Chapter 7 – The Dark Times Begin
--------------------------------------------
St. Mungo's Hospital
Children's Psychiatric Center London
Dear Severus and Headmaster Dumbledore,
Thank you both for your kind invitation to visit this Saturday. Sibelius and Aloysius are particularly delighted since both graduated from Hogwarts and are seeing it for the first time since then. They want me to make sure that Severus knows that they will teach him a little rock climbing! Both are avid hikers and climbers in addition to their other talents.
Make sure that you wear that new sweater I've heard so much about, Sev! See you both around ten o'clock Saturday morning.
Yours,
Asphora LaChance Healer/Therapist
--------------------------------------------
Severus Snape threw his arms around his counselors' necks the very second they arrived. "I'm so glad to see you!" he told them.
"It's wonderful to see Sev with so much positive energy," a grinning Sibelius Hammer said.
"I wish we could bottle and sell it," Albus Dumbledore added. "Ah, to zip up and down the stairs again!"
"And is this the new sweater, Sev?" asked Aloysius Bede.
Severus nodded, extending his arms to display it. He had told his counselors that Sirius Black had willfully destroyed his first one, and they all realized how important this replacement was to the boy. The garment hung on him like a bag; he had rolled up the sleeves considerably and they were still a bit too long. The bottom of the sweater fell nearly to his knees.
"Looks like you'll have to grow into that one, Sev," Asphora commented with her kindly smile.
"I think Mrs. Potter knitted it with James in mind instead of a shrimp like me."
"Shrimp! My stars! You're growing like a weed. Possess your soul in patience!" Asphora chided. "How are you feeling, honey?"
"Good," the Slytherin boy said, nearly hopping up and down in anticipation of being taught the fundamentals of rock climbing.
"Well," Albus said, "why don't you two gentlemen find a rock and let this whirling mass of pure energy climb it?"
Sib and Aloysius nodded. "Come on, Sev," Sibelius said. "There's a good place not far from here. We'll have to fly, I believe. Headmaster, can I manage to borrow three brooms?"
"Of course. Severus, go to Professor Hooch's office. I think there's an unwarded closet there with old brooms in it. I'm sure she wouldn't have a problem with sharing them."
In a flash, Sev was gone, bounding down the hall on his long legs.
"Albus, it is so rewarding to see him really happy," Asphora said. "Poor child has had so much suffering in his life. Your friendship and love have given him hope for the future – something he knew nothing about before he met you."
"Severus is a wonderful boy," Dumbledore replied. "He is stronger than we both know. He helps this old wizard cope with his own loneliness. He's a comfort to me."
"Back!" shrieked the "comfort", with three brooms in hand. "Let's go!"
Severus thrust two of them into Sib and Aloysius' waiting hands. He then turned and thundered out the front gates, his long black hair flying behind him.
"WindWizard 1600," Sib said, looking at his broom and laughing. "I think this one is from the Stone Age!"
"As a matter of fact, young man, it is a leftover from your own days at Hogwarts!" Albus chuckled.
"Oh. Well, then. It's only from the Bronze Age! Let's go before that kid bounces off the planet."
The two young men followed Severus to the Castle's front lawn, where all three mounted their brooms and took to the sky.
"There he goes with the barrel rolls," the Headmaster sighed while watching Sev show off his flying skills. "He also dives right toward the ground and pulls up and the very last second. He's only wiped out twice, as far as I know. Makes an old man's heart flutter with anxiety, it does!"
"Albus, I would love a tour of your school, and then we can talk about what role the three of us from St. Mungo's might play in helping your students with their emotional difficulties. I especially want to meet Madam Pomfrey if she's back from her summer break."
"Certainly." The old wizard presented Asphora with his arm.
"Such a courtly gesture, Albus," Healer LaChance said, taking it and being led down the corridor.
"You can also tell me how our boy is doing," the Headmaster added. "He seems more confident these days. He also isn't putting up with any nonsense from the Gryffindor boys who've been taunting him since his First Year."
