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Here's the next chapter. It's a more appropriate length than the last chapter; I know that was long. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I've replied to my lovely reviewers at the end.
Chapter 3: Degrees of Emotion
Dumbledore paced up and down Snape's small living room, deep in thought. In recent years, he had rarely seen his Potions Master so engulfed in emotions that was not anger, as he had been yesterday, lying unconscious on his couch.
"It's better than no emotion," muttered Dumbledore, shivering. He knew that Snape constantly shielded his emotions, only losing control when enticed by those he loathed. Only once had he witnessed an unadulterated lack of emotion in Snape—it had shaken him to his core.
It had been at Snape's trial, June 16, 1982. Snape had been detained in Azkaban for eight months prior to his trial due to the immense accumulation of cases, ironically, thanks to Snape's precious information.
At the announcement of 'Prisoner 287', the door of Courtroom 11 had flung open and three figures had immerged. Two grotesque hooded creatures had escorted Snape to a chained chair in the centre of the room.
Snape's skin had contrasted painfully against the blackness of the Dementors gripping him. His naturally greasy hair had looked exceedingly filthy, clinging to the sides of his face. His thin shoulders were arched inward and his head had hung almost lifelessly, his chin knocking against his chest.
Dumbledore had let out an uncharacteristic gasp when Snape finally lifted his head, drawing the attention of his neighbour, Amelia Bones, who had been the Deputy Head of Department of Law Enforcement at the time.
"You all right, Albus?" Amelia had asked out of concern.
"His eyes," was all Dumbledore had given as an explanation to his behaviour.
Snape eyes had stared blankly into the distance, answering the interrogators throughout the lengthy trial with a vacant voice and an absence of reaction to their brutality. He had been so hollow—a shell of a man. He hadn't even responded to the return of the Dementors, who had come to take him back to his cell to await a decision.
It had been an entirely different story when the Wizengamot finally gave their verdict and Dumbledore had entered Azkaban to retrieve his friend…
July 1982
Dumbledore and an Auror walked swiftly past the dark cells, ignoring screams escaping the lips of deranged prisoners. Dementors floated through the hallways and cells of Azkaban. He felt disgust rise from the pit of his stomach as he witnessed the cruelty of the wizardry world.
"Cell number 287," announced the Auror, opening the cell door and taking a post in front of the entrance after Dumbledore entered.
A skeletal Snape sat crouched in the far corner of the dingy unit, his hands deep inside his hair, clawing at his head. A Dementor stood over him, silently, as Snape mumbled incoherently.
Waving his wand, a silver stream shot out of Dumbledore's wand. Instantly, the Dementor began to float away into another cell.
"Severus, the charges have been dropped. You can leave now," said Dumbledore, gently, kneeling down beside the young man.
Snape pushed further into the corner, trying to avoid Dumbledore's approaching hand. "I won't let you hurt her, father," muttered Snape, his eyes laden with determination, hate and fear.
Dumbledore's eyes darkened. "It's me, Albus."
Snape's eyes began to show signs of comprehension. "Headmaster?"
Dumbledore brought out a muggle pencil and reached for Snape's hand. Snape long fingers were covered in dirt and his nails seemed to have collected a dark crusty substance. Blood, thought Dumbledore, he must have been unconsciously clawing at his head to get at his dark memories.
The portkey tugged at Dumbledore and soon he landed in his office, with Snape. Snape stood in the centre of the room swaying slightly before falling into a seat that Dumbledore had conjured just in time.
"Wh-where am I?"
"Hogwarts. The Wizengamot has cleared your name."
"Why have you brought me here?" He looked like a frightened child. Dumbledore knew not to expect Snape's senses to return so soon after departing from Azkaban.
Snape's hands reached for his head again. Dumbledore waved his wand and forced Snape's hands into his lap. "Don't do that Severus."
"Don't tell me what to do," yelled Snape, his voice shaking with anger.
"It's for your own good."
"Everybody says it's for my own good. It's never for my own good," whispered Snape, his eyes falling to the floor.
Dumbledore brought out a slab of chocolate. "Eat this and then we can go see Poppy."
"No."
"It will make you feel better."
Snape eyed it suspiciously. "I hate sweets."
"Please."
Snape seemed to sense the desperation in Dumbledore's voice because he took it and began to munch on it. After many bites, the Headmaster could see a change in his former student. His posture was straighter, his eyes focused and his expression changed from that of a frightened child to the scowl Dumbledore had become accustomed to.
Dumbledore smiled. He knew that it would take time for him to recover fully from the psychological torture but at least his calculating mind was resurfacing.
