Chapter Six: The Shrewd and Calculating Mind of Severus Snape
The next day, Ermengarde met up with Lily, Nellie, Alice, and Luminita for their study session since their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. was the next day. However, they could barely concentrate since she and Lily retold the daffodil story, enjoying the giggles it provoked from the other girls. Ermengarde was having such a good time that she almost forgot about the terrifying episode from the previous morning.
"Switoviak!"
Ermengarde turned to see who had called her, expecting to see Sirius or James, but instead (and to her intense displeasure), Severus Snape was standing there, sneering at her in a greasy sort of way.
"What do you want?" she asked cautiously.
"Got something for you," he said, holding out a folded piece of parchment.
Ermengarde took it. "Thank you," she said graciously.
Snape glided off in a batlike way without looking back. Ermengarde watched him sit down at another table and glare at her for a second and then begin to concentrate on his books.
"What is that?" asked Nellie, pointing at the parchment.
"I don't know," said Ermengarde.
"Open it!" said Alice, leaning across the table to look.
Ermengarde unfolded the parchment carefully. As soon as she read the message, her heart began hammering in her chest. She stared at Snape who looked just as steadily back at her, an eerie half-smile across his pallid face.
"What's it say, Ermengarde?" asked Nellie. "What's the matter?"
Ermengarde quickly folded it and tucked it away. "Nothing," she said. "It's an old homework assignment. I must have dropped it somewhere. Good thing he returned it, though...I wanted to use it to study for the Potions O.W.L."
The girls seemed satisfied with that answer and did not press upon her for more information. They began to gossip about a Ravenclaw girl who'd recently gotten together with a boy from Hufflepuff and how the old girlfriend had been crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and how dare that Hufflepuff boy make her cry, she's so nice...
"I'd better go...I have to get my History of Magic book," said Ermengarde. "See you in exams tomorrow."
Ermengarde rose quickly from the table and walked right past the Marauders in the hallway. Sirius caught her by the arm and she turned around.
"We were just about to find you," said James. "Moony wanted to borrow your Transfiguration notes. Come to that, so do I..."
"Come on," muttered Ermengarde, brushing past the boys and leading them down the corridor.
"What's up?" asked Sirius as they rounded the corner and Ermengarde stopped, taking out the parchment.
"This!" she said fiercely, thrusting it under his nose.
Sirius looked at it and a grave expression came over his face.
"Who gave this to you?" he asked slowly.
"Snape," said Ermengarde.
"What's it say, Padfoot?" asked James, trying to peer over Sirius's shoulder, but Sirius was a bit too tall.
"It says, 'Run for it, Switoviak, you smutty Mudblood'. It's not signed," said Sirius bitterly.
"What?" said James sharply, snatching the note and glaring at it. "Well, who needs a signature? We know who sent it, it's no mystery."
"Yes, it is," said Ermengarde.
"What are you talking about?" said James. "Who else would say something like that?"
"Well, first of all, look at the handwriting," she said. "It's not Snape's."
"How d'you know?" asked Sirius, looking carefully at the note.
"Here," said Ermengarde, and she pulled A Brief History of Bezoar Use in Potions from her bag and handed it to James.
"Well?" he asked expectantly.
"Open it to the front cover," said Ermengarde. "See the signatures of the people who checked it out of the library before? Snape's is there. The writing doesn't match up. His is much bigger and narrower than what's on the parchment."
Remus took the book and parchment and compared the two. "Yeah, she's right."
"That doesn't mean it wasn't one of the other Slytherins," said Sirius. "I mean, it's not as though he's the most popular of them or anything, but that doesn't mean he couldn't convince someone else to write that."
"That's true, but still...it's just...odd," said Remus thoughtfully, more to himself than anyone else.
"What's so odd about it?" said James.
"I don't know," he said. "Not exactly, anyway...Ermengarde hasn't given him any reason...but then again...but if he knew something..."
Remus trailed off, leaving the others to look around at each other blankly.
"Thanks for that, Moony," said Sirius. "That clears all that up. Brilliant."
"What are you talking about?" asked James.
"I'm still confused," said Peter.
"Believe me, so are we," said Sirius. "Come on, Moony, speak in plain terms. What are you talking about?"