"Excellent," Asphora LaChance replied. "He's learned how not to be a victim for the first time in his life. Astonishing!"
"Right this way," Albus said, nodding. "How about a cup of tea and a nice thick slab of lemon poppyseed cake once you've seen the arboretum and classrooms?"
"Does it have icing?" the healer asked.
"Of course!"
"Does it have lots of icing?"
"Right again!"
"Let's go!"
---------------------------
All three flyers were soon landed.
"How much geology have you studied in your Magickal World course?"
Sev thought. "Last year we learned about weather – then about the sea – and we had just gotten started with geology and its effect on magic. We'll learn more about it when the new term begins on Monday."
"I know your teacher, by the way," Aloysius said. "He was my older brother's roommate when they went here. Good man and a fine wizard. You'll do well to learn all you can from him."
Sibelius walked over to the side of the nearest mountain, kicking away scree as he came. He conjured a nice thick layer of padding below it, right next to the mountain itself. He slapped his hand against the gray and weathered rocks of which it was made, and waited for Sev and Aloysius to join him.
"These rocks here are part of the Southern Highland Group. They were once deep marine deposits, but heat and pressure from the Earth itself changed them into what we call metamorphic rock. Then they got shoved to the surface. Then they were weathered – that is, worn away by millennia of rain, ice, wind, and the forces of gravity."
"What happened then?" Sev asked, trying to remember everything his counselor was telling him.
"Ice ages," Aloysius added. "Four of them. Massive ice sheets, two miles high and thousands of miles long covered the entire region." He thrust a thumb at Sib. "This guy here is such a show-off that I haven't been able to get a word in edgewise!"
The two young men laughed. Severus beamed, happy that they came all this way to see him and help him.
"These rocks are schists, phyllites, and slates." Sibelius said, squatting down. "Sev, come and see these garnets!"
The boy raced over and saw the scattering of reddish crystals embedded in the shiny gray-black rocks.
Sib ran his hand over them. "Their presence here means that these rocks you're about to climb were once at least seven miles under the Earth's surface. Seven miles! I can't even imagine the forces that could push them all to the surface!"
Sev was getting itchy to climb, so Sibelius stood and walked over to the closest rock face and then proceeding to climb it using only his hands and feet. He wedged them in cracks that looked far too small to accommodate them; at first, Sev thought his counselor was using magic.
"Throw me that rope, Sev," he said. The Slytherin boy complied. Sib found a knobby outcropping of mica schist about ten feet up and tied the rope firmly around it. Sliding down the rope, the counselor dropped neatly onto the soft mat they had created.
"All right, Sev, that's called 'fixing the line'. I have a lot of experience with rock climbing and prefer to do it without rope, but you'll want something to hang onto. Well, what are you waiting for?"
Eyes wide, Sev first took his sweater off – the sun was shining brightly and he was getting warm – and folded it in a neat pile. He took a deep breath and began pulling himself up the rock face.
"It's harder than it looks, isn't it, Severus?"
"This isn't Mt. Cotopaxi but it will do," the novice joked.
"Smart alec!" Aloysius laughed. "Go for it!"
-------------------
"You're so kind to let us visit," Asphora said. "And now, Headmaster – I see a question in your eyes. What is it?"
Albus Dumbledore helped himself to another thick slice of lemon poppyseed cake. "This is honestly too good," he sighed. "I simply can't leave it alone if it's here in front of my nose!"
"That doesn't sound like a question to me, Albus," Healer LaChance remarked.
"Well. Asphora. Here it is. You mentioned in your prior note that Severus might not do well in the outside world. Can you provide me some details?"
Asphora took a moment to gather her thoughts. It wouldn't do to scare the Headmaster. She felt he would certainly understand subtlety, but decided to be forthright instead.
"Severus doesn't eat unless someone brings him food and then stands over him watching him eat it. He's much too thin for a lot of that to continue. Being in a place with three meals a day is very helpful in that regard. It gives him a structure to follow."
Dumbledore nodded.
