Chapter 20--Blackout
"We'll just see then won't we?" She had taunted over her shoulder as she snatched up her books and ran out the door. That had been the last time. This time, she found that he wasn't to be found. They had flown back to Hogwarts in time for the New Year and to recover from their active resting.
Hogwarts was so loud--even in the dungeons, Severus had mused. He avoided his office after classes as the Slytherin Students were having an especially difficult time of working out their own problems. What am I, a nanny? He'd wanted to yell at the last pair Filch had dragged into his office for dueling in the corridors.
He wouldn't out and admit that he was hiding, but he wasn't to be found in his office or even in his lounge. Minerva had stopped by the dungeons some days before looking for him and Georgie had not been able to enlighten her. Minerva remarked that he hadn't been in his office or the staff room, and as it wasn't time for meals or classes at that time in the evening she wondered what he could be up to.
But when he returned she didn't pry: she felt that he'd feel better knowing that there was at least one person that would allow him to keep his secrets and thoughts to himself. Though she honestly didn't know for how long she'd last. She was a very curious person.
Minerva had sat down and Georgie relished the role reversal as she made the woman a cup of tea on her home turf. "Maybe he's got some deep, dark secret." Georgie suggested with a hint of things mischievous on her voice.
"Dear, Severus has so many deep, dark secrets he couldn't handle any more." She said primly.
"Yes he could! I know he's got that delightfully dark and tragic past, but he's bigger than that. He's got room for new tragedies now. The past is in the past for him."
Minerva set her cup down gingerly. "I can agree with a great many things you have to say, but that isn't one of them. Severus still shows such unveiled favoritism towards his own house and hostility to the others, he's a preposterous figure. The self-pity and perpetual blackness--inside and out--there's something wrong to go on for years like that. At first we on staff thought it was a phase, but he never did turn over that new leaf. He still much as he always was."
Georgie remained calm to the challenge, smiling shyly. "He has valid reasons for that bias, I assure you. As to the self-hatred, oh yes he still hates himself." Minerva gave her a look as if to say, see there, I told you so. "But it's his way of mourning and punishing himself. You are aware of the lengths he goes to punish himself," Georgie said with deep meaning, "And if he gets killed for it, Snape would be thrilled. Yes, he's sick. But I do have to say he has impressed me with his sense of duty and discipline. At least he realizes he's done nasty things and needs to pay for it." Georgie was getting worked up and set down her cup so she wouldn't tip it over if she got into a heated debate.
"No, I believe the Ministry doled out his punishment--and an adequate one. He's a fool for prolonging and adding to it needlessly."
"Why should it end? Who says it needs to be over with? It's his conscience and he lives with it every day. And beyond that, his punishment helps us all. Perhaps for others who have very little to bear it makes sense to 'get the thing over and done with as quickly as possible', but to have seen the things he's seen. I don't envy him or the position he's placed himself."
"But to surround oneself with darkness, hatred and grief. What's the point of living with that? And what kind of living would it be? Not one I'd fancy very much."
"I don't know that." She frowned. "But I always gathered the dismal environment and shutting himself away from the world served as a reminder to what was done and needs to be done. A bit like war memorials and museums--No they're not pleasant, but it's good to visit them and think on bad things so you continue in the good things."
"I think a great deal of this stems from attention. He will forever go down as the former Death Eater, the pitiful, overly cruel, and sad Professor Snape."
Georgie snorted, "I can tell you if he wanted to be remembered for anything, certainly being a creature to evoke pity wouldn't be it. He's an absolute genius at Potions, and in this I'm not biased. I think he's just gotten so into the habit of being mean and no one bothered to stop him in the pursuit that it just became his world to him.
"But you pity him?" Minerva gave her a sidelong glance.
Georgie scrunched up her face, "I can't help it, even though he's asked me not to. But it's getting harder and harder to do so. Every once in a while he'll do something good, or smile or laugh or be generous.he's always had it in him, people never gave him credit for it."
"I wish I could share your optimism and ability to see the good in him. And after all your fighting and arguing and injuring one another!" Minerva seemed amazed.
"Oh, don't say that! I'm not the most pleasant person to get along with. You just get to see the public Georgie. The Slytherin-at-Home Georgie is a monster!" She giggled.
"I believe that."
"Good, because it's perfectly true."
"I just can't imagine Severus laughing," Minerva wagged her head and her hat top flopped with the motion.
"He's not the lost person the world thought he was, though he just can't be bothered to tell anyone this." Even himself.
"So his real sin is for particular laziness."
"I guess so. That and he's a real bastard."
"Georgie!" Minerva gasped. "I think Severus does better on his own without your defending him."
Georgie laughed heartily, "I know, but it's hard to describe him as I know him. He's a bastard and cruel and mean and just all around awful, but then again he's also a good person: kind and funny, helpful.ah, this will never do!"
"In every heart there is an element of darkness as well as light. Severus just chooses to wear the former on his sleeve." Minerva remarked.
After lessons were hastily planned between the two women for the upcoming week--"Yeah, solo teaching." Georgie had cheered obviously not enthused-- Georgie set off to finish her own schoolwork in the library.
Truth be told, but Georgie detested the Hogwarts Library. It was dusty and not very organized; not that she blamed Madam Pince. She found a smaller table set up against a window and spread her Divination book out before her and got to her reading.
The sun had set already an hour earlier and she was struggling to read by the candlelight scattered along the walls and table of the lofty room. It was her own fault she picked a place apart from everyone else and the light..
She sat up straight and cracked her knuckles and her back, before turning around in her chair. Siobhan stood directly behind her. "Geez!" She breathed heavily, "What is it with people here and sneaking up on everyone else. Sit down you bitch." She laughed breathlessly.
"You're the only one of my friends cheeky enough to call me bitch and close enough that I allow you to." Siobhan tossed her hair over her shoulder and reached across the table to poke into what Georgie was up to.
On recognizing it, she dropped it disdainfully, "Ew."
"So what've you been up to?" She hadn't really spoken with the girl since the students returned to school.
"Breaking the law." Siobhan hinted slyly.
"How? What did you do?"
"I stole my parents car and drove the motorway all the way to Dublin."
Georgie cackled and grabbed her side. "I didn't know your parents had a car!" Was all she could manage to articulate.
"Well, they do and I got in a row with them, so I stole it and went out to the city for a little fun. Didn't find any though."
Georgie nodded understanding how families could get on each others' last nerves over the holidays. "Did you get in much trouble?"
"Yes, but it was worth it. My Ma yelled for hours and hours about how Niamh never does anything like that, but someday it'll be a shock to her.Niamh is missing out. 'Sides there's not much they can do to control me from all the way over there."
"You wild, wild woman."
"Yeah, that's me." She grinned proudly. "So tell me about your holiday with the Snake."
"Oy, kiss off! It was fun, you wouldn't believe his place." She cleared her throat; "Lupin came along."
"Lord help me if I hear that name again!" She howled.
"Shh!"
"Niamh can't talk to anyone about anything like that, unless it's me--well or you, but you were with him. Anyhow, they wrote letters back and forth the whole time and get this: they weren't even good letters! They were like I'd send to my boring cousins if my Ma forced me to write them. All full of 'having a good time, wish you were here,' rubbish. I was forced to listen to his and to hers before she posted them by owl."
"I'm sorry for bringing it up, for some stupid reason I figured it'd be news to you." Georgie slammed her book closed dramatically. "The rest of the time was great though, brilliant, we went hill-walking every day, I went swimming in the sea a few time--yes I know, It was freezing! But it was good, good conversation and quiet pleasant evenings. No complaints really." As an afterthought she added referring back to her sister, "At least you won't be forced to do the same thing here."
Siobhan bit her lip, "No, but she's already in the habit of spending extra hours with him tutoring her. Isn't that illegal, you know, hands off the students and all? Maybe I could report him to Snape and get him in trouble." In almost a whisper, she added, "Hands off my sister."
"They haven't done anything! I know as well as you do the truth, but what proof have we got? They wrote boring friendly letters and she gets extra help with her schoolwork--she's always been poor at that class from the start. We'd sound like a couple of irrational girls to anyone if we brought it up. 'Sides I think Snape knows something of it."
"Then why doesn't he stop it?
"Why do you want to stop it? Okay, granted student-teacher relationships are nasty at best, but what if she had graduated and it'd be fine? Would you have a complaint against him then?"
"No. He's okay." She skulked.
"Snape doesn't stop it because I reckon he sees little evidence for interference, it all depends on if they stay clean."
"Clean?"
"No snogging in the hallways, no pregnancies, that sort of stuff. Hands off of her until she's gone. Niamh already knows this."
Siobhan gagged, "Pregnancies."
"Oh come on, you're a 'wild woman', aren't you?"
"Not that wild. Ew, a teacher."
"Yeah, ew. Good, graduate first dear." Georgie headed for the door. "Want to stop by the kitchens? Some Diet Coke will set us up just fine."
"So all I do is write the ingredients on the board then?" Georgie sat on the nearest student's desk to Severus in his classroom.
"Well, you make sure they do it correctly of course." He reminded.
"Gee, here was I all under the impression that I let them do it all wrong, then award them points for how big of a bang they can produce."
"On second thought, perhaps I will stay in the classroom."
"No! I was just joking. I'll do it right, really you don't need to be there." He simpered and smiled, knowing he'd gotten to her.
"But at the beginning, I ask the questions on the toad's liver's uses and the Erumpent tail--do you really want me to explode here?" Of course he would have her teach that class, with those exceptionally hazardous ingredients.
"No, not particularly."
"Should I talk about Expanding properties--or not?"
"It'll be your class, talk on whatever you like, so long as no one dies." He got up and walked toward the door.
Getting the hint and following, "But it's your class, don't you want the final say as to what's well, said there?"
