Disclaimer: None of the recognizable characters and settings belong to me. They are all the intellectual property of J.K. Rowling. I'm just playing around with them for the fun of it…no monetary gain is sought.
This story is dedicated to scattered logic for her cherished friendship and all her invaluable help. :)
Chapter Four: A Cloud on the HorizonWhen Minerva knocked on Snape's door the following evening, she was a bit surprised to see him open the door himself instead of simply calling for her to enter as he'd been doing. He looked quite pale and slightly sweaty, but mostly he looked extremely aggravated.
"And what do you want?" he snapped. "Here to continue to fuss over the invalid? I swear I got more privacy in the infirmary than I've found right here in my own quarters."
"I take it that Poppy has been in and out a bit more than you'd prefer," she stated dryly.
"What we need at the moment is a nice epidemic or a nasty argument that got out of hand and resulted in some bloodshed. Something…anything…to give that infuriating woman something to do other than hover over me." He stepped back and let her walk past him into the room as he closed the door behind her.
She watched his movements carefully. The trembling that she'd seen yesterday didn't seem quite as pronounced today; though, it was by no means gone completely. "You seem to be managing pretty well with that cane. How is the leg feeling?"
"Fine! It's fine," he snapped in a surly tone as he limped back across the room and lowered himself less than gracefully into his chair by the fire.
Slowly, she crossed the room in his wake and sank into the chair that faced him. "Somehow I find myself not believing that, Severus. Why do you suppose that is?"
"I'd say it was probably because you're not a very trusting person, Minerva, but of course it may simply be me that you don't trust. You're always determined to think I'm deceiving you, aren't you?" He glared at her with irritation.
"Nonsense. Actually I trust you far more than most of the people that I deal with on a daily basis. However, you're acting defensive and hostile right now, and the only reason that I can see for you to be exhibiting that sort of behavior is that your leg is bothering you far more than you want to admit." Her sharp eyes watched him calmly as she awaited a response.
His lips tightened in vexation, and his eyes slid guiltily away from hers.
She nodded. "Right then. Now stop lying to me and tell me the truth."
He gave a snort and shook his head. "You're damned annoying, you know that."
"I can certainly return the compliment. Now how is your leg really feeling?"
His head fell back to rest against the back of his chair, and he gave a deep sigh of frustration. "It aches. I hate feeling weak. I hate it. And I can't afford it." He sat forward once more and brandished the cane at her. "This is a sign of weakness. I simply have to find a way to get rid of it as soon as possible, but the more I try, the more dependent I feel."
"You're overdoing it. Poppy warned you what would happen if you did. Your leg needs rest to get better, Severus, not more strain. Now, I came down here with the hope that we could play a game of chess; would you be willing to indulge me?"
A gleam of interest entered his dark eyes as he watched her carefully, leaned back, and nodded. "Yes. I had a feeling that that might be the reason you came. Your honor took a bit of a beating the last time we played. I could certainly use the satisfaction of beating you again."
As she got up and moved the small chess table away from its spot next to the fireside wall and positioned it between their two chairs, she frowned chidingly at him over the tops of her spectacles. "I wouldn't count too heavily on having that sort of satisfaction again. I've won most of the games that we've played together, and I fully expect that to continue."
Suddenly, he leaned forward and reached up to grasp her wrist tightly in his hand. "I wouldn't be overly certain of victory, Minerva. However, I will admit that there are other activities that we could pursue that would bring me more enjoyment at the moment." His low voice flowed over her seductively, its warmth bringing a slight flush to her cheeks.
She glanced down at him, and a delicious shiver ran through her body at the look simmering deeply in his eyes, but despite the temptation to do otherwise, she straightened up and pulled her wrist out of his hand with a pang of regret.
"I think that should wait until you're fully recovered, don't you?" Her voice sounded prim to her ears, as opposed to regretful, which was what she really felt.
"The only thing I'm having difficulty with is walking. As long as I'm not putting all of my weight on my leg, I'm not in any pain. Any activities that we pursued in the bedroom would not have to put any undue strain on my leg unless we wished them to. I've hardly been able to touch you since I ended up in the infirmary. Unless you've changed your mind about our arrangement, I think it's past time that it was renewed," he said with impatience.
