Chapter 14: Drinks and a parting
After that weekend Ellen became Snape's regular drinking buddy. They both got together and wallowed in silent self-pity, Ellen because she was bored and lonely and Snape because he was also lonely and he had issues which Ellen was trying to weasel out of him.
'Why are you such a sad lonely bustard?' She asked in one of their drinking sessions
'Because. That's why.'
' There has to be a reason or you would be slightly normal like the rest of us.'
'Normal? You?' he scoffed
'Shut up! Your strange and that's it, there is no way I am stranger than you.' There was a silence for some minutes 'Anyway you didn't answer my question, why are you a lonely bustard? There has to be a reason.'
'Of course there is a reason, but I'm never going to tell you. Never.'
Ellen was getting frustrated; she could always get someone's secret out of someone.
'Please you can make it my Birthday present.'
'No.' he answered automatically. Ellen left it; she'd get it sooner or later.
It was nearing Ellen's 29th Birthday and she was beginning to think she had wasted the best years of her life, though on the plus side she was one of the only people in society that knew there was a secret land of magic, other than that she hadn't really done much else. She had one year to make a life before she became a middle life spinster; which was fine but only if she had a life to go with it.
She was going to ask Dumbledore if she could leave for her birthday but as it got nearer the more work she had to do. She was constantly given letters to send by this kid called Percy for Mr. Crouch. The kid was always apologizing say that he would do it but he was so busy, and she could see he was. So there was going to be no time off for her.
It was the day before Ellen's birthday and in between jobs she was moping about.
'What's wrong with you?' Severus asked her when he spotted her.
'Nothing… well it's just that it is my birthday tomorrow.'
'I see and that's a problem for you?'
'Well not really, its just that I have those thoughts that I have accomplished nothing and never will.'
'Oh those thoughts. I'm sure,' Severus found it hard to comfort somebody but he was going to try. ' I am quite sure you have accomplished a lot and will in the future.'
Ellen thought about what he said.
' Thanks Sev, that was really sweet.' She hugged him, which was hard because he was carrying a handful of books.
Severus felt awkward this was indeed something new to him and he had this funny warm feeling inside him that he wasn't sure what it was.
Her Birthday fell on a Saturday so she had nothing much to do. She got up late, and had a long bath before she sat down in Snape's office with a book and read. She thought that at some stage he would have come in and interrupted her but he didn't, she hadn't seen him all day so far and she wondered where he was.
She managed to waste the day somehow and she found herself in mid afternoon feeling very depressed. Just before dusk Severus reappeared.
'Where have you been all day?' She demanded.
Severus put his finger to his lips.
'Get a coat and come with me.' He said shortly.
Ellen did what he said and followed him out of the dungeons and out into the night air.
'Where are we going?' she asked quite bewildered
'You will see.'
Ooh a surprise Ellen thought, or maybe he is taking me away to kill me she didn't know which but she wouldn't put either idea past him.
He led her to a patch of grass under a big oak tree that stood just before the forbidden forest it was dimly lit somehow. Underneath it sat a bottle of whisky and two glasses.
'Oh, Severus!' She exclaimed 'This is very… unlike you' Severus looked slightly embarrassed.
'Yes… well, it will stop you from complaining.'
'I didn't think a gesture of kindness was in your nature.' Ellen sat down and opened the bottle and poured them both a drink.
' No, well who knew I had nothing better to do with my time. Plus' He said sitting. 'Who knows what might happen in the future.' He looked grim. Ellen just thought he was being over dramatic.
Overall the night went well, though Ellen suspected that Severus felt uncomfortable over his gesture of kindness so she never mentioned how kind he was after that. But Ellen didn't have time to think about that, the day of the final task was upon them, and Ellen was very busy. But her work made time go past extremely fast and before she knew it, it was time for the actual event to take place. She stood in the stands and looked out onto he maze that the children had to run through. Dumbledore came up to her as he always did at these events.
'So what do you think?' He asked like he always did
'I think this is defiantly a lawsuit waiting to happen.'
She left soon after a while; it was getting boring waiting for someone to come out the other end of a maze. She decided to go back to the castle knowing it was empty, it gave it a very spooky mysterious quality that it didn't have with hordes of children occupying it. Inside she walked around for a while before she went into the dungeons realizing the one person she hadn't seen, Snape. He was, as she expected, in his office looking… odd.
'Not joining in on the fun?' She asked
'No.' He said bluntly.
'Yeah it's a bit stupid this whole competition thing, it just isn't right. I know its going to end up in tragedy some how.'
Severus looked grim.
'I have a feeling that you are right.'
'I always am.' Replied Ellen
'So your not here avoiding Karkaroff again are you?'
'No he fled not long ago.'
'Fled? What from?' Ellen didn't know what he was on about
'The Dark Lord' Severus said
'The… Dark…Lord.' Ellen had heard about this dark lord character before, it sounded very science-fictional and lame but what did she know. 'Why would he flee from him?'