"You're always ranting about how I don't trust you.I'm trusting you. Don't mess up." He turned and extinguished the light in the classroom and locked the door behind them. "Besides you need to learn to teach your own class."
"Why?!" She nearly shrieked. "Why does everyone think it's part of a regular student's curriculum to teach others--it's not! I'm not a Professor; I'm going off to sell Butterbeers and to have a grand time. None of this will matter then." She raised her voice and it echoed down the stone halls. "I don't mind doing it, but Potions isn't my thing, you realize this don't you? Transfiguration isn't my thing. My thing is..Oh, I don't know what it is, but it's certainly not teaching. I don't need to learn to teach anything."
"Are you finished?" He paused outside of the Common Room's hidden entrance.
"Yes," She replied sullenly.
"Good, listen hard. You missed the point entirely. I'm having you do this on the off chance that I fail to show up for some reason--you yourself agreed this was a sensible decision. You need to learn to teach now as opposed to later; now when I can help you plan and answer your questions."
"I forgot about that."
"I realize." He pushed a stray strand of hair out of his eye and kept his voice down and level. "My point is that I trust you to do what's right and responsible. To not kill students, unless.."
"They're Gryffindor." She finished for him.
"Precisely." He whispered the password and they both stepped inside the Common Room, glowing with it's green-tinged fire that danced on the polished furniture. Opening the lounge's door he called out, "I'll not force you to do anything you don't want to do, or that you can't. I'll save humiliation for others not so much in my favor."
She tromped after him, undoing her robes clasps and unrolling the sweater underneath's sleeves. "I'm going to do it, I just felt a bout of selfishness back there. I think I'm mental. Sorry."
"We're all entitled."
"No, But you're right I can handle it and it's a good precaution. In the past who's taken over for you?"
"No one, classes were cancelled." He smiled darkly, "And no, my classes has only been cancelled a handful of times altogether."
"Get out of my mind!" She mocked and held her head in her hands.
Later, Snape looked up and Georgie was biting her fingernails and staring mesmerized into the fire. She didn't hear him as he got up and approached her. He lifted her fingers away from her face, and set them in her lap, ignoring that they were covered in drool. "You'll be fine, I gave you Gryffindors and Slytherin. Don't worry: they'll mind you. Now go off to sleep."
Severus lied, She closed her eyes for a brief moment, this is not fine. This is bad. The class had gone swimmingly at first, she'd heard scribbling as she'd put up on the board the ingredients and amounts, most of the questions were answered to her satisfaction and she'd felt it was okay to start in on the preparation work. But who knew third years could be so hazard-prone? To be sure it wasn't anything drastic, one Gryffindor boy gave himself a nasty deep cut with his knife, but a Slytherin girl managed to spill a vial of bile all over her neighbor's desk--and they weren't even using bile! This is ridiculous.
She walked around the classroom giving dark looks at all of the students if they caught her eyes. Another Gryffindor boy in the back appeared to know what he was doing so she went and stood behind him watching what he did.
"What is that you're putting in?" She stepped over to face him.
"Rat liver."
"No, I think not. You must use toad's liver or none at all. Is that understood? I'll not stand for sub-standard potion making while Professor Snape is out." She walked on.
She approached a Slytherin girl and her partner--a boy she didn't know. "Good job, that color is just about right. Make sure it doesn't go to a boil though."
She walked around several more times and tried to look as serious about the subject as she could muster up within herself. She went back to the head of the classroom and wrote down the readings they were to finish before the next class. She announced the reading and had just started down the middle of the classroom to finish supervising when she heard a strange hiss coming from the left side of the class.
She halted and looked over to where two very frightened looking boys were backing away from their shared cauldron, which was jumping on it's fire as the contents sputtered and shot out and onto the floor. "Oh goodness, don't back away and just leave it there!" She hissed in exasperation. But before she got all the words out, there was an explosion and all of the heated contents were now all over the floor, the two boys, their nearest neighbors and Georgie.
The rest of the students stopped their own projects and stared at the commotion. Georgie just stood there in shock, why does this need to happen to me--today? But just as that thought came another replaced it: Severus has a cauldron explode nearly every day, and if this is the worst there is, no problem. A happy though mixed with the blood thumping in her chest.
She was wrenched back into reality by the sound of a little blonde girl, sniffling and holding her arm covered in the dark rose liquid.
Georgie crossed the few steps between them and asked, "Is everyone all right? Breathing?" The girl whimpered even louder. "What happened?" Georgie didn't realize it but her voice had gone up several octaves.
One of the two boys spoke up, "Don't know Miss Flaing, but we think we had a bit of the Erumpent's horn mixed in with the tail."
"That is unacceptable. We never mix in questionable ingredients. Never." She barked, ignoring the nagging thought that Severus mixed in unknowns all the time. "That's 20 points from Slytherin and 20 from Gryffindor," She announced on determining their houses. She waved her hand and most of the potion disappeared. "You'll spend the rest of the class cleaning the rest of this up. The rest of you," She looked to the class, "Will finish your potions without disaster if it wouldn't be too much to ask."
There was a murmur amongst the students about the steep docking of points, but no more accidents. The class ended and after not very long everyone had cleaned up their workstations and cauldrons. Georgie gathered the sniveling girl and two others with injuries and marched them up to Madam Pomfrey, who had them in and out in ten minutes.
Georgie lingered around until the last student left, "God, that was pure hell." She laughed.
"What are you doing taking over for Snape? Have you taken leave of your senses?"
"Probably. I'm learning the ropes." Georgie shrugged.
"But in Potions?" The older woman put lids on jars and closed cabinets. "That class is almost as dangerous as Hagrid's."
"Nothing's as bad as Hagrid's--I'm in it." She walked back towards the door out. "Danger is my middle name. George Danger Flaing. God, that sounds like a disease."
Pomfrey patted her on the shoulder. "Well, it could've been much worse. By the way you look nice."
"Nice?" Georgie frowned. That word wasn't a familiar one for her really.
"Not in your school robes--in your normal, longer robes. Suits you." Georgie looked down at herself.
"Thank you, I guess."
"You look all grown-up."
"I am grown up." She felt her temperature rise.
"Well now you look it. Now get out of here before I feel the need to wrap something of yours in bandages." Georgie waved as she marched out into the corridor.
Severus was standing with his back towards her in the middle of the classroom when she returned to it; otherwise the place was empty and clean. "No one died, I would have heard of it by this time."
"O ye of little faith." She yawned. "Just a teensy accident--points taken from both houses for it too." She informed him matter-of-factly.
"Excellent. How do you feel it went?"
"I hate that question already: fine all in all. The worst is over I figure, but I think you're rubbing off on me."
"Pardon?"
"I felt like I was seeing myself through someone else's eyes. I got really upset at the students for not taking this seriously and for being so flippant and careless. Georgie regularly wouldn't care, but Professor George was pissed off."
"Strange how responsibility warps the senses." His dark eyes flashed at her, "So you really got upset at them? Did you yell?"
Georgie squirmed under the scrutiny, "Just a bit, and not for long. I just got upset--I mean, other people were hurt and they don't seem to understand that these are powerful and dangerous substances. It made me angry."
"You're the first student to ever understand that."
"Maybe you should make them all have a go at teaching for a lesson--see how they like it." She growled.
He shrugged and stared at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well," She sighed, stretching her arms out before her, "Let me try the next one, then I'll tell you how it goes at lunch."
His mouth twitched and he with a look of amusement, he nodded and smirked his way out the door. She sat down behind his desk to await the same year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students. Severus had been making her nervous--as he often did. She knew he was curious as to how she taught, but he was kind enough to respect her wish to fly solo and unobserved.
She coughed into her hand and stood up to tidy up the chalkboard. The students were arriving early.
Georgie hummed and idly walked the corridors. She didn't have anywhere she would need to be and no work to work on. Usually she took full advantage of her leisure time, but that was when others were free to join her as well. She felt some strange naughty sort of feeling as she passed closed classroom doors where she knew others were learning--and here she was just walking and trying to get herself lost..
She turned a corner and saw a figure turned away from her gazing down through a window at the courtyard. She walked towards the person and recognized it to be Albus Dumbledore. She never knew what to do when one approached another who was still a long way off: should you call out and smile at one another until you were close enough for private conversation, or just stay silent until you've reached that spot? She chose the later and stepped up next to the absorbed man and followed his gaze outside. She thought he hadn't realized she was there, until he broke the silence, "How are you enjoying this fine day?"
She flushed, "One of my more difficult, but." She looked out at the birds wheeling through the sky at their eye-level, "It's still a marvelous day."
"Severus informed me you taught in his place. How did you find it?"
"I can handle them, sir." She tried to sound stronger about the effort than she felt. He seemed to understand, for he patted her arm gently.
"I highly doubt there will ever arise the occasion for you to put into practice what you've learned today, I'm afraid. Professor Snape is too strubborn for much of that."
"Well, we all hope that is true. But between us, I think Severus was testing me more than training me as a mere precaution."
"Oh?" She had piqued his interest.
"Yes, he knows I am capable at potions, and I have no qualms about teaching the lesson. I think this has some part of building up an illusion--perhaps to cover for himself, perhaps as an explanation for me.I'm not sure."
"You could ask Severus: there's not much he wouldn't tell you if you asked it of him."
She tore away from the window, "No, that's not true. I know there's quite a bit he hasn't told me and I loathe learning things from others or trying to drag it from him. Besides I simply can't ask him. He's a bit funny like that, full of secrets and ulterior motives--it's maddening."
"He has his reasons. When he's ready he'll tell you."
"And until then I just twiddle my thumbs?"
"If you care for that sort of amusement. I prefer walking and chess over finger exercises."
"As do I!" She chuckled. "Well, not so much chess, but.."
"I'm feeling a bit parched, would you like to walk with me to my office? I'm about to make a pot of tea." She agreed and they set off side by side. "You must forgive me, I'm an old man and I need regular times for putting my feet up." She giggled at the mental picture.
