Veronica loaded her plate with obvious delight. Snape watched her sourly for a minute, his stomach clenching with nausea at the smell of food. He turned away and summoned strong black coffee and dry toast as his headache pounded its way back to the forefront of consciousness. He'd forgotten how bad the reaction to wielding the Dark Arts could be. It was like a hangover straight from hell itself, he thought, resigned.
Breakfast was over all too soon. Snape made his way to the Headmistress' office, the crowds of chattering students parting reflexively to let him pass. Veronica trailed along in his wake. "Are you feeling all right, Professor ?" she asked as they reached the empty hallway in front of McGonagall's office.
"I'm fine. Athena," The potions master snapped. The gargoyle moved aside at the sound of the password and they ascended the spiral stairs.
"Professor Snape, thank you for-"
"Don't mention it."
"But you-"
"Miss Stuart, I'm serious. Don't mention it. I'm in no mood for an emotional outburst." He opened the office door.
The thin, reedy voice of one of Hogwarts' former headmasters could be heard. "Ah yes, I remember her now, Professor McGonagall. A terrible death... mauled by a werewolf. Not one of our better students, as I recall, but still... a tragic thing, dying so young."
McGonagall was leaning over her desk, examining one of the ancient Hogwarts records scrolls. She looked up as they entered. "Professor Snape." The headmistress indicated a chair in front of the desk. "And Miss Stuart, if you will wait here, we'll get you registered for classes once I've finished speaking with Professor Snape." She led the girl to an armchair some distance from her desk and indicated the walls full of bookshelves. "You may read, if you like, while you wait. This may take a while," she added, narrowing her eyes at Snape as she returned to sit across from him. McGonagall brandished the scroll she'd been reading. "According to the records, Veronica Stuart died in the sixteenth century. I'm not in the habit of meeting dead students at breakfast, Professor. I'd very much like to hear your explanation. Now." Snape sighed heavily. There was really nothing for it but to tell her the simple truth. McGonagall shook her head in disbelief as he told her of the portrait's plea. "You're telling me you brought her back to life ?"
In lieu of a reply, Snape waved his wand. "Accio grimoire." Moments later the leather-bound book flew into the room and dropped on the headmistress' desk. He reached across and flipped it open for her. "A very difficult potion. Perhaps one wizard in twenty has the power to even attempt it," he pointed out smugly.
He could see that McGonagall was completely unimpressed. Not surprising. She skimmed the recipe with distaste. "You do realize, I'm going to have to inform the Ministry of this."
"The Ministry ? Because I did a bit of dabbling in the Dark Arts ?" the potions master sneered. "No one was harmed."
The headmistress was already tossing floo powder onto the grate. "You should thank Merlin no one was harmed. Blood rites under the full moon," she sniffed. "Dabbling in the Dark Arts ? Total immersion is more like it."
Snape fidgeted impatiently as McGonagall spoke to first a secretary, then a harassed-looking bureaucrat through the magical flames. He noticed that the girl was seated tranquilly in her armchair, eyes lowered demurely as she paged through a book. He wasn't fooled for a second; she was undoubtedly listening to every word. She seemed capable of maintaining her pose for hours, as serene as... a portrait, he thought sardonically. She'd certainly had enough practice.
The headmistress stepped back from the fireplace. "They're going to send someone right away," she informed Snape.
A few minutes later a tiny figure whirled in the fireplace, gradually growing larger. Snape raised his eyebrows in surprise as the form became clearer; he'd expected to see a witch - Mafalda Hopkirk, or possibly Amelia Bones. At last a tall, shabbily dressed wizard with thinning grey hair stepped out of the fireplace. "Oh. It's you."