"All I'm saying is...after...you know, yesterday morning...what if he found out about all that? About someone attacking Ermengarde?" Remus muttered so softly that the others had to lean in to hear him.
"How could he have found out?" asked Ermengarde.
"I don't know," said Remus. "But all the same...what if this isn't a threat, exactly? What if it's really a warning or something? For all we know, he could be trying to help Ermengarde."
Both James and Sirius burst out laughing.
"Right, and next week he'll be Minister of Magic," said Sirius.
"Hear me out," said Remus. "No one is totally evil—"
"He is," interrupted James. "Sorry, Moony. I know you mean well and all, but I can't see Snivellius trying to protect anyone."
"Besides," said Peter. "Why would it say, well, that word, if it wasn't a threat?"
"So that it wouldn't look like a warning," said Ermengarde. "I mean...this could go either way. If it's a threat, then it's plain and clear as one. But if it's a warning, it makes sense, I suppose..."
"So you agree with me?" asked Remus.
"I'm not sure," she said. "But I can see why you'd think that. I don't believe anyone's completely evil either."
"Not even Snivellus?" asked James incredulously.
"Not even You-Know-Who!" said Ermengarde firmly.
"Who's 'You-Know-Who'?" asked James.
Ermengarde panicked for a second, having realized what she had just said. She recovered quickly, though, and said, "Oh, you know...Snape..."
Remus looked at her oddly, but the others didn't seem bothered.
"What I want to know," said Sirius very seriously. "Is how, if it is a warning, how he found out in the first place. And if it's a threat, I want to know what right he thinks he's got bullying her."
"I don't know," said James. "But, at least for a while, you'd better not go anywhere by yourself, Swi. Stay with us or with those girls, okay?"
"Yeah," said Remus. "And don't stay up in the common room alone or get up before anyone else."
"We'll take care of you, don't worry," said Sirius.
"And me," said Peter, managing a small smile.
Ermengarde grinned back. The assurance that the boys wouldn't let anything bad happen to her helped her to feel much better ever since the incident. They all walked back to the common room without talking much, Ermengarde's thoughts full of the contents of the note and all that Remus had said. She shook her head, as though hoping to shake the worry out of her head, and gave Remus a reassuring smile.
The next day, Ermengarde met up with Lily, Nellie, Alice, and Luminita for their study session since their Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. was the next day. However, they could barely concentrate since she and Lily retold the daffodil story, enjoying the giggles it provoked from the other girls. Ermengarde was having such a good time that she almost forgot about the terrifying episode from the previous morning.
"Switoviak!"
Ermengarde turned to see who had called her, expecting to see Sirius or James, but instead (and to her intense displeasure), Severus Snape was standing there, sneering at her in a greasy sort of way.
"What do you want?" she asked cautiously.
"Got something for you," he said, holding out a folded piece of parchment.
Ermengarde took it. "Thank you," she said graciously.
Snape glided off in a batlike way without looking back. Ermengarde watched him sit down at another table and glare at her for a second and then begin to concentrate on his books.
"What is that?" asked Nellie, pointing at the parchment.
"I don't know," said Ermengarde.
"Open it!" said Alice, leaning across the table to look.
Ermengarde unfolded the parchment carefully. As soon as she read the message, her heart began hammering in her chest. She stared at Snape who looked just as steadily back at her, an eerie half-smile across his pallid face.
"What's it say, Ermengarde?" asked Nellie. "What's the matter?"
Ermengarde quickly folded it and tucked it away. "Nothing," she said. "It's an old homework assignment. I must have dropped it somewhere. Good thing he returned it, though...I wanted to use it to study for the Potions O.W.L."
The girls seemed satisfied with that answer and did not press upon her for more information. They began to gossip about a Ravenclaw girl who'd recently gotten together with a boy from Hufflepuff and how the old girlfriend had been crying in Moaning Myrtle's bathroom, and how dare that Hufflepuff boy make her cry, she's so nice...
"I'd better go...I have to get my History of Magic book," said Ermengarde. "See you in exams tomorrow."
Ermengarde rose quickly from the table and walked right past the Marauders in the hallway. Sirius caught her by the arm and she turned around.
"We were just about to find you," said James. "Moony wanted to borrow your Transfiguration notes. Come to that, so do I..."
"Come on," muttered Ermengarde, brushing past the boys and leading them down the corridor.