"You and Remus seem to be getting along pretty as well." He asked noncommittally.
"Yes, he's such fun. I can be young and stupid with Remus when I can't always be so with Severus. It's sort of a funny thing how I have companions for all my sorts of moods. Severus is my all-purpose sort of friend."
Dumbledore tittered, "He wouldn't be as pleased to hear you refer to him like a household cleaner, but I follow."
"But sometimes he's so.well uncommunicative and sour."
"He's always been known as somewhat..reserved." Dumbledore pointed out.
"Beyond reserved, nearly reclusive. At least he's not so horrid now as I hear he once was. Minerva is my female friend and we can talk about the feminine arts and go shopping and gossip--she is a fabulous gossip you do realize. Remus is my rowdy friend, he keeps me in check, keeps me from bungee jumping from the Astronomy Tower and more...""
He spoke the password to his door, "Oh, promise you'll do nothing of that sort."
She rolled her eyes, "Couldn't find the equipment anyway. And lastly the Malone twins keep me young."
"Yes, and it's been so good to see young Niamh blossom out from under our eyes. I hear she is interested in becoming an Auror. You must be a good influence on her."
"Yeah, must be." She didn't think that that was it at all. She looked around and settled herself in an armchair. Albus disappeared into a room off to the side and she looked around curiously. Fawkes was preening in the sunlight barely wafting through the window from the chilled winter's day. She spotted on the top of a mid-sized bookshelf a yellowing photograph in a frame showing Dumbledore smiling and turning his head next to a gaunt man in front of massive stone building. She bit her lip and examined it from where she sat.
He entered carrying a tiny silver tray and set it on the table between them. "Um, Professor? Have you ever been to Poland?"
"Yes, I have a friend there." He seated himself slowly. "His name is John. Teaches at The Institute. Haven't seen him for years though--I believe his appearance has greatly changed." He added sugar to his cup and brought it to his lips. Georgie was puzzled: she had been in his office several times and the picture had never been there before. Was it possible that Dumbledore knew he'd meet with her today so he'd set it out for her to find? She shivered involuntarily.
She looked straight at the grinning figure in the picture, "I knew him--he taught one of my fourth year classes--very knowledgeable man."
"Yes. Very knowledgeable."
Her mind was reeling: why this? Was this meaning something--trying to tell her something? Why the picture now then? And what a surprising connection..him of all the people..
"George, what are your plans when you finish with us here?"
That question was wholly unexpected. "To tell the truth, I haven't any real solid or clear plans. I've thought about applying to the ministry for a position utilizing my Mediwizardry skills. But I am also sort of a social person, so perhaps I'll work in a shop or some such place for a bit." Wow, she thought, actually out and saying it made her feel very ill prepared.
"I foresee a great need for Mediwizards and witches in the next few critical years. Every day I hear of some new attack, soon I don't know if I can keep Hogwarts safe." The old man confided in her. She bit her lip with worry; oh don't say that! I want to hear that everything is safe and secure here--that the outside can't break through.
"Well, you do have the most qualified staff ready to assist you right here." She burbled.
He smiled quietly, "Yes, they are here ready to assist in the training of the next generation of young people. And yet," He paused and drew a breath, " And yet, some sectors of jobs won't be provided for. Such as the crucial Mediwizardry."
"But there's the training at the Ministry, isn't there Professor?"
"Yes, but that program can't train fast enough to keep up with Ministry demands and Auror teams." She nodded at him; suddenly very aware at the grave turn the dialogue was taking.
He placed his cup into the cradle of the saucer, "No, for the last few years I've been considering adding to our curriculum the option of proper Mediwizard training."
"Wow, that's insane."
His eyes twinkled and his mouth turned up at the corners, "Oh really? How so?"
"Just how dangerous that is. Really if Potions are already so dangerous and the students perform as well as they did today, then of course they wouldn't take it seriously. Mediwizardry is ten times as potentially harmful to a body. Besides, it'd take a good two to three years of classes, I reckon. I did the crash course in a few months, but that was out of necessity. Besides, isn't it rather a dry subject?"
"Depends all in the Professor."
"Pomfrey could do a decent job of it if she didn't have to tend to the Hospital Wing."
"I have thought that as well, but she has no desire to leave her duties in the Hospital Wing and on this occasion I think we will need to look outside of the current Hogwarts staff." He took up his cup again.
Georgie was confused as to why he was sharing these plans with her, one so utterly unconnected to teaching and Mediwizardry and the Ministry, but she felt privileged and took it as seriously as she could. She waited for him to continue, as he obviously had designs on saying something specific to her.
He cleared his throat, "I thought that I might ask you if you had ever considered teaching."
Oh, she could have slapped herself; it was all laid out before her, clear as day. "I'm, uh, honored that you'd even consider me, but I don't think I can accept this. I'm, well, I'm not trained formally and I just don't know if this is what I'm to do with my life at all. I just can't tell yet."
"Oh course, I didn't expect an answer right away. Here's what I'll do: I've arranged for you a place with the Auror's Mediwizardry class through the Ministry. It's over the summer and I highly recommend you take it regardless of your decision on teaching. You can have up to the beginning of the next school year to decide."
"Like I said, Professor, I'm honored, but I really can't see how.Well, Sir I..It's just I'm not that good. You could get someone far superior to me. Someone with experience and firsthand knowledge.I don't posses any of that."
"I know what experience you have and I've seen you handle the situations. Perhaps you aren't a field expert, but more importantly you have a youthfulness and an enthusiasm for the subject that I want to be passed on to the students. One of the problems with the seasoned Mediwizards and witches is that they are deflated and pessimistic from their many years of service. I do not want anyone to hear that our cause is a lost one." She nodded as she understood.
"Don't answer right off, but figure it out yourself later on."
"Does anyone else know?"
"I mentioned to Severus that I might ask you, but he has no idea that you are here today. I won't share that information with him. If you wish to do so, that's up to you. But you might prefer to think this out on your own."
She furled her brows; "I'm very honored, But.." This was not at all how she'd envisioned herself!
He held his hand up to halt her sentence, "Answer me later. It's not such a great honor, it'll be a lot of tricky work and it's a thankless job--but an important job nonetheless. Think about it before you give me your answer--you know where to send the owl."
Severus' private excitement on returning to the flow of teaching was cut short on his learning of several tasks the Dark Lord had assigned him to look into and take care for him. The Professor had burst in from the rain and lightning one night after midnight ranting about how there were new converts to the Death Eater's cause. It was information like this Georgie wished she wasn't privy to.
He had gone to a planned rendezvous and returned to Georgie who just tried her hardest to keep her eyes open and stifle her yawns as he reasoned with himself and worked out the next course of action. She figured he needed her to be there and to listen to him, more than offer up any suggestions or ask questions, so she merely listened. Finally he stopped pacing before the hearth and running his hands through his lank hair he seemed to notice her there for the first time that evening. She returned his curious gaze as best as she could, prompting him to say something else.
"You really ought to go to sleep."
She smiled, "So should you. Are you hurt?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Then go to sleep." She stifled yet another yawn. Her hair was flat from where she'd been laying on her side on the couch reading her comic books. She knew she looked silly, but she couldn't be bothered to care--it was just Severus and it was too late.
She took up her knapsack and fumbled to her feet, "Well then."
"What? No pithy remarks or sad songs or comments on how I shouldn't look on the down side of things?" His eyes gleamed behind his vacant mask.
"No, I suppose you'd say that it's foolish if I said that. Did you especially want a song or a remark or a challenge?" She eyed him sideways.
He knit his brows, "I wasn't talking about what I wanted."
She let out a low laugh, "So I want to be challenging, is that it?"
He looked her up and down, "Forget I said that. It's not worth it. Off to bed with you." He pointed his thin arm towards her door. He would talk with Albus in the morning; it was much to late to bother the man with news like this at such an improper hour.
"In the case I forget where it is?" She harassed as she breezed past him. "Good night Sugar Lips, Your place is over there." She pointed.
"Shut up Snore Monster, and go to sleep." He rested his arm on the mantle above the fire and turned his eyes from her and his thoughts from her.
Georgie sat with Siobhan on the coach of the lounge after a glorious Slytherin win on the Quidditch pitch. Severus at first scoffed at the thought of the students 'hanging out' there, but she made sure not to annoy the tall, pale man and he tried his hardest to be civil to her--not more than she deserved of course. He wanted to preserve the professional distance between students and the staff, which Georgie recognized as a reasonable aspiration; though she'd thrown that thought for herself out the window. But still they got on fine and after several weeks he had gotten used to the sight of the other girl at the very least.
Severus was finishing marking papers and was trying not to listen in on the two witches' conversation, but it was hard to ignore.
"So what did Michael say!" Siobhan shrieked. Michael was Georgie's acquaintance from Hogsmeade. She'd met him before Christmas and had met up with him and his girlfriend a few times since then.
"About Jilliann?"
"Yes."
"He told me about how they went to some pub and she had to leave early and it turns out she didn't have an upset stomach at all."
"No!?"
"No, she wasn't in her flat when he rung her later on, so she must've gone out. Her roommate said they didn't know where she'd gone off, but she hadn't been long."
"She's cheating on him." Siobhan pronounced and folded her hands in her lap.
Severus looked up, "Are all females as fascinated as you two are with what others say and do, where they go and with whom?" He hadn't said it in a very kind tone at all. But it was ignored. They both nodded defiantly.
"Yup, gossip-mongers." Siobhan informed him. "That's what we're really best at here at school."
"I thought Georgie, eh, fancied him." Severus blinked up blankly.
Georgie smiled and shook her head aggressively. "Everyone fancies him. He's far too rough for my tastes. He's kind, but well, truly a man of few words."
"And I bet he doesn't know what either of them mean!" Siobhan hooted.