"No, I haven't changed my mind," she stated softly.
A small smirk of satisfaction pulled at the corners of his lips. "Then perhaps you'd be willing to spend part of the night here with me. I know that you don't have any early classes tomorrow."
With a patient sigh, she smiled and tilted her head in inquiry. "And how often does Poppy have Winky checking on you during the night? What do you think she'd say if the elf reported back that you seemed to be doing fine, but was it really all right for you to be having sex with Professor McGonagall? Can you imagine Poppy's face? No, Severus. We'll have no privacy until Poppy has released you from her round the clock supervision, and she's already told you that she isn't ready to do that yet. We'll simply have to wait."
His voice simmered with frustration. "I tire of waiting. My whole life is taken up by waiting. Waiting for my leg to improve. Waiting to be allowed to resume my teaching duties. Waiting to get some semblance of normalcy back in my life. Waiting to be summoned. Waiting to say the wrong thing and reveal my true status to the Dark Lord. Waiting to slip up and reveal my true opinion of most of the people I'm forced to associate with around here. Waiting to get you back in my bed again. I've never been good at waiting."
A second shiver, this one deeper than the first, flitted through her as she listened to him express his impatience with having to wait to make love to her again. For some reason that she couldn't quite identify, that made her feel unexpectedly warm inside. Quickly, she dismissed that rather uncomfortable feeling and walked around the chess table to resume her seat on the other side…away from temptation.
So she wouldn't have to meet his eyes until she'd completely composed herself once more, she snatched two of the pawns off of the table and hid them in the palms of her hands, rolling them together gently, despite their squeals of annoyance. Then she raised her closed fists up to face him. "Do you call the right or the left?"
With a somewhat grumpy sigh, he shifted himself forward in his chair and eyed her hands carefully. "Right," he stated softly.
She opened her right hand to reveal Snape's pawn lying in its palm. "You get to start."
"About time something went my way," he grumbled as he retrieved the pawn and placed it on its square. She did the same, and they began to play.
Sometime later, things didn't look particularly good for Minerva on the chessboard, and Severus was clearly in a much better frame of mind than he'd been in earlier. As she was considering actually conceding the game, there came a knock on the door. Grateful for the interruption, Minerva rose to answer it while Severus sat back and glowered. "It must be Poppy. The house elf never bothers with the courtesy of a knock; she just pops in and begins to stare at me. Of course, Poppy doesn't always knock either."
Both were slightly surprised to discover that the door concealed neither Poppy nor Winky. Instead, Albus Dumbledore stood there and smiled faintly at the two of them.
"I hoped that I'd find the two of you here together. Then I could save myself a trip and a repeat of my news."
Minerva held the door open wider for her friend to enter. "What is it, Albus? Is there a problem?"
Instead of answering, Dumbledore pointed to the seat that Minerva had vacated to answer the door. "Perhaps you should sit down, Minerva. I think you'll find this surprising."
With a slight frown of apprehension, Minerva resumed her seat and the two of them stared inquiringly at their Headmaster.
"I've received another letter from the Board of Governors. Their representative will be arriving in the next couple of days. Apparently, he's traveling at the moment so they couldn't give me a definite arrival time. However, I was assured that it would be before week's end."
Minerva sighed. "Well, we knew it was coming. Perhaps it's best just to get it over with as soon as possible. Did they tell you whom they were sending? Is it one of the new people who've been appointed recently?"
Dumbledore nodded and looked slightly uneasy. "Yes, they did…and it is."
Minerva and Severus exchanged concerned glances. What was the problem? From his hesitant manner, it certainly seemed as if there was more going on than Dumbledore was saying.
Snape frowned with impatience. "Well, for Merlin's sake, Albus, spit it out. Who is it that's coming?"
"It turns out that the latest member of the Board is a former member of the Wizengemot, and so is not unknown to me, after all." He turned to Minerva with a look of sympathy. "Nor is he unknown to you."
Color leached from Minerva's face as if wiped off with a cloth. "Oh dear," she whispered softly. "Albus, you don't mean Ian?"
Dumbledore sighed and nodded. "Yes, my dear, I'm afraid that I do."