"What's up?" asked Sirius as they rounded the corner and Ermengarde stopped, taking out the parchment.
"This!" she said fiercely, thrusting it under his nose.
Sirius looked at it and a grave expression came over his face.
"Who gave this to you?" he asked slowly.
"Snape," said Ermengarde.
"What's it say, Padfoot?" asked James, trying to peer over Sirius's shoulder, but Sirius was a bit too tall.
"It says, 'Run for it, Switoviak, you smutty Mudblood'. It's not signed," said Sirius bitterly.
"What?" said James sharply, snatching the note and glaring at it. "Well, who needs a signature? We know who sent it, it's no mystery."
"Yes, it is," said Ermengarde.
"What are you talking about?" said James. "Who else would say something like that?"
"Well, first of all, look at the handwriting," she said. "It's not Snape's."
"How d'you know?" asked Sirius, looking carefully at the note.
"Here," said Ermengarde, and she pulled A Brief History of Bezoar Use in Potions from her bag and handed it to James.
"Well?" he asked expectantly.
"Open it to the front cover," said Ermengarde. "See the signatures of the people who checked it out of the library before? Snape's is there. The writing doesn't match up. His is much bigger and narrower than what's on the parchment."
Remus took the book and parchment and compared the two. "Yeah, she's right."
"That doesn't mean it wasn't one of the other Slytherins," said Sirius. "I mean, it's not as though he's the most popular of them or anything, but that doesn't mean he couldn't convince someone else to write that."
"That's true, but still...it's just...odd," said Remus thoughtfully, more to himself than anyone else.
"What's so odd about it?" said James.
"I don't know," he said. "Not exactly, anyway...Ermengarde hasn't given him any reason...but then again...but if he knew something..."
Remus trailed off, leaving the others to look around at each other blankly.
"Thanks for that, Moony," said Sirius. "That clears all that up. Brilliant."
"What are you talking about?" asked James.
"I'm still confused," said Peter.
"Believe me, so are we," said Sirius. "Come on, Moony, speak in plain terms. What are you talking about?"
"All I'm saying is...after...you know, yesterday morning...what if he found out about all that? About someone attacking Ermengarde?" Remus muttered so softly that the others had to lean in to hear him.
"How could he have found out?" asked Ermengarde.
"I don't know," said Remus. "But all the same...what if this isn't a threat, exactly? What if it's really a warning or something? For all we know, he could be trying to help Ermengarde."
Both James and Sirius burst out laughing.
"Right, and next week he'll be Minister of Magic," said Sirius.
"Hear me out," said Remus. "No one is totally evil—"
"He is," interrupted James. "Sorry, Moony. I know you mean well and all, but I can't see Snivellius trying to protect anyone."
"Besides," said Peter. "Why would it say, well, that word, if it wasn't a threat?"
"So that it wouldn't look like a warning," said Ermengarde. "I mean...this could go either way. If it's a threat, then it's plain and clear as one. But if it's a warning, it makes sense, I suppose..."
"So you agree with me?" asked Remus.
"I'm not sure," she said. "But I can see why you'd think that. I don't believe anyone's completely evil either."
"Not even Snivellus?" asked James incredulously.
"Not even You-Know-Who!" said Ermengarde firmly.
"Who's 'You-Know-Who'?" asked James.
Ermengarde panicked for a second, having realized what she had just said. She recovered quickly, though, and said, "Oh, you know...Snape..."
Remus looked at her oddly, but the others didn't seem bothered.
"What I want to know," said Sirius very seriously. "Is how, if it is a warning, how he found out in the first place. And if it's a threat, I want to know what right he thinks he's got bullying her."
"I don't know," said James. "But, at least for a while, you'd better not go anywhere by yourself, Swi. Stay with us or with those girls, okay?"
"Yeah," said Remus. "And don't stay up in the common room alone or get up before anyone else."
"We'll take care of you, don't worry," said Sirius.
"And me," said Peter, managing a small smile.
Ermengarde grinned back. The assurance that the boys wouldn't let anything bad happen to her helped her to feel much better ever since the incident. They all walked back to the common room without talking much, Ermengarde's thoughts full of the contents of the note and all that Remus had said. She shook her head, as though hoping to shake the worry out of her head, and gave Remus a reassuring smile.