"I'll never understand how you can manage to find anything interesting in him to speak of then, if he's such a lost cause." Severus sneered.
"Haven't you ever had a sister or anything?" Siobhan asked carefully.
Severus shook his head still bent over his pile of parchments and smiled to himself.
"Oh, dear. I always worry about people like you." Siobhan shook her head and made eye contact with Georgie so as to give her 'a look' which was understood by the other woman.
"Why?" Severus' greasy head bobbed up.
"Well, of course it doesn't so much pertain to you, Professor Snape." She softened her tone. "It's just, men never know how to live with women. Some are so shocked when they get married to find razors and tights and whatnot in the bath they share. Comes as a great shock. Those who had sisters always fare better than the ones who don't. They're at least knowing what to expect."
"I get on with living with Georgie." He pointed out using his quill for emphasis.
Georgie made a big to-do in clearing her throat. "Um, You don't live with Georgie. You share a lounge with Georgie, which is a big difference from sharing a bath with Georgie...And that come out wrong didn't it?" She paused and grimaced as the two others nodded their heads, soaking up her reaction. "Well, you know what I mean. You haven't seen me shave my legs, so that's what is meant by it all." She gave up.
Severus grunted and went back to his parchments. "I did have a mother. I know--you're shocked to find I wasn't hatched from under a toad or something to that effect. I'm not so thick."
"Not the same thing!" Siobhan whined impatiently. Georgie smiled as she watched the discourse between them. Severus was so taken up in defending himself that he forgot to be rude or condescending to Siobhan. "A mother lives with the father. Sure, flatmates often share a bathroom but they're generally so polite--it's not the same. When people live with one another there's going to be some point where the leg-shaving has an audience and that's what makes the difference. Mark my words if you ever get spliced."
Georgie snorted and Severus replied, "I don't follow you Malone."
"Not that that's the only difference, of course it's just that what is acceptable in front of marrieds isn't in front of flatmates."
"I should think so," Severus sat up stiffly and frowned.
They laughed at him and he turned white in the face, so they checked their laughter at his expense. He was after all their Professor and had the power to make life a hell for either of them and he had the option of failing Siobhan if he felt it was necessary. And as she wasn't a top-notch student as things stood they figured it wouldn't be wise to press the matter. Snape may favor his house, but he was still no where near to being a fair or accommodating Professor.
Severus didn't speak the rest of the evening but Georgie guessed he listened in on them anyway. When Siobhan left after ten, Georgie spoke up directly at Severus, "You know what's in two days?"
"Yes, so?" He frowned.
"I hate it." In two days was St. Valentine's Day.
"So do nothing about it."
"But does everyone make a big thing out of it here?"
"I don't." He informed her.
"So everyone else does? Damn." She really couldn't be bothered to buy or make Valentine's cards or anything like that, but she'd feel awful if she got one and didn't have one to give in returned. It was her least favorite part of the Christmas holiday, and now here it was again rearing its ugly head.
"I don't think I'll make any Valentines." She announced.
Severus was gathering up into a neat pile his parchments; she distinctly heard him 'humph' at her.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.
"It doesn't mean anything."
"Liar. You said you wouldn't lie to me."
"And you said you wouldn't swear either."
"That's different: I said I would resolve to try not to. I try not to and I fail. But I still try."
"Excuse it any way you want."
"Argh, you are in a mood tonight." She teased. "So make Valentines or not? What do you think?"
"I don't care what you do." He got to his feet and walked to his bedchamber to put the papers and quills away. Georgie followed him to the door.
"I value what you think though and since you've been here for so damned long, I figured you'd be able to advise me in the proper protocol. So advise." She followed him with her eyes.
He sighed and continued with what he was doing. "Honestly I don't care what you do. Staff doesn't exchange them as they are a waste of paper and we have enough to do without the added work. But you may receive a few and if that worries you by not having any to give, then make them. Just leave me out of this."
She walked away and called out, "Okily," over her shoulder.
She wasn't thrilled by the prospect but hastily put together a pile of parchments and found a pair of scissors and a bit of string. She bit on the end of her quill. What to write? What to write? She didn't want anything too romantic or luvy, so perhaps something not written by her or with a joke or a funny line.yes.that'd be perfect.
She cut out half a dozen heart-shaped objects from the paper and tacked on the ribbon, coloring the papers with her wand. She figured the twins might give her a Valentine and perhaps a couple of the other Slytherins. She hastily scribbled a few ambiguous lines on the center of them then, satisfied with her work, she cleaned it all up before Severus got a chance to come out and make fun of her.
Classes came and went and Georgie discovered that St. Valentine's Day was a very exciting time around the castle, at least from her gossipy point of view. She enjoyed watching as students received their Valentines by owl- post or during class hours. It was especially difficult to keep her mind on her lesson during Herbology--which was bad, as this was showing itself to be her worst subject. Whatever Georgie tended to ended up dying, thus proving she wasn't in possession of a green thumb. It wasn't that she didn't study or try, it just always seemed to fail. After not very long she figured she might just be jinxed or destined to fail in that area, so oh well. Though she doubted she could actually fail for things so out of her control as this, but she wasn't sure.
Severus proved to be no great comfort as they chatted idly and finished up their work before heading up to the Great Hall for the meal. He liked her idea that she was jinxed, and proclaimed he didn't think there existed a jinx that made everything you came into contact with to die--at least not yet. But it was a novel idea. "Besides, I'm not dead am I?"
"Not yet." She warned.
He cleared his throat, "Erm, well, I." He began but paused. "I know I said I wouldn't, but I did." He growled, obviously displeased at something. He produced from his side a small envelope.
Georgie hopped off the couch with a small cry and ran off to her room. Severus looked after her muttering, "That's not quite the reaction.." But she burst back into the room before he could finish his monologue.
"For you!" She thrust something into his cool hand.
He rolled his eyes feigning annoyance, "I knew you'd do this, so I figured I'd not let you get the best of me, so here." He held out his envelope to her. She snatched it up and ripped it open, "Aw, that's sweet."
"No it's not!" He replied hotly.
"I 'specially like the bit, 'I think you're a wonderful person, just don't procreate'. What a truly Snape-ish thing to say!" She laughed, "Thank you. Really." She held it to herself. "Now open mine."
She watched his eyes read the text and checked for signs of a reaction. He laughed. "Lovely. Witty use of 'ripping your heart out', top marks. Thank you."
"See that wasn't so painful, was it?" She chided.
"I never said it was."
"But you felt it."
"Merlin woman, what makes you think you can suddenly read minds!"
"I just know." She sung mysteriously.
"Rubbish. Put that away so we can go up."
She did that then joined Severus to walk up to the Great Hall. Georgie sat with Siobhan, which was a rare-enough occurrence. Siobhan had received an anonymous Valentine and they put their heads together over their roast chicken to figure out from whom it came.
"It was signed with five dots," Siobhan showed her the parchment. The girl was very excited and it was such fun as she hadn't the foggiest so this really was to be a secret admirer.
"Five letters in his name? Who would fit that?"
"Snape?" Siobhan giggled.
"Take him, please!" Georgie moaned. She looked down the table, "Goyle? Crabbe?" Georgie didn't know how to spell the latter's name anyhow.
"Both are such feckin' eedjits!" She wailed.
"Shh, they'll hear you."
"Don't care what they hear!"
Georgie looked up from the letter, "Very poetic. Well the person sounds very self-assured. 'You will be mine'? Cocky boy! What ever happened to wine-and-dinning you? Winning you over? Asking you what you wanted?"
"Yeah, I want my bloody knight in shining armor!" She giggled.
"If this was the work of my Marco Polo, he's in serious trouble." Georgie shoveled food into her mouth.
"It sounds like he'd make a move soon though. I'm flattered, but at the same time..who the hell is it?" Siobhan glowed and pounded her fist into the table, making her glass jump. "Maybe Lupin forgot which one he fancied and sent it to me on accident."
"I hardly think he could forget." Georgie replied dryly. "Ask your sister later if she got anything from him, if not--and I doubt she didn't get any from him--then perhaps there was a mix up."
"Pain in the ass being a twin." She pushed out from her seat and snatched up her letter, "I'm going to go blow something up in the corridors downstairs."
"Have a lovely time." Georgie called after her and sipped her juice.
Georgie was doing Snape's rounds that night--she'd actually wanted to get out and stretch her legs a bit. Why was it she never heard or saw anything, yet Severus always managed to find someone? She climbed yet another staircase trying to get herself lost so she could walk even more. With each step she huffed, "Chubby Georgie." Perhaps as a sort of motivation..
She paused at the top to lean far out over the railing to the bottom, which was several stories below. Turning her back on the dizzying height she ducked around a corner lithely that was nearly all black, but she couldn't be bothered to light her way.
Funny, she'd never been down here before. Not too big of a surprise-- Hogwarts was full of these changing passages and rooms and stairs.
What was a surprise however were the hushed whispers of voices coming from a closed door halfway down. Georgie padded to stand behind it silently and leaned in and was able to recognize a snarling deep male voice bullying the other speaker. She didn't recognize the other voice inside and she had to strain enough just to make out every few words. "Recognized that we as his followers are to..those bastards the Creevys..Mysteries work on are impossible."
Georgie's ears pricked up at the word potion, but there was nothing about Snape or anything else she'd recognized. She knew no one by the name of Creevy so it didn't really matter. She came to the sudden realization that she had no business listening in on the conversation. She straightened herself up, hearing something about a date next month.
She had taken several steps in retreat down the corridor when she stopped herself. Wait! They're out of bed; it was her duty to tell them to push off. She stalked over to the door and lifted her hand to open it wide when there was a loud blast, the sound of splintering wood and Georgie was thrown back and she remembered nothing more.
A/N-sometimes I just want to see how far I can go with the characters. Anyone out there get upset if I killed off all the characters??!! Kidding.