They sat there, silent for a few minutes.
"What is the date?" asked Snape.
"July 2nd, 1982."
"What?" exclaimed Snape, alarmed. "School's out for the year?"
Dumbledore nodded.
"Sera! Where is she? Who's taking care of her?"
"Don't worry Severus. I have arranged for her to stay with a friend of hers until you feel better."
"She must hate me. The whole school must be looking at her with disgust. Her brother is a Death Eater."
"Not many people are aware of your past association with Voldemort. I was able to ensure a private trial for you, remember?"
Snape flinched at the mention of the name, 'Voldemort', and shook his head. "I don't exactly recall the trial. It just seems like another memory lost amongst the masses."
Dumbledore cast Snape a sympathetic look. Snape clenched jaw at this expression and Dumbledore instantly realized his mistake. Snape hated sympathy.
"No, Seralina doesn't hate you. On the contrary, I have never seen her more worried and distressed. She demanded that we let her see you and come to your trial."
Dumbledore watched him rack through his mind, trying to remember. "Did you let her?"
"No."
Snape sighed with relief. "Thank you, Headmaster, for everything."
"I and the wizardry community should thank you for what you have done."
Snape looked away for a moment before speaking again. "May I go now?"
"I think it would be wise for you to stay here for a while, at least until you recover."
"I'm fine."
"No, you are not. You're obviously suffering from malnutrition and you may still be a bit unbalanced."
"I am not deranged," retorted Snape.
"That is not what I was implying."
"May I at least have access to a shower facility?" asked Snape.
Dumbledore smiled. "I believe the password to the Slytherin common room as of the end of term is 'Serpent'. Accio robes."
Snape took the black robes and got up to leave.
"And Severus, after you're all cleaned up, please go to the infirmary."
"I am not ill," hissed Snape.
"Yet, there is blood running down the side of your head," replied Dumbledore, referring to where he had clawed at his skull.
Snape reached for his head and felt something sticky. "Fine," he sneered.
"Oh, and afterwards, we will need to discuss my offer of the Potions post," continued Dumbledore, calmly as if he was discussing the weather over tea and biscuits.
Snape pursed his lips and glared at Dumbledore with annoyance before storming out of the room.
Present
Dumbledore chuckled to himself—the best way to bring back the old Snape was to annoy him.
His expression sobered as his eye caught the pumpkin juice stain in the carpet. He had forgotten about it. Waving his wand, the stain disappeared.
He could only guess at what nightmare Snape had so desperately tried to prevent last night—Snape had a vast amount of memories that would cause him nightmares. Contrary to the Order's belief, the Headmaster was not privy to all these memories.
Sighing, he fell into a chair; the Order had the right to be apprehensive of his judgment. They did not know that he purposely hired Quirrell, knowing that Voldemort was manipulating him—as the famous saying went, 'Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.' Yet, on many occasions, his actions had gone abominably wrong—hiring 'Moody', keeping Harry in the dark, enlisting Snape to teach Harry Occlumency.
That had been among his biggest mistakes. Maybe he had put too much faith in Snape. "Maybe you have misplaced your trust in him—he knew the importance of teaching the boy Occlumency. Maybe he is working for Him" badgered a voice in the back of his head.
"No, I trust Severus—I won't turn my back on him now. The Occlumency incident played solely on his weakness, his reaction to humiliation," rebutted Dumbledore, continuing the inner dialogue.
A large crashing sound coming from Snape's room brought Dumbledore out of his thoughts. Grabbing his wand, he rushed forward, down the short hallway. A house elf, which Dumbledore had brought earlier that day, also appeared in the doorway, looking apprehensively.
Snape was near the window, violently pulling the curtains shut. The table near the window was toppled over and a few books lay scattered on the floor.
"Severus, are you all right?" asked Dumbledore, deducing that he had tripped over the leg of the table.
"I'm fine," snapped Snape, turning to face his intruders. His eyes narrowed as he noticed the house elf. Letting out a little squeak, the elf hid behind the Headmaster.
"What are you doing out of bed?"
"It's past 2pm, Albus. What do you take me for? A bat?" Snape's eyebrows furrowed as he realized that many would describe him as an overgrown bat. "Besides, the house elf must have opened the curtains," accused Snape. "The sun was irritating me."
Dumbledore chortled and patted the elf. "And I wondered why many of the students are under the impression that you're a vampire."
Snape sneered. "I'm only disappointed that the rumour has not persisted among the house elves."
