The Goblet of Love
Chapter 2

Severus Snape was sitting in his office. Contrary to student legends he was neither emptying some poor girl of her blood nor was he fervently making up pop-quizzes that resembled exams more than anything. No, Severus Snape was merely enjoying a very well written historical novel. He did, after all, need to let steam out in between classes so as not to go insane.

It was a fortunate coincidence that it was in this inter-class lull that an owl crash-landed on his table.

A very pink owl.

Severus' blood froze at the sight of the owl. The last time he had seen a similar creature had been when a pair of them had landed in the middle of the table at an Order meeting over twenty years ago, Severus remembered it quite clearly. What he could also remember very clearly was Potter and Lily's reactions to the owls. At the time he had felt rather sorry for Lily.

Now, Severus promised himself as he was eyeing the owl nervously, he would at least react in a manner slightly more dignified than Potter did. Yes, even if no one could see him he would take this farce with as much dignity as he could.

He would look appalled, he decided, and maybe blanch a bit in anger and distaste and then he would march into Albus' office and demand that the Headmaster please keep his toys' half-sentient noses out of Severus' private life.

Yes, this was what he would do. Nothing at all like the gaping and hysterical yapping that Potter did in front of the strategic division of the order.

Severus detached the (pink) envelope from the owl's leg and shooed it out the window. He briefly considered transfiguring it into a quill and offering it to some first year girl but though better of it: breaking one of Ablus' toys was the safest way of insuring that the man would slowly and twinklingly drive you towards insanity.

Severus took his time opening the letter, trying to put off the inevitable, after all this matchmaking business could not be good for his old heart, could it?

But no amount of cynicism could ever prepare Severus for the name that he saw written on the (pink) parchment card.

A portrait on the wall was snickering quietly; this was even better then when that boy James had received the waning!

A few floors overhead Harry was teaching a DADA-classful of seventh year Ravenclaws. They were practicing with extremely sensitive spells, and so Harry had closed the classroom's windows and so, therefore, he barely noticed the thump' of an owl hitting the
window full speed (somewhere at the ministry a goblet was sighing exasperatedly about the sheer incompetence of all things feathery). It was sheer luck that Harry did, in fact, notice anything at all.

Making sure not to disturb any of the students (he did NOT want to clean up if and when one or more of them messed this up); Harry gently opened the window to see what had made the soft noise.

Surprise' cannot even begin to describe his expression when he saw the pink owl that was knocked-out on the window-seal.

He took the owl in and put it on his desk, complete with a silencing charm, figuring that he should wait for the class to end before trying to revive the poor animal and relieve it of its (pink) letter. He would also see what he could do about the poor thing's dreadful colour.

Thirty minutes later Harry was staring at the owl. It was awake and free of parchment but pink was obviously its natural colour (either that or someone more powerful than Harry had charmed it pink but Harry liked to think that Dumbledore wasn't that cruel…or insane).

"I'm sorry lad, seems I can't do anything for you. Do you want to leave or do you have to wait for an answer?"

When the owl didn't move Harry decided to read the letter first.

"Let's see:

Dear Mr Potter, it is our honour to inform you that,by recommendation of the Goblet of Love and with the formal approvalof the Ministry of Magic, you are hereby engaged to Mr SeverusSnape.

Have a pleasant life.

What the fuck? Oh...a p.s.

Incase of displeasure you may consult the rules of this engagementwith any high-grading wizard within your community."

huh.

Well, Dumbledore has better have an explanation and if it was one of his jokes yet again…Harry hadn't completely decided on a course of action yet but if the scenarios that flashed through his mind were any indication, it would be very pleasant for him and much less so for the old Headmaster.