"We'll just see then won't we?" She had taunted over her shoulder as she snatched up her books and ran out the door. That had been the last time. This time, she found that he wasn't to be found. They had flown back to Hogwarts in time for the New Year and to recover from their active resting.
Hogwarts was so loud--even in the dungeons, Severus had mused. He avoided his office after classes as the Slytherin Students were having an especially difficult time of working out their own problems. What am I, a nanny? He'd wanted to yell at the last pair Filch had dragged into his office for dueling in the corridors.
He wouldn't out and admit that he was hiding, but he wasn't to be found in his office or even in his lounge. Minerva had stopped by the dungeons some days before looking for him and Georgie had not been able to enlighten her. Minerva remarked that he hadn't been in his office or the staff room, and as it wasn't time for meals or classes at that time in the evening she wondered what he could be up to.
But when he returned she didn't pry: she felt that he'd feel better knowing that there was at least one person that would allow him to keep his secrets and thoughts to himself. Though she honestly didn't know for how long she'd last. She was a very curious person.
Minerva had sat down and Georgie relished the role reversal as she made the woman a cup of tea on her home turf. "Maybe he's got some deep, dark secret." Georgie suggested with a hint of things mischievous on her voice.
"Dear, Severus has so many deep, dark secrets he couldn't handle any more." She said primly.
"Yes he could! I know he's got that delightfully dark and tragic past, but he's bigger than that. He's got room for new tragedies now. The past is in the past for him."
Minerva set her cup down gingerly. "I can agree with a great many things you have to say, but that isn't one of them. Severus still shows such unveiled favoritism towards his own house and hostility to the others, he's a preposterous figure. The self-pity and perpetual blackness--inside and out--there's something wrong to go on for years like that. At first we on staff thought it was a phase, but he never did turn over that new leaf. He still much as he always was."
Georgie remained calm to the challenge, smiling shyly. "He has valid reasons for that bias, I assure you. As to the self-hatred, oh yes he still hates himself." Minerva gave her a look as if to say, see there, I told you so. "But it's his way of mourning and punishing himself. You are aware of the lengths he goes to punish himself," Georgie said with deep meaning, "And if he gets killed for it, Snape would be thrilled. Yes, he's sick. But I do have to say he has impressed me with his sense of duty and discipline. At least he realizes he's done nasty things and needs to pay for it." Georgie was getting worked up and set down her cup so she wouldn't tip it over if she got into a heated debate.
"No, I believe the Ministry doled out his punishment--and an adequate one. He's a fool for prolonging and adding to it needlessly."
"Why should it end? Who says it needs to be over with? It's his conscience and he lives with it every day. And beyond that, his punishment helps us all. Perhaps for others who have very little to bear it makes sense to 'get the thing over and done with as quickly as possible', but to have seen the things he's seen. I don't envy him or the position he's placed himself."
"But to surround oneself with darkness, hatred and grief. What's the point of living with that? And what kind of living would it be? Not one I'd fancy very much."
"I don't know that." She frowned. "But I always gathered the dismal environment and shutting himself away from the world served as a reminder to what was done and needs to be done. A bit like war memorials and museums--No they're not pleasant, but it's good to visit them and think on bad things so you continue in the good things."
"I think a great deal of this stems from attention. He will forever go down as the former Death Eater, the pitiful, overly cruel, and sad Professor Snape."
Georgie snorted, "I can tell you if he wanted to be remembered for anything, certainly being a creature to evoke pity wouldn't be it. He's an absolute genius at Potions, and in this I'm not biased. I think he's just gotten so into the habit of being mean and no one bothered to stop him in the pursuit that it just became his world to him.
"But you pity him?" Minerva gave her a sidelong glance.
Georgie scrunched up her face, "I can't help it, even though he's asked me not to. But it's getting harder and harder to do so. Every once in a while he'll do something good, or smile or laugh or be generous.he's always had it in him, people never gave him credit for it."
"I wish I could share your optimism and ability to see the good in him. And after all your fighting and arguing and injuring one another!" Minerva seemed amazed.
"Oh, don't say that! I'm not the most pleasant person to get along with. You just get to see the public Georgie. The Slytherin-at-Home Georgie is a monster!" She giggled.
"I believe that."
"Good, because it's perfectly true."
"I just can't imagine Severus laughing," Minerva wagged her head and her hat top flopped with the motion.
"He's not the lost person the world thought he was, though he just can't be bothered to tell anyone this." Even himself.
"So his real sin is for particular laziness."
"I guess so. That and he's a real bastard."
"Georgie!" Minerva gasped. "I think Severus does better on his own without your defending him."
Georgie laughed heartily, "I know, but it's hard to describe him as I know him. He's a bastard and cruel and mean and just all around awful, but then again he's also a good person: kind and funny, helpful.ah, this will never do!"
"In every heart there is an element of darkness as well as light. Severus just chooses to wear the former on his sleeve." Minerva remarked.
After lessons were hastily planned between the two women for the upcoming week--"Yeah, solo teaching." Georgie had cheered obviously not enthused-- Georgie set off to finish her own schoolwork in the library.
Truth be told, but Georgie detested the Hogwarts Library. It was dusty and not very organized; not that she blamed Madam Pince. She found a smaller table set up against a window and spread her Divination book out before her and got to her reading.
The sun had set already an hour earlier and she was struggling to read by the candlelight scattered along the walls and table of the lofty room. It was her own fault she picked a place apart from everyone else and the light..
She sat up straight and cracked her knuckles and her back, before turning around in her chair. Siobhan stood directly behind her. "Geez!" She breathed heavily, "What is it with people here and sneaking up on everyone else. Sit down you bitch." She laughed breathlessly.
"You're the only one of my friends cheeky enough to call me bitch and close enough that I allow you to." Siobhan tossed her hair over her shoulder and reached across the table to poke into what Georgie was up to.
On recognizing it, she dropped it disdainfully, "Ew."
"So what've you been up to?" She hadn't really spoken with the girl since the students returned to school.
"Breaking the law." Siobhan hinted slyly.
"How? What did you do?"
"I stole my parents car and drove the motorway all the way to Dublin."
Georgie cackled and grabbed her side. "I didn't know your parents had a car!" Was all she could manage to articulate.
"Well, they do and I got in a row with them, so I stole it and went out to the city for a little fun. Didn't find any though."
Georgie nodded understanding how families could get on each others' last nerves over the holidays. "Did you get in much trouble?"
"Yes, but it was worth it. My Ma yelled for hours and hours about how Niamh never does anything like that, but someday it'll be a shock to her.Niamh is missing out. 'Sides there's not much they can do to control me from all the way over there."
"You wild, wild woman."
"Yeah, that's me." She grinned proudly. "So tell me about your holiday with the Snake."
"Oy, kiss off! It was fun, you wouldn't believe his place." She cleared her throat; "Lupin came along."
"Lord help me if I hear that name again!" She howled.
"Shh!"
"Niamh can't talk to anyone about anything like that, unless it's me--well or you, but you were with him. Anyhow, they wrote letters back and forth the whole time and get this: they weren't even good letters! They were like I'd send to my boring cousins if my Ma forced me to write them. All full of 'having a good time, wish you were here,' rubbish. I was forced to listen to his and to hers before she posted them by owl."
"I'm sorry for bringing it up, for some stupid reason I figured it'd be news to you." Georgie slammed her book closed dramatically. "The rest of the time was great though, brilliant, we went hill-walking every day, I went swimming in the sea a few time--yes I know, It was freezing! But it was good, good conversation and quiet pleasant evenings. No complaints really." As an afterthought she added referring back to her sister, "At least you won't be forced to do the same thing here."
Siobhan bit her lip, "No, but she's already in the habit of spending extra hours with him tutoring her. Isn't that illegal, you know, hands off the students and all? Maybe I could report him to Snape and get him in trouble." In almost a whisper, she added, "Hands off my sister."
"They haven't done anything! I know as well as you do the truth, but what proof have we got? They wrote boring friendly letters and she gets extra help with her schoolwork--she's always been poor at that class from the start. We'd sound like a couple of irrational girls to anyone if we brought it up. 'Sides I think Snape knows something of it."
"Then why doesn't he stop it?
"Why do you want to stop it? Okay, granted student-teacher relationships are nasty at best, but what if she had graduated and it'd be fine? Would you have a complaint against him then?"
"No. He's okay." She skulked.
"Snape doesn't stop it because I reckon he sees little evidence for interference, it all depends on if they stay clean."
"Clean?"
"No snogging in the hallways, no pregnancies, that sort of stuff. Hands off of her until she's gone. Niamh already knows this."
Siobhan gagged, "Pregnancies."
"Oh come on, you're a 'wild woman', aren't you?"
"Not that wild. Ew, a teacher."
"Yeah, ew. Good, graduate first dear." Georgie headed for the door. "Want to stop by the kitchens? Some Diet Coke will set us up just fine."
"So all I do is write the ingredients on the board then?" Georgie sat on the nearest student's desk to Severus in his classroom.
"Well, you make sure they do it correctly of course." He reminded.
"Gee, here was I all under the impression that I let them do it all wrong, then award them points for how big of a bang they can produce."
"On second thought, perhaps I will stay in the classroom."
"No! I was just joking. I'll do it right, really you don't need to be there." He simpered and smiled, knowing he'd gotten to her.
"But at the beginning, I ask the questions on the toad's liver's uses and the Erumpent tail--do you really want me to explode here?" Of course he would have her teach that class, with those exceptionally hazardous ingredients.
"No, not particularly."
"Should I talk about Expanding properties--or not?"
"It'll be your class, talk on whatever you like, so long as no one dies." He got up and walked toward the door.
Getting the hint and following, "But it's your class, don't you want the final say as to what's well, said there?"
"You're always ranting about how I don't trust you.I'm trusting you. Don't mess up." He turned and extinguished the light in the classroom and locked the door behind them. "Besides you need to learn to teach your own class."
