Anything that's not blatant is a riddle
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Author's penname: Elixa Amethyst
Voices of the Past Part III
Written May 2002 onwards, pre Order of the Phoenix.
All characters and things you recognise, are © JKRowling, no infringement intended.

All references to "mediwizard" mean healer.
Please read parts I and II first.

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Chapter Eight
Out of the Frying Pan…

The door slammed so hard behind us, several jars made to fall off the shelves, but were stopped by a wave of my uncle's hand. I stood with my arms folded before his desk.
"HOW DARE YOU!" I'd rarely seen Severus shout his face was red and his eyes glared to match. I didn't reply I just kept quiet. "In all the years you've been here, I didn't expect to have to tell you this- but Elixa you have just pushed the school just that bit over the line, and earned yourself the highest degree of punishment- expulsion." The words hit me with force as if I was being punched in the stomach. Expelled? I couldn't be!
"What?" I asked, my voice a breathy whisper.
"Expelled unless Dumbledore or McGonagall wish to save your neck. To be honest I'd be glad to get rid of you."
"I don't believe you."
"Don't you? Would you like me to prove it?" He clicked his fingers and a file appeared on his desk, with my name on the front. He held out a sheet of paper before my eyes, detailing the times I'd put a foot out of line in school. Each thing was marked with a number, and before my eyes was appearing my latest misbehaviour, giving me a grand total of three marks over the expulsion score. I swallowed, seeing it in black and white just made it worse.
"I'll go and pack then." I said quietly blinking back tears and putting my head down. Severus didn't reply. He let me walk from the office; no doubt hearing me burst into tears outside his door and run to the Slytherin common room. I ran through the people there in their free period and into my dormitory, a hand to my face. I sat down heavily on my bed and buried my head in my hands, and then into my pillow so that no one could hear my pitifully un-Slytherin weeping.

Half an hour later I was packed, and I sat down on my trunk, wearing my travelling robes, running a hand through my hair to get it out my eyes. I heard the bell ring for break and got up. I supposed I had to go back to the office, or to Dumbledore. I wondered what they'd do with me, since there was no-where that I could go. The Slytherin Head's office was empty, so I made my way up the stairs, suspecting he'd returned to the library, or to Dumbledore, either way I wanted to meet Kerry and explain in my own words.
"Going out somewhere Miss Amethyst?" Professor McGonagall was putting up a notice by the stairs to the dungeons. I wondered if she knew.
"I've been expelled Professor." I said, my voice stuffy from my nose and the weeping. McGonagall dropped the poster in alarm.
"Who by?" I glanced in the direction of the library, and as if on cue Professor Snape appeared, a stormy look on his face.
"Guess." I told her, a miserable look on my face. Minerva rounded on my uncle in a most violent way, her Scots accent sharply interrogating him.
"What by Merlin's beard is going on Severus? Elixa has just told me she's been expelled!"
"She tried to curse me, but it reflected off onto Madame Pince, who was about as pleased as I was. It brings her total three marks over."
"It certainly does not." A frown flickered across my uncle's face.
"I have checked Minerva…"
"No- you misunderstand me Severus, it certainly does not, because the incident was provoked. You have been vile, aggressive, arrogant, cruel and spiteful to your own family when last night you were a perfect gentleman. I don't care what you've done in the past year to Draco Malfoy, because your attitude today has got up my nose just that bit too much without it!"
"Provoked or unprovoked the record still stands."
"Oh wake up Severus! You're about to ruin your own niece's career, the niece who has only you left! How can you do this to her?" Severus went to open his mouth and McGonagall grabbed his arm and pulled him away from me, saying something to him that must have changed his mind properly, because he took the sheet in his hands, which was authorising my expulsion, and it burst into flames in his hands.
"Due to the overruling of the Deputy Head of this school, I have to put up with you until the end of term. Go and unpack, and join your classmates after break in the courtyard for apparition training. Your behaviour must be impeccable from now on or you will be expelled, no question about it. Do I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear Sir." I scuttled away from him, walking as fast as I could back to the common room.

Professor McGonagall was the saviour of my life, if it hadn't been for her he'd probably have gone through with it. We were with the Gryffindors for the training, so McGonagall took it. Kerry was anxious to hear what had happened, so I promised to fill her in at lunch. The lesson went well, we couldn't apport within the school grounds anyway, and especially since none of us had passed any exam in it. What progress we made, not that I really noticed, was pleasing for the Scots Witch as she sent us to lunch with a smile on her face. At lunch I filled Kerry in on what happened with a lot of people listening in.
"Expelled!" Kerry almost shouted. I tried to shut her up, glancing towards the staff table nervously. Severus wasn't there. It changed from a glance to a stare. Where the heck was he? The other members of staff were there, at least the ones who normally came to eat in the great hall. The likes of Professor
Trelawney rarely came down so as not to cloud her inner eye.
"He's probably afraid to show his face!" Kerry said with a laugh. I gave a slight smile. This couldn't wait; it needed sorting out now. I finished my lunch quickly and left the great hall earlier than I normally did.

Once again it appeared that Severus had declined to return to his office, but I stuck my head round the door to check. A piece of parchment fell down from above and landed on my head, falling to the floor. I bent and picked it up.

I'm in the chapel.

It was his writing, and he must have suspected I'd come. I was able to open his office door because I knew a charm to open the series of secure charms my uncle used on the door. The other staff did too as far as I knew. I rolled up the parchment and tucked it inside my robes and shut the door.