"Linkle has been bad. Linkle will be punished. Master is mad," squeaked the elf, ready to bash his head into the door.
"Don't call me that!" snarled Snape.
"That will not be necessary, Linkle. I think we shall call him Professor Snape. How about you bring something for Professor Snape to eat," said Dumbledore, kindly.
Linkle nodded nervously and disappeared into the kitchen.
"Severus, you must be gentle with the house elf."
"Of course, we can all learn from the mistakes of the infamous mutt. At least he was good for something," scoffed Snape.
Dumbledore's eyes hardened. "I will not have you speak ill of the dead."
"No Albus, you will not have me speak ill of your precious Gryffindors," retorted Snape before retreating to the bathroom.
Dumbledore rubbed his forehead, exhausted. He can be so tiring, thought the old man.
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Another chapter down. As you can see, this story is heavily based in both the past and the present. I know there hasn't been much plot advancement in this chapter but I needed to set up the relationship between Snape and Dumbledore and finish my exploration of his life immediately after the Potters death. The next chapter will be Snape's POV (more of what Snape thinks :D) and you'll get to see Hogwarts (though school hasn't started yet), Voldemort's headquarters and Grimmauld Place.
You guys up for a glimpse of our favourite Potions Master's first day on the job? It will be on the lighter side of things, just for a bit of the chapter.
What did you think of this chapter? I really appreciate all the feedback. It is so encouraging!
Hope you'll stick with me :) WeasleyGirl-ca
Review Replies
Asha Ice: I love it when people who reviewed previous chapters continue to R/R, shows that I haven't fallen through the cracks, thanks. I know, the last chapter was excessively long. I should have split it into chapters. I've shortened my chapters without making them 'short'.
I'm working hard to keep Snape IC but still allow him to show other emotions and feelings beside anger and loathing, so I really appreciate your comment on that. Thanks for the review. Weasleygirl-ca
Ova: Oh, I can't wait to put Moody through the runner :D.
Yeah, Dumbledore is definitely being insensitive. After OotP, that was the impression I got—making Snape teach Harry extra classes, knowing how much they hate each other. I figure he overlooks important details in his grand scheme of things. I find that a lot of people are hating him after OotP…I rather like him because he isn't perfect anymore and makes big mistakes. I still think he's very compassionate. I'm so happy you stayed with my story! Thanks for the review! Weasleygirl-ca
The Third Murderer: Isn't it? I always wondered why the Order just accepts him among their number; maybe they have already settled the issues. I really can't see them just taking Dumbledore's word. It's fun to explore. Thanks so much for the comments! Weasleygirl-ca
Viskii: And I'm happy you continue reading big grin, it's so encouraging. And I'm glad you commented on Sera, I haven't really worked with OCs in my major fics before, so the comments are really helpful—I'm working hard to keep Mary Sue out! Snape needs someone to love him, don't you think?
I put more Dumbledore/Snape interaction in this chapter but it's from Dumbledore's POV…next one is in Snape's, he's always interesting to right because of his inner turmoil. Thanks for the review and sticking with the story! Weasleygirl-ca
Melissa Jooty: You've pinned the tail on the donkey! I really think the students need a reality check, they can't keep thinking that they know best…look where it got them last time. I am definitely putting in the bang when they realize what a bad judge of character they have—not everything is black and white, mean doesn't imply evil, they just don't get it. Hehe, I want to slap Moody and Harry, too!
Again you've hit the target—I wanted someone like Sera who could love him without condition like everybody else in his life (actually, most of them don't love him, they just use him, don't you think?). You're the second person to mention that Sera isn't Mary Sue. For that I'm thankful, I was writing it so carefully to avoid that.
And Dumbledore, like you mentioned, I think he does put himself in that father role—he's part of the group that cares for (dare I say, loves?) him but has his conditions. Thanks so much for your detailed review! Weasleygirl-ca
Lilith11: Thanks so much for your review!I'm happy you like Sera…so many people don't sit well with OCs, so I'm happy I created a likable one.
And thanks for commenting on the OFC thing. I can see that Snape stories vary in the relationship thing. I'm not a fan of the 'a girl's the reason I became a DE' outlook, so I'm definitely not going that way but I think I have to add the smallest little relationship to make a part of my story work. It's in the past and doesn't take up to much space or last long (they might not even admit to anything—no 'boyfriend/girlfriend thing) and it is not fluffy, rather, it's very confusing and unhappy (but not one sided). I really hope you'll still give this story a chance. I'm going to make it as appealing as possible. Thanks again for your review! Weasleygirl-ca