"Why?!" She nearly shrieked. "Why does everyone think it's part of a regular student's curriculum to teach others--it's not! I'm not a Professor; I'm going off to sell Butterbeers and to have a grand time. None of this will matter then." She raised her voice and it echoed down the stone halls. "I don't mind doing it, but Potions isn't my thing, you realize this don't you? Transfiguration isn't my thing. My thing is..Oh, I don't know what it is, but it's certainly not teaching. I don't need to learn to teach anything."
"Are you finished?" He paused outside of the Common Room's hidden entrance.
"Yes," She replied sullenly.
"Good, listen hard. You missed the point entirely. I'm having you do this on the off chance that I fail to show up for some reason--you yourself agreed this was a sensible decision. You need to learn to teach now as opposed to later; now when I can help you plan and answer your questions."
"I forgot about that."
"I realize." He pushed a stray strand of hair out of his eye and kept his voice down and level. "My point is that I trust you to do what's right and responsible. To not kill students, unless.."
"They're Gryffindor." She finished for him.
"Precisely." He whispered the password and they both stepped inside the Common Room, glowing with it's green-tinged fire that danced on the polished furniture. Opening the lounge's door he called out, "I'll not force you to do anything you don't want to do, or that you can't. I'll save humiliation for others not so much in my favor."
She tromped after him, undoing her robes clasps and unrolling the sweater underneath's sleeves. "I'm going to do it, I just felt a bout of selfishness back there. I think I'm mental. Sorry."
"We're all entitled."
"No, But you're right I can handle it and it's a good precaution. In the past who's taken over for you?"
"No one, classes were cancelled." He smiled darkly, "And no, my classes has only been cancelled a handful of times altogether."
"Get out of my mind!" She mocked and held her head in her hands.
Later, Snape looked up and Georgie was biting her fingernails and staring mesmerized into the fire. She didn't hear him as he got up and approached her. He lifted her fingers away from her face, and set them in her lap, ignoring that they were covered in drool. "You'll be fine, I gave you Gryffindors and Slytherin. Don't worry: they'll mind you. Now go off to sleep."
Severus lied, She closed her eyes for a brief moment, this is not fine. This is bad. The class had gone swimmingly at first, she'd heard scribbling as she'd put up on the board the ingredients and amounts, most of the questions were answered to her satisfaction and she'd felt it was okay to start in on the preparation work. But who knew third years could be so hazard-prone? To be sure it wasn't anything drastic, one Gryffindor boy gave himself a nasty deep cut with his knife, but a Slytherin girl managed to spill a vial of bile all over her neighbor's desk--and they weren't even using bile! This is ridiculous.
She walked around the classroom giving dark looks at all of the students if they caught her eyes. Another Gryffindor boy in the back appeared to know what he was doing so she went and stood behind him watching what he did.
"What is that you're putting in?" She stepped over to face him.
"Rat liver."
"No, I think not. You must use toad's liver or none at all. Is that understood? I'll not stand for sub-standard potion making while Professor Snape is out." She walked on.
She approached a Slytherin girl and her partner--a boy she didn't know. "Good job, that color is just about right. Make sure it doesn't go to a boil though."
She walked around several more times and tried to look as serious about the subject as she could muster up within herself. She went back to the head of the classroom and wrote down the readings they were to finish before the next class. She announced the reading and had just started down the middle of the classroom to finish supervising when she heard a strange hiss coming from the left side of the class.
She halted and looked over to where two very frightened looking boys were backing away from their shared cauldron, which was jumping on it's fire as the contents sputtered and shot out and onto the floor. "Oh goodness, don't back away and just leave it there!" She hissed in exasperation. But before she got all the words out, there was an explosion and all of the heated contents were now all over the floor, the two boys, their nearest neighbors and Georgie.
The rest of the students stopped their own projects and stared at the commotion. Georgie just stood there in shock, why does this need to happen to me--today? But just as that thought came another replaced it: Severus has a cauldron explode nearly every day, and if this is the worst there is, no problem. A happy though mixed with the blood thumping in her chest.
She was wrenched back into reality by the sound of a little blonde girl, sniffling and holding her arm covered in the dark rose liquid.
Georgie crossed the few steps between them and asked, "Is everyone all right? Breathing?" The girl whimpered even louder. "What happened?" Georgie didn't realize it but her voice had gone up several octaves.
One of the two boys spoke up, "Don't know Miss Flaing, but we think we had a bit of the Erumpent's horn mixed in with the tail."
"That is unacceptable. We never mix in questionable ingredients. Never." She barked, ignoring the nagging thought that Severus mixed in unknowns all the time. "That's 20 points from Slytherin and 20 from Gryffindor," She announced on determining their houses. She waved her hand and most of the potion disappeared. "You'll spend the rest of the class cleaning the rest of this up. The rest of you," She looked to the class, "Will finish your potions without disaster if it wouldn't be too much to ask."
There was a murmur amongst the students about the steep docking of points, but no more accidents. The class ended and after not very long everyone had cleaned up their workstations and cauldrons. Georgie gathered the sniveling girl and two others with injuries and marched them up to Madam Pomfrey, who had them in and out in ten minutes.
Georgie lingered around until the last student left, "God, that was pure hell." She laughed.
"What are you doing taking over for Snape? Have you taken leave of your senses?"
"Probably. I'm learning the ropes." Georgie shrugged.
"But in Potions?" The older woman put lids on jars and closed cabinets. "That class is almost as dangerous as Hagrid's."
"Nothing's as bad as Hagrid's--I'm in it." She walked back towards the door out. "Danger is my middle name. George Danger Flaing. God, that sounds like a disease."
Pomfrey patted her on the shoulder. "Well, it could've been much worse. By the way you look nice."
"Nice?" Georgie frowned. That word wasn't a familiar one for her really.
"Not in your school robes--in your normal, longer robes. Suits you." Georgie looked down at herself.
"Thank you, I guess."
"You look all grown-up."
"I am grown up." She felt her temperature rise.
"Well now you look it. Now get out of here before I feel the need to wrap something of yours in bandages." Georgie waved as she marched out into the corridor.
Severus was standing with his back towards her in the middle of the classroom when she returned to it; otherwise the place was empty and clean. "No one died, I would have heard of it by this time."
"O ye of little faith." She yawned. "Just a teensy accident--points taken from both houses for it too." She informed him matter-of-factly.
"Excellent. How do you feel it went?"
"I hate that question already: fine all in all. The worst is over I figure, but I think you're rubbing off on me."
"Pardon?"
"I felt like I was seeing myself through someone else's eyes. I got really upset at the students for not taking this seriously and for being so flippant and careless. Georgie regularly wouldn't care, but Professor George was pissed off."
"Strange how responsibility warps the senses." His dark eyes flashed at her, "So you really got upset at them? Did you yell?"
Georgie squirmed under the scrutiny, "Just a bit, and not for long. I just got upset--I mean, other people were hurt and they don't seem to understand that these are powerful and dangerous substances. It made me angry."
"You're the first student to ever understand that."
"Maybe you should make them all have a go at teaching for a lesson--see how they like it." She growled.
He shrugged and stared at her. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"Well," She sighed, stretching her arms out before her, "Let me try the next one, then I'll tell you how it goes at lunch."
His mouth twitched and he with a look of amusement, he nodded and smirked his way out the door. She sat down behind his desk to await the same year Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff students. Severus had been making her nervous--as he often did. She knew he was curious as to how she taught, but he was kind enough to respect her wish to fly solo and unobserved.
She coughed into her hand and stood up to tidy up the chalkboard. The students were arriving early.
Georgie hummed and idly walked the corridors. She didn't have anywhere she would need to be and no work to work on. Usually she took full advantage of her leisure time, but that was when others were free to join her as well. She felt some strange naughty sort of feeling as she passed closed classroom doors where she knew others were learning--and here she was just walking and trying to get herself lost..
She turned a corner and saw a figure turned away from her gazing down through a window at the courtyard. She walked towards the person and recognized it to be Albus Dumbledore. She never knew what to do when one approached another who was still a long way off: should you call out and smile at one another until you were close enough for private conversation, or just stay silent until you've reached that spot? She chose the later and stepped up next to the absorbed man and followed his gaze outside. She thought he hadn't realized she was there, until he broke the silence, "How are you enjoying this fine day?"
She flushed, "One of my more difficult, but." She looked out at the birds wheeling through the sky at their eye-level, "It's still a marvelous day."
"Severus informed me you taught in his place. How did you find it?"
"I can handle them, sir." She tried to sound stronger about the effort than she felt. He seemed to understand, for he patted her arm gently.
"I highly doubt there will ever arise the occasion for you to put into practice what you've learned today, I'm afraid. Professor Snape is too strubborn for much of that."
"Well, we all hope that is true. But between us, I think Severus was testing me more than training me as a mere precaution."
"Oh?" She had piqued his interest.
"Yes, he knows I am capable at potions, and I have no qualms about teaching the lesson. I think this has some part of building up an illusion--perhaps to cover for himself, perhaps as an explanation for me.I'm not sure."
"You could ask Severus: there's not much he wouldn't tell you if you asked it of him."
She tore away from the window, "No, that's not true. I know there's quite a bit he hasn't told me and I loathe learning things from others or trying to drag it from him. Besides I simply can't ask him. He's a bit funny like that, full of secrets and ulterior motives--it's maddening."
"He has his reasons. When he's ready he'll tell you."
"And until then I just twiddle my thumbs?"
"If you care for that sort of amusement. I prefer walking and chess over finger exercises."
"As do I!" She chuckled. "Well, not so much chess, but.."
"I'm feeling a bit parched, would you like to walk with me to my office? I'm about to make a pot of tea." She agreed and they set off side by side. "You must forgive me, I'm an old man and I need regular times for putting my feet up." She giggled at the mental picture.