"He also needs the structure to help him plan his days. He also needs to be reminded to go to sleep instead of brewing potions all night, every night."
"Makes sense."
"He is prone to depression, as you well know. We don't have a cure for it in the Wizarding World. It is very complex, the chemistry of the human brain -- ! When Sev is depressed, he withdraws from these little routines that give his life order and direction. Then he withdraws from the very few people he trusts. Lack of self-care follows, which only makes his spirits lower."
"Yes," Albus sighed. "This is what happened right after the Yule holiday."
"I think he needs – someone – "Asphora paused to give her words further emphasis – "– to keep an eye on him and make sure that doesn't happen. Our boy is likely to try suicide if he spirals down that far again. He needs – someone – to watch over him on a consistent basis – someone he trusts."
"And that someone is me, Asphora," Dumbledore said, nodding. Asphora mentally palpitated his aura, finding no sarcasm or resentment toward Severus. "What else do you see in store for him?"
"As powerful a wizard as he will certainly become, he is still a fragile soul beneath his untouchable exterior. Any taunting or pranks feed right into the memories of his father and all those years of abuse. Obliviation helps, Albus, but we use it sparingly for a good reason. Nobody really knows how tampering with someone's memories can affect them later in life."
"Of course. In other words," Albus said, taking a sip of his sugared tea, "Severus needs to be treated with respect and dignity."
"By everyone, especially the so-called Marauders," Asphora sighed. "I've heard the stories. It's so positive that one of them – the Potter boy – has extended a helping hand to Severus. The quiet one – what is his name, Albus?"
"Remus Lupin."
"Yes. Yes indeed. That young man would like to be Sev's friend as well, but Sev doesn't trust him. He told me he sensed something in the lad that scared him. The other two – well, they choose to remain his enemies. Make me a promise, Albus."
"Of course!"
"Keep an eye on those boys. This is a large place. Lots of hidey-holes and unused rooms to use for pushing someone in and tormenting them. Share with Sev your desire to keep them from hurting him this year. They're all Seventh Years now, and I hope that simple maturity will take care of the problem. But – I could be wrong. Be there for him, Headmaster. He loves you so, and will try to please you."
"Tender loving care," Albus added softly.
"Yes. That's it." Asphora rose and gave a deep breath, smiling. "All right, then! Let's head back toward the front lawn. Aloysius and Sib said they'd have Severus back around one o'clock. Perhaps you can show me the Great Hall on the way."
"Yes, and we can grab a bite of lunch as well. We'll have just enough time. Many of the students are back a bit early and the Elves are keen to feed them. And me as well." Dumbledore patted his waistline. "Wider as the years pass. Alas!"
Both laughed and headed down the Gryphon stairway.
--------------------
No teenager anywhere on Earth was more excited than Severus Snape.
He had spent the last couple of hours jamming his fingers and toes into the cracks in the rock outcrop – falling – then getting up again. His fingers and toes were scraped and bruised, but he hardly noticed. The child had also hoisted himself up the face using the rope. He didn't have a firm hold on it a few times – and fell – and got right up again. Sev knew he could have used magic, but wanted to learn without it. It didn't seem in the least bit sporting to – well, cheat like that! Sibelius Hammer and Aloysius Bede were happy that they had been able to cushion his falls, and now it was nearly time to go.
"That's it, young chap," Aloysius said, sitting down in the grass to take off his climbing shoes. Sib knelt down to examine a slab of garnet schist while Severus pulled on his red sweater.
The healer's eyes widened. "Great Merlin! Here's a garnet as big as my fist! I've never seen anything like it!"
Sev gasped, dropping to all fours and crawling as far as he could before he was firmly wedged under Sib's arm. Nearly ready to join them, Aloysius rested his free hand on Sev's foot as he pulled off his other shoe. Full of awe and wonder, Sibelius Hammer reached out and grasped the large and shining blood-red stone.
There was a green flash, and only three backpacks – three brooms – and three wands lay on the grass.
