
After a few moments, Dumbledore laid a hand on his friend's shoulder and reasoned, "Then or now: the reaction most likely would have been the same, with the same tempers behind it. For my part, I think you were right in letting her get to know the real you before she found out. It'll make the healing period shorter." Snape didn't look like her believed this.
On hearing McGonagall and Madam Pomfrey approaching the room, he explained "You're to stay in the hospital overnight--I mean it Severus. What use will you be to me with a bleeding head? Rest. And make sure she does the same," he established forcefully. "I'll speak to her when she wakes up." And with that Dumbledore left.
A/N-Ha, forgive me for I have sinned. Dirty words--marvelous, bloody marvelous. I rather relish violence--you'll see more of it I think. The Smiths once again. Please review and all that….