"You and Remus seem to be getting along pretty as well." He asked noncommittally.
"Yes, he's such fun. I can be young and stupid with Remus when I can't always be so with Severus. It's sort of a funny thing how I have companions for all my sorts of moods. Severus is my all-purpose sort of friend."
Dumbledore tittered, "He wouldn't be as pleased to hear you refer to him like a household cleaner, but I follow."
"But sometimes he's so.well uncommunicative and sour."
"He's always been known as somewhat..reserved." Dumbledore pointed out.
"Beyond reserved, nearly reclusive. At least he's not so horrid now as I hear he once was. Minerva is my female friend and we can talk about the feminine arts and go shopping and gossip--she is a fabulous gossip you do realize. Remus is my rowdy friend, he keeps me in check, keeps me from bungee jumping from the Astronomy Tower and more...""
He spoke the password to his door, "Oh, promise you'll do nothing of that sort."
She rolled her eyes, "Couldn't find the equipment anyway. And lastly the Malone twins keep me young."
"Yes, and it's been so good to see young Niamh blossom out from under our eyes. I hear she is interested in becoming an Auror. You must be a good influence on her."
"Yeah, must be." She didn't think that that was it at all. She looked around and settled herself in an armchair. Albus disappeared into a room off to the side and she looked around curiously. Fawkes was preening in the sunlight barely wafting through the window from the chilled winter's day. She spotted on the top of a mid-sized bookshelf a yellowing photograph in a frame showing Dumbledore smiling and turning his head next to a gaunt man in front of massive stone building. She bit her lip and examined it from where she sat.
He entered carrying a tiny silver tray and set it on the table between them. "Um, Professor? Have you ever been to Poland?"
"Yes, I have a friend there." He seated himself slowly. "His name is John. Teaches at The Institute. Haven't seen him for years though--I believe his appearance has greatly changed." He added sugar to his cup and brought it to his lips. Georgie was puzzled: she had been in his office several times and the picture had never been there before. Was it possible that Dumbledore knew he'd meet with her today so he'd set it out for her to find? She shivered involuntarily.
She looked straight at the grinning figure in the picture, "I knew him--he taught one of my fourth year classes--very knowledgeable man."
"Yes. Very knowledgeable."
Her mind was reeling: why this? Was this meaning something--trying to tell her something? Why the picture now then? And what a surprising connection..him of all the people..
"George, what are your plans when you finish with us here?"
That question was wholly unexpected. "To tell the truth, I haven't any real solid or clear plans. I've thought about applying to the ministry for a position utilizing my Mediwizardry skills. But I am also sort of a social person, so perhaps I'll work in a shop or some such place for a bit." Wow, she thought, actually out and saying it made her feel very ill prepared.
"I foresee a great need for Mediwizards and witches in the next few critical years. Every day I hear of some new attack, soon I don't know if I can keep Hogwarts safe." The old man confided in her. She bit her lip with worry; oh don't say that! I want to hear that everything is safe and secure here--that the outside can't break through.
"Well, you do have the most qualified staff ready to assist you right here." She burbled.
He smiled quietly, "Yes, they are here ready to assist in the training of the next generation of young people. And yet," He paused and drew a breath, " And yet, some sectors of jobs won't be provided for. Such as the crucial Mediwizardry."
"But there's the training at the Ministry, isn't there Professor?"
"Yes, but that program can't train fast enough to keep up with Ministry demands and Auror teams." She nodded at him; suddenly very aware at the grave turn the dialogue was taking.
He placed his cup into the cradle of the saucer, "No, for the last few years I've been considering adding to our curriculum the option of proper Mediwizard training."
"Wow, that's insane."
His eyes twinkled and his mouth turned up at the corners, "Oh really? How so?"
"Just how dangerous that is. Really if Potions are already so dangerous and the students perform as well as they did today, then of course they wouldn't take it seriously. Mediwizardry is ten times as potentially harmful to a body. Besides, it'd take a good two to three years of classes, I reckon. I did the crash course in a few months, but that was out of necessity. Besides, isn't it rather a dry subject?"
"Depends all in the Professor."
"Pomfrey could do a decent job of it if she didn't have to tend to the Hospital Wing."
"I have thought that as well, but she has no desire to leave her duties in the Hospital Wing and on this occasion I think we will need to look outside of the current Hogwarts staff." He took up his cup again.
Georgie was confused as to why he was sharing these plans with her, one so utterly unconnected to teaching and Mediwizardry and the Ministry, but she felt privileged and took it as seriously as she could. She waited for him to continue, as he obviously had designs on saying something specific to her.
He cleared his throat, "I thought that I might ask you if you had ever considered teaching."
Oh, she could have slapped herself; it was all laid out before her, clear as day. "I'm, uh, honored that you'd even consider me, but I don't think I can accept this. I'm, well, I'm not trained formally and I just don't know if this is what I'm to do with my life at all. I just can't tell yet."
"Oh course, I didn't expect an answer right away. Here's what I'll do: I've arranged for you a place with the Auror's Mediwizardry class through the Ministry. It's over the summer and I highly recommend you take it regardless of your decision on teaching. You can have up to the beginning of the next school year to decide."
"Like I said, Professor, I'm honored, but I really can't see how.Well, Sir I..It's just I'm not that good. You could get someone far superior to me. Someone with experience and firsthand knowledge.I don't posses any of that."
"I know what experience you have and I've seen you handle the situations. Perhaps you aren't a field expert, but more importantly you have a youthfulness and an enthusiasm for the subject that I want to be passed on to the students. One of the problems with the seasoned Mediwizards and witches is that they are deflated and pessimistic from their many years of service. I do not want anyone to hear that our cause is a lost one." She nodded as she understood.
"Don't answer right off, but figure it out yourself later on."
"Does anyone else know?"
"I mentioned to Severus that I might ask you, but he has no idea that you are here today. I won't share that information with him. If you wish to do so, that's up to you. But you might prefer to think this out on your own."
She furled her brows; "I'm very honored, But.." This was not at all how she'd envisioned herself!
He held his hand up to halt her sentence, "Answer me later. It's not such a great honor, it'll be a lot of tricky work and it's a thankless job--but an important job nonetheless. Think about it before you give me your answer--you know where to send the owl."
Severus' private excitement on returning to the flow of teaching was cut short on his learning of several tasks the Dark Lord had assigned him to look into and take care for him. The Professor had burst in from the rain and lightning one night after midnight ranting about how there were new converts to the Death Eater's cause. It was information like this Georgie wished she wasn't privy to.
He had gone to a planned rendezvous and returned to Georgie who just tried her hardest to keep her eyes open and stifle her yawns as he reasoned with himself and worked out the next course of action. She figured he needed her to be there and to listen to him, more than offer up any suggestions or ask questions, so she merely listened. Finally he stopped pacing before the hearth and running his hands through his lank hair he seemed to notice her there for the first time that evening. She returned his curious gaze as best as she could, prompting him to say something else.
"You really ought to go to sleep."
She smiled, "So should you. Are you hurt?"
"No. I'm fine."
"Then go to sleep." She stifled yet another yawn. Her hair was flat from where she'd been laying on her side on the couch reading her comic books. She knew she looked silly, but she couldn't be bothered to care--it was just Severus and it was too late.
She took up her knapsack and fumbled to her feet, "Well then."
"What? No pithy remarks or sad songs or comments on how I shouldn't look on the down side of things?" His eyes gleamed behind his vacant mask.
"No, I suppose you'd say that it's foolish if I said that. Did you especially want a song or a remark or a challenge?" She eyed him sideways.
He knit his brows, "I wasn't talking about what I wanted."
She let out a low laugh, "So I want to be challenging, is that it?"
He looked her up and down, "Forget I said that. It's not worth it. Off to bed with you." He pointed his thin arm towards her door. He would talk with Albus in the morning; it was much to late to bother the man with news like this at such an improper hour.
"In the case I forget where it is?" She harassed as she breezed past him. "Good night Sugar Lips, Your place is over there." She pointed.
"Shut up Snore Monster, and go to sleep." He rested his arm on the mantle above the fire and turned his eyes from her and his thoughts from her.
Georgie sat with Siobhan on the coach of the lounge after a glorious Slytherin win on the Quidditch pitch. Severus at first scoffed at the thought of the students 'hanging out' there, but she made sure not to annoy the tall, pale man and he tried his hardest to be civil to her--not more than she deserved of course. He wanted to preserve the professional distance between students and the staff, which Georgie recognized as a reasonable aspiration; though she'd thrown that thought for herself out the window. But still they got on fine and after several weeks he had gotten used to the sight of the other girl at the very least.
Severus was finishing marking papers and was trying not to listen in on the two witches' conversation, but it was hard to ignore.
"So what did Michael say!" Siobhan shrieked. Michael was Georgie's acquaintance from Hogsmeade. She'd met him before Christmas and had met up with him and his girlfriend a few times since then.
"About Jilliann?"
"Yes."
"He told me about how they went to some pub and she had to leave early and it turns out she didn't have an upset stomach at all."
"No!?"
"No, she wasn't in her flat when he rung her later on, so she must've gone out. Her roommate said they didn't know where she'd gone off, but she hadn't been long."
"She's cheating on him." Siobhan pronounced and folded her hands in her lap.
Severus looked up, "Are all females as fascinated as you two are with what others say and do, where they go and with whom?" He hadn't said it in a very kind tone at all. But it was ignored. They both nodded defiantly.
"Yup, gossip-mongers." Siobhan informed him. "That's what we're really best at here at school."
"I thought Georgie, eh, fancied him." Severus blinked up blankly.
Georgie smiled and shook her head aggressively. "Everyone fancies him. He's far too rough for my tastes. He's kind, but well, truly a man of few words."
"And I bet he doesn't know what either of them mean!" Siobhan hooted.