All three wizards had completely vanished.
--------------------------------------------
St. Mungo's Hospital
Children's Psychiatric Center London
Dear Severus and Headmaster Dumbledore,
Thank you both for your kind invitation to visit this Saturday. Sibelius and Aloysius are particularly delighted since both graduated from Hogwarts and are seeing it for the first time since then. They want me to make sure that Severus knows that they will teach him a little rock climbing! Both are avid hikers and climbers in addition to their other talents.
Make sure that you wear that new sweater I've heard so much about, Sev! See you both around ten o'clock Saturday morning.
Yours,
Asphora LaChance Healer/Therapist
--------------------------------------------
Severus Snape threw his arms around his counselors' necks the very second they arrived. "I'm so glad to see you!" he told them.
"It's wonderful to see Sev with so much positive energy," a grinning Sibelius Hammer said.
"I wish we could bottle and sell it," Albus Dumbledore added. "Ah, to zip up and down the stairs again!"
"And is this the new sweater, Sev?" asked Aloysius Bede.
Severus nodded, extending his arms to display it. He had told his counselors that Sirius Black had willfully destroyed his first one, and they all realized how important this replacement was to the boy. The garment hung on him like a bag; he had rolled up the sleeves considerably and they were still a bit too long. The bottom of the sweater fell nearly to his knees.
"Looks like you'll have to grow into that one, Sev," Asphora commented with her kindly smile.
"I think Mrs. Potter knitted it with James in mind instead of a shrimp like me."
"Shrimp! My stars! You're growing like a weed. Possess your soul in patience!" Asphora chided. "How are you feeling, honey?"
"Good," the Slytherin boy said, nearly hopping up and down in anticipation of being taught the fundamentals of rock climbing.
"Well," Albus said, "why don't you two gentlemen find a rock and let this whirling mass of pure energy climb it?"
Sib and Aloysius nodded. "Come on, Sev," Sibelius said. "There's a good place not far from here. We'll have to fly, I believe. Headmaster, can I manage to borrow three brooms?"
"Of course. Severus, go to Professor Hooch's office. I think there's an unwarded closet there with old brooms in it. I'm sure she wouldn't have a problem with sharing them."
In a flash, Sev was gone, bounding down the hall on his long legs.
"Albus, it is so rewarding to see him really happy," Asphora said. "Poor child has had so much suffering in his life. Your friendship and love have given him hope for the future – something he knew nothing about before he met you."
"Severus is a wonderful boy," Dumbledore replied. "He is stronger than we both know. He helps this old wizard cope with his own loneliness. He's a comfort to me."
"Back!" shrieked the "comfort", with three brooms in hand. "Let's go!"
Severus thrust two of them into Sib and Aloysius' waiting hands. He then turned and thundered out the front gates, his long black hair flying behind him.
"WindWizard 1600," Sib said, looking at his broom and laughing. "I think this one is from the Stone Age!"
"As a matter of fact, young man, it is a leftover from your own days at Hogwarts!" Albus chuckled.
"Oh. Well, then. It's only from the Bronze Age! Let's go before that kid bounces off the planet."
The two young men followed Severus to the Castle's front lawn, where all three mounted their brooms and took to the sky.
"There he goes with the barrel rolls," the Headmaster sighed while watching Sev show off his flying skills. "He also dives right toward the ground and pulls up and the very last second. He's only wiped out twice, as far as I know. Makes an old man's heart flutter with anxiety, it does!"
"Albus, I would love a tour of your school, and then we can talk about what role the three of us from St. Mungo's might play in helping your students with their emotional difficulties. I especially want to meet Madam Pomfrey if she's back from her summer break."
"Certainly." The old wizard presented Asphora with his arm.
"Such a courtly gesture, Albus," Healer LaChance said, taking it and being led down the corridor.
"You can also tell me how our boy is doing," the Headmaster added. "He seems more confident these days. He also isn't putting up with any nonsense from the Gryffindor boys who've been taunting him since his First Year."