Snape turned his eyes from Dumbledore's concerned face to Minerva's suddenly frightened one and felt decidedly out of the loop. Obviously, this mysterious Ian was well known to both of them…now it was time for them to let him on the secret.
"Who is Ian? And why does his imminent arrival upset you so much, Minerva?" he demanded shortly. A deep frown creased his face as he watched Minerva sink within herself before his eyes.
The dazed witch didn't even seem to hear his question. Instead of answering, she simply continued to huddle in her chair as if someone was beating her with a bludgeon and chewed on her lower lip distractedly. How very unlike her. Sensing that no answers would be forthcoming from her, Snape raised his eyes to the Headmaster, hoping for a more informative reaction.
Dumbledore didn't disappoint; though, clearly, he didn't immediately offer all the information available either. "Ian Kyle Standish is a wealthy and prominent member of the wizarding community. As I mentioned, he used to be a member of the Wizengemot, but he retired fairly recently. He's still a member of many boards and committees at the higher levels of power. It appears that he was appointed a couple of weeks ago to the last remaining vacancy on our own Board of Governors."
Snape continued to watch Minerva closely. What on earth was wrong with her? As Albus had detailed Standish's involvement in wizard society, she'd been getting paler and paler. Now, before anything more could be said, she got unsteadily to her feet and addressed them both without looking at either of them.
"I just remembered something that I need to take care of. Please, excuse me, won't you?" Without waiting for an answer, she turned and headed for the door.
Not willing to just accept what was obviously a blatant lie, Snape called after her. "Surely whatever it is can wait until we finish our game, Minerva?" His voice was slightly sharper than he'd intended.
Reluctantly, she turned at the door and glanced back. "I'm willing to concede the game, Severus. You were only a few moves from winning anyway. Please, excuse me." Before she could be further detained, she opened the door and fled, closing it a bit more abruptly than she ordinarily would.
As the door slammed shut, Snape leaned back and sighed. Then he raised his head to Dumbledore and indicated Minerva's vacated seat. "Have a seat Albus. There's no way I'm letting you leave here without a bit more explanation. Why did Minerva react like that to the mention of Ian Standish's name? You'd think the man frightened her for some reason."
With a heavy sigh, Dumbledore sat down in the chair opposite Snape. "I probably shouldn't be the one to tell you this, but I hardly think it will remain a secret now. Ian Standish is Minerva's ex-husband."
It took a moment for that information to properly penetrate. How unexpected. "Her ex-husband? I had no idea that Minerva had ever been married."
"No. She doesn't advertise that fact, and it's really no one else's business anyway. The marriage was brief and over long ago. Minerva was barely out of school when they wed."
Something clicked and Snape nodded in understanding. If his supposition was true, all this would make a bit more sense. "It was an arranged marriage, then?" he asked.
This was a common custom amongst the wealthier purebloods of society. Minerva was as likely to be a victim of the practice as anyone, he supposed. Arranged marriages seldom ended in divorce though, a more common result was a mutual co-existence without intimacy. Such marriages might not have been sought by their participants, but they were a negotiated social contract that shifted power and wealth around within the community, and the families involved were seldom willing to back out of them. There were usually penalties involved that no one wished to incur, since they generally involved the loss of much coveted wealth. So it was interesting, and quite unusual, that Minerva's marriage had ended in divorce.
Dumbledore nodded and eyed his young colleague sternly. "Actually, I believe it was, but whether it was or not, it's not any of my business. Nor is it any of yours, Severus."
A warning. Not that he'd heed it if he needed the information, but for now it would be something worth pondering. No need to push the issue at the moment, certainly. Still, it was very interesting…and unexpected, and he knew that given the opportunity, he'd probably try to get the details from Minerva herself, if for no other reason than to satisfy his curiosity.
Realizing that he had information of his own to impart, Snape considered his companion thoughtfully. "Ian Standish doesn't seem like the type of person who would be Minerva's first choice for a husband, I will admit. In fact, I'm a little surprised that her family would have selected him. I've always had the impression that she came from a long line of uptight and, oh so honorable, Gryffindors. He doesn't fit the mold."
Ignoring the slight slur to his former house, which was, after all, a matter of habit with Severus, Dumbledore frowned in mild surprise. "You know Ian Standish?"
