Chapter 4
Angst and Denial
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own none of this. So sue me.
After settling in, Snape found he had almost a whole day to himself, which was unusual for him. He had done most of his lesson plans in the summer break, for lack of anything else to do, so he decided to take a walk, and see if he could find any interesting plants to experiment with for his potions.
Minerva had just finished putting the last bottle of moisturiser on her bedside table, and suddenly found herself restless. She too had completed her lesson plans, after coming out of St. Mungos several weeks after the start of the school holidays. She thought a walk would do her good, and she always liked a walk to clear her head, after the very informative staff meetings. Grabbing her coat off a spindly chair, she walked out of the Staff Dormitories, and headed for the Lake.
Severus stood at the edge of the lake, looking into its still, clear waters, staring at his reflection. So it is true what they say, he thought. I am ugly... how... no. I don't care. I need no one. He thought back to Minerva's early comment, and shuddered. To be loved by her?! Impossible, and besides, she was... well, socially unacceptable. Yes, she shared his views on discipline, and believed very strongly in homework, but that did NOT make her in any way compatible with him. Did it?
Minerva walked beside the lake, looking into the clear, slightly rippling waters. There she saw what everyone else did, and gasped. A middle aged woman, aged incredibly by worry lines, and lack of sleep, and most of all, she was aged by something else, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then it hit her... she was aged by sadness. Sadness at not being loved, at being so strict, at being who everyone knew her as, the unrelenting, unforgiving professor. With tears in her eyes, she looked across the lake, and her heart jumped. There was the only person she knew she could share her feelings with... Snape
Disclaimer: You know the drill. I own none of this. So sue me.
After settling in, Snape found he had almost a whole day to himself, which was unusual for him. He had done most of his lesson plans in the summer break, for lack of anything else to do, so he decided to take a walk, and see if he could find any interesting plants to experiment with for his potions.
Minerva had just finished putting the last bottle of moisturiser on her bedside table, and suddenly found herself restless. She too had completed her lesson plans, after coming out of St. Mungos several weeks after the start of the school holidays. She thought a walk would do her good, and she always liked a walk to clear her head, after the very informative staff meetings. Grabbing her coat off a spindly chair, she walked out of the Staff Dormitories, and headed for the Lake.
Severus stood at the edge of the lake, looking into its still, clear waters, staring at his reflection. So it is true what they say, he thought. I am ugly... how... no. I don't care. I need no one. He thought back to Minerva's early comment, and shuddered. To be loved by her?! Impossible, and besides, she was... well, socially unacceptable. Yes, she shared his views on discipline, and believed very strongly in homework, but that did NOT make her in any way compatible with him. Did it?
Minerva walked beside the lake, looking into the clear, slightly rippling waters. There she saw what everyone else did, and gasped. A middle aged woman, aged incredibly by worry lines, and lack of sleep, and most of all, she was aged by something else, and she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then it hit her... she was aged by sadness. Sadness at not being loved, at being so strict, at being who everyone knew her as, the unrelenting, unforgiving professor. With tears in her eyes, she looked across the lake, and her heart jumped. There was the only person she knew she could share her feelings with... Snape