"I'll never understand how you can manage to find anything interesting in him to speak of then, if he's such a lost cause." Severus sneered.
"Haven't you ever had a sister or anything?" Siobhan asked carefully.
Severus shook his head still bent over his pile of parchments and smiled to himself.
"Oh, dear. I always worry about people like you." Siobhan shook her head and made eye contact with Georgie so as to give her 'a look' which was understood by the other woman.
"Why?" Severus' greasy head bobbed up.
"Well, of course it doesn't so much pertain to you, Professor Snape." She softened her tone. "It's just, men never know how to live with women. Some are so shocked when they get married to find razors and tights and whatnot in the bath they share. Comes as a great shock. Those who had sisters always fare better than the ones who don't. They're at least knowing what to expect."
"I get on with living with Georgie." He pointed out using his quill for emphasis.
Georgie made a big to-do in clearing her throat. "Um, You don't live with Georgie. You share a lounge with Georgie, which is a big difference from sharing a bath with Georgie...And that come out wrong didn't it?" She paused and grimaced as the two others nodded their heads, soaking up her reaction. "Well, you know what I mean. You haven't seen me shave my legs, so that's what is meant by it all." She gave up.
Severus grunted and went back to his parchments. "I did have a mother. I know--you're shocked to find I wasn't hatched from under a toad or something to that effect. I'm not so thick."
"Not the same thing!" Siobhan whined impatiently. Georgie smiled as she watched the discourse between them. Severus was so taken up in defending himself that he forgot to be rude or condescending to Siobhan. "A mother lives with the father. Sure, flatmates often share a bathroom but they're generally so polite--it's not the same. When people live with one another there's going to be some point where the leg-shaving has an audience and that's what makes the difference. Mark my words if you ever get spliced."
Georgie snorted and Severus replied, "I don't follow you Malone."
"Not that that's the only difference, of course it's just that what is acceptable in front of marrieds isn't in front of flatmates."
"I should think so," Severus sat up stiffly and frowned.
They laughed at him and he turned white in the face, so they checked their laughter at his expense. He was after all their Professor and had the power to make life a hell for either of them and he had the option of failing Siobhan if he felt it was necessary. And as she wasn't a top-notch student as things stood they figured it wouldn't be wise to press the matter. Snape may favor his house, but he was still no where near to being a fair or accommodating Professor.
Severus didn't speak the rest of the evening but Georgie guessed he listened in on them anyway. When Siobhan left after ten, Georgie spoke up directly at Severus, "You know what's in two days?"
"Yes, so?" He frowned.
"I hate it." In two days was St. Valentine's Day.
"So do nothing about it."
"But does everyone make a big thing out of it here?"
"I don't." He informed her.
"So everyone else does? Damn." She really couldn't be bothered to buy or make Valentine's cards or anything like that, but she'd feel awful if she got one and didn't have one to give in returned. It was her least favorite part of the Christmas holiday, and now here it was again rearing its ugly head.
"I don't think I'll make any Valentines." She announced.
Severus was gathering up into a neat pile his parchments; she distinctly heard him 'humph' at her.
"And what's that supposed to mean?" She demanded.
"It doesn't mean anything."
"Liar. You said you wouldn't lie to me."
"And you said you wouldn't swear either."
"That's different: I said I would resolve to try not to. I try not to and I fail. But I still try."
"Excuse it any way you want."
"Argh, you are in a mood tonight." She teased. "So make Valentines or not? What do you think?"
"I don't care what you do." He got to his feet and walked to his bedchamber to put the papers and quills away. Georgie followed him to the door.
"I value what you think though and since you've been here for so damned long, I figured you'd be able to advise me in the proper protocol. So advise." She followed him with her eyes.
He sighed and continued with what he was doing. "Honestly I don't care what you do. Staff doesn't exchange them as they are a waste of paper and we have enough to do without the added work. But you may receive a few and if that worries you by not having any to give, then make them. Just leave me out of this."
She walked away and called out, "Okily," over her shoulder.
She wasn't thrilled by the prospect but hastily put together a pile of parchments and found a pair of scissors and a bit of string. She bit on the end of her quill. What to write? What to write? She didn't want anything too romantic or luvy, so perhaps something not written by her or with a joke or a funny line.yes.that'd be perfect.
She cut out half a dozen heart-shaped objects from the paper and tacked on the ribbon, coloring the papers with her wand. She figured the twins might give her a Valentine and perhaps a couple of the other Slytherins. She hastily scribbled a few ambiguous lines on the center of them then, satisfied with her work, she cleaned it all up before Severus got a chance to come out and make fun of her.
Classes came and went and Georgie discovered that St. Valentine's Day was a very exciting time around the castle, at least from her gossipy point of view. She enjoyed watching as students received their Valentines by owl- post or during class hours. It was especially difficult to keep her mind on her lesson during Herbology--which was bad, as this was showing itself to be her worst subject. Whatever Georgie tended to ended up dying, thus proving she wasn't in possession of a green thumb. It wasn't that she didn't study or try, it just always seemed to fail. After not very long she figured she might just be jinxed or destined to fail in that area, so oh well. Though she doubted she could actually fail for things so out of her control as this, but she wasn't sure.
Severus proved to be no great comfort as they chatted idly and finished up their work before heading up to the Great Hall for the meal. He liked her idea that she was jinxed, and proclaimed he didn't think there existed a jinx that made everything you came into contact with to die--at least not yet. But it was a novel idea. "Besides, I'm not dead am I?"
"Not yet." She warned.
He cleared his throat, "Erm, well, I." He began but paused. "I know I said I wouldn't, but I did." He growled, obviously displeased at something. He produced from his side a small envelope.
Georgie hopped off the couch with a small cry and ran off to her room. Severus looked after her muttering, "That's not quite the reaction.." But she burst back into the room before he could finish his monologue.
"For you!" She thrust something into his cool hand.
He rolled his eyes feigning annoyance, "I knew you'd do this, so I figured I'd not let you get the best of me, so here." He held out his envelope to her. She snatched it up and ripped it open, "Aw, that's sweet."
"No it's not!" He replied hotly.
"I 'specially like the bit, 'I think you're a wonderful person, just don't procreate'. What a truly Snape-ish thing to say!" She laughed, "Thank you. Really." She held it to herself. "Now open mine."
She watched his eyes read the text and checked for signs of a reaction. He laughed. "Lovely. Witty use of 'ripping your heart out', top marks. Thank you."
"See that wasn't so painful, was it?" She chided.
"I never said it was."
"But you felt it."
"Merlin woman, what makes you think you can suddenly read minds!"
"I just know." She sung mysteriously.
"Rubbish. Put that away so we can go up."
She did that then joined Severus to walk up to the Great Hall. Georgie sat with Siobhan, which was a rare-enough occurrence. Siobhan had received an anonymous Valentine and they put their heads together over their roast chicken to figure out from whom it came.
"It was signed with five dots," Siobhan showed her the parchment. The girl was very excited and it was such fun as she hadn't the foggiest so this really was to be a secret admirer.
"Five letters in his name? Who would fit that?"
"Snape?" Siobhan giggled.
"Take him, please!" Georgie moaned. She looked down the table, "Goyle? Crabbe?" Georgie didn't know how to spell the latter's name anyhow.
"Both are such feckin' eedjits!" She wailed.
"Shh, they'll hear you."
"Don't care what they hear!"
Georgie looked up from the letter, "Very poetic. Well the person sounds very self-assured. 'You will be mine'? Cocky boy! What ever happened to wine-and-dinning you? Winning you over? Asking you what you wanted?"
"Yeah, I want my bloody knight in shining armor!" She giggled.
"If this was the work of my Marco Polo, he's in serious trouble." Georgie shoveled food into her mouth.
"It sounds like he'd make a move soon though. I'm flattered, but at the same time..who the hell is it?" Siobhan glowed and pounded her fist into the table, making her glass jump. "Maybe Lupin forgot which one he fancied and sent it to me on accident."
"I hardly think he could forget." Georgie replied dryly. "Ask your sister later if she got anything from him, if not--and I doubt she didn't get any from him--then perhaps there was a mix up."
"Pain in the ass being a twin." She pushed out from her seat and snatched up her letter, "I'm going to go blow something up in the corridors downstairs."
"Have a lovely time." Georgie called after her and sipped her juice.
Georgie was doing Snape's rounds that night--she'd actually wanted to get out and stretch her legs a bit. Why was it she never heard or saw anything, yet Severus always managed to find someone? She climbed yet another staircase trying to get herself lost so she could walk even more. With each step she huffed, "Chubby Georgie." Perhaps as a sort of motivation..
She paused at the top to lean far out over the railing to the bottom, which was several stories below. Turning her back on the dizzying height she ducked around a corner lithely that was nearly all black, but she couldn't be bothered to light her way.
Funny, she'd never been down here before. Not too big of a surprise-- Hogwarts was full of these changing passages and rooms and stairs.
What was a surprise however were the hushed whispers of voices coming from a closed door halfway down. Georgie padded to stand behind it silently and leaned in and was able to recognize a snarling deep male voice bullying the other speaker. She didn't recognize the other voice inside and she had to strain enough just to make out every few words. "Recognized that we as his followers are to..those bastards the Creevys..Mysteries work on are impossible."
Georgie's ears pricked up at the word potion, but there was nothing about Snape or anything else she'd recognized. She knew no one by the name of Creevy so it didn't really matter. She came to the sudden realization that she had no business listening in on the conversation. She straightened herself up, hearing something about a date next month.
She had taken several steps in retreat down the corridor when she stopped herself. Wait! They're out of bed; it was her duty to tell them to push off. She stalked over to the door and lifted her hand to open it wide when there was a loud blast, the sound of splintering wood and Georgie was thrown back and she remembered nothing more.
A/N-sometimes I just want to see how far I can go with the characters. Anyone out there get upset if I killed off all the characters??!! Kidding.