Snape leaned back and considered Dumbledore thoughtfully. "Not personally, but I know of him. His family is rather of the same breed as the Malfoys, actually. With some of the same connections, if you get my meaning."
"Severus, are you trying to tell me that Standish is a Death Eater?"
"No. Not really…not formally…but he does have a more subtle connection to the Dark Lord. Ian Standish is a backer, a supporter in less obvious ways. His influence on the Wizengemot was occasionally useful to the Dark Lord. Now, as a member of the Board of Governors, it appears he's useful again. It would actually be counterproductive to have such a man marked for the world to know his sympathies. This way works out far more neatly."
Dumbledore looked troubled. "I had no idea that Standish was involved with Voldemort."
"Then you see my point. Actually, the involvement is fairly low key, I believe, but I do know that he has contributed quite a lot of money to various enterprises that the Dark Lord wished to bring to fruition, both before his previous downfall, and since his resurrection. I've never met the man myself, but his name has come up once or twice within my hearing. To my knowledge, he's never been involved in a big way, yet I imagine that could change at any time, should Lord Voldemort wish it to change."
"I'm glad to have this information, Severus. Though, it would have been useful to have had it a bit sooner."
Snape shrugged. "I had no idea that it would be important to you for any reason. Ian Standish is simply a name that's come up in passing. Had he been seriously involved in any of the Dark Lord's plans, you know that I would have mentioned it."
"Yes. I'm sure that's true, but it does illustrate why it's important for even the most insignificant scrap of information to be passed on. So much can be missed because some tiny bit of information goes unnoticed by the people who need to know."
Perceiving a slight, Snape's expression darkened. "Do you now wish to have me spout off every piece of information in my head beginning with my first memories of drooling and teething? How many hours are you willing to devote to this fascinating exercise? Shall I start now then? When I was three, I vividly remember almost being run over by a Muggle lorry when my foolish excuse for a mother took me…"
Dumbledore held up a hand. "Thank you, Severus, but you're right. I don't really have the time to devote to this recitation that I'm sure it would deserve. I suppose we shall have to simply muddle along the way we've been going."
Dumbledore stood up and looked down on the frowning figure of his Potions master. "If any more information concerning Ian Standish and his connections to the Dark Lord comes your way, Severus. Please, notify me at once. It's possible that we should be concerned that his visit doesn't merely represent some politicking by the Board, but has some significance in our struggle with the darkness as well."
"There's always a new plot on the horizon, isn't there? Don't worry, Albus. If I hear anything, you'll be the first to know. Of course, I'd be more likely to be in a position to learn something useful if I weren't being held prisoner in my own quarters. I am fit to return to my teaching duties now. Couldn't you hurry Poppy along, or better yet, simply order her to allow me to go back to work? I can teach while seated, you know."
Dumbledore nodded. "Yes, I'm sure you can, and I will speak to her on your behalf. Perhaps we can let you try a reduced schedule by the end of the week."
"Reduced! There's no need to…" Snape stopped when he got a good look at the expression on his employer's face. No point in wasting his breath here. "Oh, very well. However, I will soon be proving that I'm as capable as I always was."
"I'm sure you will. Now, get some rest, Severus. I'll talk to you tomorrow." With a final benign smile, Dumbledore turned and left the room leaving Snape alone by the fire with his thoughts.
As the door closed behind the Headmaster, Snape's frown lightened slightly into a smirk, and he remarked to himself, "A pity that I wasn't allowed to finish expounding on my memories for you, Albus. I would have liked to have seen the look on your face when I got to a detailed description of what your Deputy Headmistress and I got up to after your little beginning of the year pep talk. I'm sure that you'd have been extremely gratified to discover how much we took your little lecture on togetherness to heart."
His expression sobered, and a haunted look flitted quickly in and out of his eyes. "Of course, you realize that I could never actually tell you everything that's hidden in the recesses of my mind. Some things must remain…private..." He shook himself sharply. "It certainly appears that Minerva has her own selection of secrets that I, at least, was not aware of. Perhaps a look into a pensieve full of her memories would have been more interesting than I thought it would be. Married to Ian Standish. How surprising."
Snape turned and stared off into the fire with a considering yet vaguely troubled expression on his thin face.