Severus sighed he didn't want to rehash this whole business to her, but he saw no other way of shutting her up. 'Karkaroff betrayed the Dark Lord and he knows that if he goes back to him he will pay a price, and I am sure that he will.'
'I see.' Ellen took all this in and stated putting two and two together.
'You have something to do with it because Karkaroff always sort you out in confidence. Maybe you were the only one he could talk to because… maybe you had a similar experience am I right?' Ellen hoped what she was saying was right so she hoped he'd tell her the answer just in case she wasn't.
Severus didn't know weather it was better to lie at this moment or tell he truth. He had to tell her some time now would have to be it.
'Yes you are right.'
'So you were a Dark Lord supporter then?' Ellen asked just confirming the facts.
'Yes but not for a long time now, I switched sides before he fell.'
'Well that's interesting, and it certainly explains a few things. Does everyone know?'
'Some people do only the people that need to know.'
'And that's the reason Moody doesn't trust you isn't it?'
'Yes.'
'Ok everything is making a lot more sense. So what is the deal with tonight then?'
'He is summoning his Death Eaters for… I don't know just because he is back a suppose.'
Ellen stifled a giggle. Snape shot her a dirty look
'What was that for' he asked ' this is very serious.'
'Sorry, but death eater sounds really lame.'
Severus looked venomous.
'Look anyway, should we tell Dumbledore about this Dark lord coming back?' Ellen suggested so he would stop giving her the death stare.
'Yes.'
They went out onto the grounds to find Dumbledore. He was around one of the side of the maze looking worried.
'What has happened?' Severus asked troubled
'I don't know… they have disappeared…. The trophy mush have been a portkey.' Dumbledore answered
'Well The Dark Lord has just summoned His Death Eaters.'
'Ah that makes sense.' Dumbledore said gravely. 'There is nothing we can do for the moment. We can only wait and hope.'
Everyone waited in nervous silence for about an hour before anything happened. The child Harry (as Ellen found out) returned clutching a trophy and a dead boy. She had no idea what was going on. There was a big commotion and all she could do was stand there, someone took the boy Harry away and everyone else tried to crowd around the dead boy to see what had happened. People where crowding in tight around, no one important seemed to be around like Dumbledore or McGonagall.
'Oi!' She yelled trying to get peoples attention but it didn't seem to work. Someone beside her, Bagman she thought it was, said something she couldn't hear over the commotion and pointed his wand at her. She didn't know what that was achieving so she ignored it and tried getting everyone attention again.
'OI!' she said again and this time her voice boomed thought out the makeshift stadium surprising everyone including Ellen. Everyone stopped, and looked. For a moment she was put off by this sudden attention.
'Ok Everyone,' She said regaining the authority in her voice. 'MOVE back to your SEATS! You will be informed on what has happened presently!' No one moved they just looked at her.
'OK MOVE BACK!' She yelled and grudgingly people moved back to their seats. Slowly the crowed moved back and Ellen had total control.
The next few minutes were a blur for Ellen, the parents of the dead boy came out and he was taken somewhere. Ellen wasn't sure if she could let the other people leave, and equally the people didn't know if the should leave. Professor Flitwick briefly informed her on what had happened. She summarised this even more and told it to the crowd of confused onlookers. She told them they could go but no one moved.
'Ok move off, nothing left to see here.' She said and slowly people began to move.
Severus wasn't in his office when she went to find him so she waited for him. When he did come he looked scared and worried.
'What's the matter?' she asked
'What, nothing just something I have to do.' He grabbed his cloak that was hanging on the back of his chair and was about to leave the room before he came back.
'Listen, if I don't come back…all I want to say is that… I enjoyed having you as company.'
Ellen took his hand and replied:
'Yeah me too.'
Severus kissed her quickly on the cheek and left.
Severus did come back, two days later in fact. Severus thought their next meeting was going to be an awkward one but Ellen acted like nothing had happened. She was leaving so she was glad that he did come back.
'Well its good to see that I don't have to avenge your death.'
Severus didn't answer.
'Thank god I'm off! This place is a hellhole glad to go back and live my own non-fiction life. I'll probably wake up and it will be all a dream, I hope it is a dream because I've missed a whole year. People are going to wonder where I was… oh well.'
Severus was looking awkward.
'Its not like you to be lost for words. I'll miss you and your… ness. You're a character I'll give you that. You may be the most cold, angry, witty, malevolent, kind, depressed, thoughtful, awkward, closed down person I've ever met, and you really need to rethink the length of your hair. But I like you nonetheless.'
'You' he said at last ' are the most annoying, funny, ignorant, negative, prettiest, immature, wisest, hyper-active, dullest, positive, contradictive person I have ever known and well I actually liked you… and it was a first. It been….' He couldn't think of any thing to Finnish with.
'Yes it was…. something. Good-bye Sev.' She shook his hand
'Good-bye Ellen.'
Ellen tuned and said:
'We're a bit alike you and I'
'Yes we're like two peas in a horrible pod' He answered and smiled.
Ellen smiled Then she parted.((A/N well that's it… I do have some more if you want it. And even if you don't want it I'll probably post it anyway. ))