"Excellent," Asphora LaChance replied. "He's learned how not to be a victim for the first time in his life. Astonishing!"
"Right this way," Albus said, nodding. "How about a cup of tea and a nice thick slab of lemon poppyseed cake once you've seen the arboretum and classrooms?"
"Does it have icing?" the healer asked.
"Of course!"
"Does it have lots of icing?"
"Right again!"
"Let's go!"
---------------------------
All three flyers were soon landed.
"How much geology have you studied in your Magickal World course?"
Sev thought. "Last year we learned about weather – then about the sea – and we had just gotten started with geology and its effect on magic. We'll learn more about it when the new term begins on Monday."
"I know your teacher, by the way," Aloysius said. "He was my older brother's roommate when they went here. Good man and a fine wizard. You'll do well to learn all you can from him."
Sibelius walked over to the side of the nearest mountain, kicking away scree as he came. He conjured a nice thick layer of padding below it, right next to the mountain itself. He slapped his hand against the gray and weathered rocks of which it was made, and waited for Sev and Aloysius to join him.
"These rocks here are part of the Southern Highland Group. They were once deep marine deposits, but heat and pressure from the Earth itself changed them into what we call metamorphic rock. Then they got shoved to the surface. Then they were weathered – that is, worn away by millennia of rain, ice, wind, and the forces of gravity."
"What happened then?" Sev asked, trying to remember everything his counselor was telling him.
"Ice ages," Aloysius added. "Four of them. Massive ice sheets, two miles high and thousands of miles long covered the entire region." He thrust a thumb at Sib. "This guy here is such a show-off that I haven't been able to get a word in edgewise!"
The two young men laughed. Severus beamed, happy that they came all this way to see him and help him.
"These rocks are schists, phyllites, and slates." Sibelius said, squatting down. "Sev, come and see these garnets!"
The boy raced over and saw the scattering of reddish crystals embedded in the shiny gray-black rocks.
Sib ran his hand over them. "Their presence here means that these rocks you're about to climb were once at least seven miles under the Earth's surface. Seven miles! I can't even imagine the forces that could push them all to the surface!"
Sev was getting itchy to climb, so Sibelius stood and walked over to the closest rock face and then proceeding to climb it using only his hands and feet. He wedged them in cracks that looked far too small to accommodate them; at first, Sev thought his counselor was using magic.
"Throw me that rope, Sev," he said. The Slytherin boy complied. Sib found a knobby outcropping of mica schist about ten feet up and tied the rope firmly around it. Sliding down the rope, the counselor dropped neatly onto the soft mat they had created.
"All right, Sev, that's called 'fixing the line'. I have a lot of experience with rock climbing and prefer to do it without rope, but you'll want something to hang onto. Well, what are you waiting for?"
Eyes wide, Sev first took his sweater off – the sun was shining brightly and he was getting warm – and folded it in a neat pile. He took a deep breath and began pulling himself up the rock face.
"It's harder than it looks, isn't it, Severus?"
"This isn't Mt. Cotopaxi but it will do," the novice joked.
"Smart alec!" Aloysius laughed. "Go for it!"
-------------------
"You're so kind to let us visit," Asphora said. "And now, Headmaster – I see a question in your eyes. What is it?"
Albus Dumbledore helped himself to another thick slice of lemon poppyseed cake. "This is honestly too good," he sighed. "I simply can't leave it alone if it's here in front of my nose!"
"That doesn't sound like a question to me, Albus," Healer LaChance remarked.
"Well. Asphora. Here it is. You mentioned in your prior note that Severus might not do well in the outside world. Can you provide me some details?"
Asphora took a moment to gather her thoughts. It wouldn't do to scare the Headmaster. She felt he would certainly understand subtlety, but decided to be forthright instead.
"Severus doesn't eat unless someone brings him food and then stands over him watching him eat it. He's much too thin for a lot of that to continue. Being in a place with three meals a day is very helpful in that regard. It gives him a structure to follow."
Dumbledore nodded.
"He also needs the structure to help him plan his days. He also needs to be reminded to go to sleep instead of brewing potions all night, every night."
"Makes sense."
"He is prone to depression, as you well know. We don't have a cure for it in the Wizarding World. It is very complex, the chemistry of the human brain -- ! When Sev is depressed, he withdraws from these little routines that give his life order and direction. Then he withdraws from the very few people he trusts. Lack of self-care follows, which only makes his spirits lower."
"Yes," Albus sighed. "This is what happened right after the Yule holiday."
"I think he needs – someone – "Asphora paused to give her words further emphasis – "– to keep an eye on him and make sure that doesn't happen. Our boy is likely to try suicide if he spirals down that far again. He needs – someone – to watch over him on a consistent basis – someone he trusts."
"And that someone is me, Asphora," Dumbledore said, nodding. Asphora mentally palpitated his aura, finding no sarcasm or resentment toward Severus. "What else do you see in store for him?"
"As powerful a wizard as he will certainly become, he is still a fragile soul beneath his untouchable exterior. Any taunting or pranks feed right into the memories of his father and all those years of abuse. Obliviation helps, Albus, but we use it sparingly for a good reason. Nobody really knows how tampering with someone's memories can affect them later in life."
"Of course. In other words," Albus said, taking a sip of his sugared tea, "Severus needs to be treated with respect and dignity."
"By everyone, especially the so-called Marauders," Asphora sighed. "I've heard the stories. It's so positive that one of them – the Potter boy – has extended a helping hand to Severus. The quiet one – what is his name, Albus?"
"Remus Lupin."
"Yes. Yes indeed. That young man would like to be Sev's friend as well, but Sev doesn't trust him. He told me he sensed something in the lad that scared him. The other two – well, they choose to remain his enemies. Make me a promise, Albus."
"Of course!"
"Keep an eye on those boys. This is a large place. Lots of hidey-holes and unused rooms to use for pushing someone in and tormenting them. Share with Sev your desire to keep them from hurting him this year. They're all Seventh Years now, and I hope that simple maturity will take care of the problem. But – I could be wrong. Be there for him, Headmaster. He loves you so, and will try to please you."
"Tender loving care," Albus added softly.
"Yes. That's it." Asphora rose and gave a deep breath, smiling. "All right, then! Let's head back toward the front lawn. Aloysius and Sib said they'd have Severus back around one o'clock. Perhaps you can show me the Great Hall on the way."
"Yes, and we can grab a bite of lunch as well. We'll have just enough time. Many of the students are back a bit early and the Elves are keen to feed them. And me as well." Dumbledore patted his waistline. "Wider as the years pass. Alas!"
Both laughed and headed down the Gryphon stairway.
--------------------
No teenager anywhere on Earth was more excited than Severus Snape.
He had spent the last couple of hours jamming his fingers and toes into the cracks in the rock outcrop – falling – then getting up again. His fingers and toes were scraped and bruised, but he hardly noticed. The child had also hoisted himself up the face using the rope. He didn't have a firm hold on it a few times – and fell – and got right up again. Sev knew he could have used magic, but wanted to learn without it. It didn't seem in the least bit sporting to – well, cheat like that! Sibelius Hammer and Aloysius Bede were happy that they had been able to cushion his falls, and now it was nearly time to go.
"That's it, young chap," Aloysius said, sitting down in the grass to take off his climbing shoes. Sib knelt down to examine a slab of garnet schist while Severus pulled on his red sweater.
The healer's eyes widened. "Great Merlin! Here's a garnet as big as my fist! I've never seen anything like it!"
Sev gasped, dropping to all fours and crawling as far as he could before he was firmly wedged under Sib's arm. Nearly ready to join them, Aloysius rested his free hand on Sev's foot as he pulled off his other shoe. Full of awe and wonder, Sibelius Hammer reached out and grasped the large and shining blood-red stone.
There was a green flash, and only three backpacks – three brooms – and three wands lay on the grass.
All three wizards had completely vanished.