Disclaimer: All this belongs to the queen of fantasy, the one, the only, J.K. Rowling, only the plot is mine
A/N: Thanks to my reviewers at the bottom! What would I do without you even if there's only 2 :)! Well MNI is down, so I have no way to contact my beta reader. This chapter is only proofread by me and I'll remove this chapter and put the beta read copy up if MNI ever works again. If you don't know what MNI is click my homepage. By the way the italics is what he's thinking. Well here's the next chapter!
The Truth Behind the Lies: Severus Snape's Story
Chapter 2: Patience is a Virtue
Whenever Severus heard his parents mention Petrify Forest it made his stomach churn. It was a place that you felt like you were drawn to, yet it was a dark place that made you feel depressed. But there was a reason Severus was afraid of this place, a terrible memory he always endured, in both thoughts and dreams. He was only a boy, the age of seven to be exact, when it happened, curious as a child, but once meddled in an affair that should have been left alone.
One evening after supper Severus creped into his father's tranquil study. He looked around and stared at the two doors that his father told him to never ever open, so he went over to his father's desk. There he had found a dark maroon colored book, which had a picture of a snake through a sickly skull. Severus had become so intrigued by the book that he had tried to open it without magic, yet it had a lock and no key nearby.
"Alohamora!" Severus commanded with wand in hand.
But when the spell hit the journal it seemed to be bound with some magical force field that caused it to ricochet off the book all around the room. In seconds Severus heard that all-to-familiar voice.
"Severus Marcus!" yelled Mr. Snape. Now he's using my middle name, that's gotta be trouble.
After he heard his father's call it was followed by a stamping noise and there Leonidas Snape stood his face red as a remembrall when you've forgotten something.
"How many times have I told you not to go into my office or touch any of my possessions and the fact that you used magic out of my home-schooling lessons, without permission to do so!" reprimanded Mr. Snape getting redder than humanly possibly.
"But..." began Severus.
"No ifs, ands, or buts! What am I going to do with you? And when your mother finds out! Go straight to your room, don't come down until you are called for, which might be a while, and tomorrow's meals will be sent by owl to your window. You are dismissed!" hissed Mr. Snape.
Reluctantly Severus trudged out of the now destroyed office. Down the silent hallway he went, slowly up the staircase, and finally he reached his own private sanctuary: his room. There everything was better the air cooler and crisper, the complete and absolute silence, but the only aspect that ruined everything was his father's face still lingering in his mind.
"It wasn't my fault it was father's fault! His stupid book that wouldn't open. Leonidas Salazar Snape the evilest father in the world!" Severus shouted angrily while hitting his father's face on the large family portrait in his room.
All of a sudden he heard a creak and the portrait began to open like a door.
"What the-" he responded to the sudden surprise.
When the portrait opened to its full extent Severus could see that there was a dark, stone hallway, yet he couldn't see where it led or if it even ended.
"To go or not to go that is the question," recited Severus who had developed a liking to Muggle literature ever since he could read at age 3 (Snapes taught their children early, so they would be more obedient and would eventually turn out to be the sculpture they had molded them to be).
His anger and rage from the thought of his father suddenly took over him and he decided right away he was going. He stepped into the stone hallway, but it felt freezing. Severus then threw open his closet, grabbed his heavy winter cloak and a lamp that held Gubraithian Fire which would burn evermore, and clasped the brooch on the cloak together (it was shaped just like the leaf of Lorien from Lord of the Rings; one of Severus' favorite pieces of muggle literature). Slowly he set foot into the stone corridor and made his way quiet as a mouse. He thought he was acting paranoid, but he kept hearing a hissing of some sort and thought he had felt movement around him. The hallway seemed like it would never end when suddenly he held out his lamp farther in front of him and he saw a shadow of something, a way out perhaps he thought. It was in fact a door, but when Severus touched the handle it scorched his hand and said something with a hiss. Wait! Said something with a hiss? Doorknobs can't talk or can they?
"W-What d-did y-y-you say?" inquired Severus who had found it strange since he usually had such a way with words, a gracefulness you might say and the fact he didn't know what he was talking to.
"Mus-s-st I repeat mys-s-self? S-S-State your name," hissed the doorknob, which Severus now realized was a crystal, green snake with two ruby red eyes that had frightened him greatly.
"O-Oh, y-yes, of course Severus M-Marcus S-Snape," he finally replied.
"Ah, Mas-s-ster S-S-Severus-s-s you have finally dis-s-scovered the S-S-Snape Inferus-s-s Militus-s-s Opulentia. Boy, it took you a very long time!" answered the serpent doorknob.
"The what?" exclaimed Severus.
"We cannot waste time with s-s-silly questions-s-s. Bes-s-sides-s-s I've already s-s-said to much and you will find out s-s-soon enough. You may enter, but be careful and I hope you have patience, boy. Always remember Patience is-s-s a virtue," was all it said before opening the door.
Severus walked through the opening and the door was immediately closed behind him. In front of him was a large marble stair case, which descended from the door down about three flights. It didn't take him long, but he was tired when he reached the bottom. He looked around and saw two doors made of wood one to his left and one to his right.
"What are you looking at? Remember curiosity killed the cat!" something said.
"W-W-Where, W-W-What are you?" asked Severus slowly.
"Look straight ahead, and ya can't miss me! Unless your blind, then you can't see, yours truly," it said.
Severus was going back and forth, but finally decided to look ahead. Sitting in front of him was a stone being that looked both grotesque and angelic. It had a strange beauty, which made it seem like an angel from the underworld; both frightening and comforting. I know what it is it's a gargoyle.
"You can choose to answer or to flee. The only way to pass is to answer the riddles three. So what do you choose? You've got nothing to loose," retorted the creature.
Well it's right I don't have anything to loose and I can always turn back or there has definitely got to be another way out. Plus I like riddles and a Snape doesn't back down from a challange!
"I accept your challenge, gargoyle," Severus answered, spitting out the word gargoyle with loathing spoken like a true Snape.
"Well someone woke up on the wrong side of the cage this morning. Well let me start before you hurt yourself thinking of comebacks, which are pathetic by the way. How do you even consider yourself a Snape? You sound like a Snape, but Snape's usually have witty remarks. Well let's start shall we," chuckled the gargoyle.
I come first in know
And last in leak
I hide in the middle of seeker, don't peek
Remember this is Severus thinking, but above is the gargoyle's riddle: This is harder than I thought it would be. First in know, so maybe learn, but what does that have to do with leak. Maybe it's the spelling lets see it depends which he means know or no. Well it doesn't hurt to ask.
"Do you mean I know it or no that's the wrong door?" questioned Severus.
"Ah, good question young sapling. The I know it one," responded the gargoyle
Now I know the answer it's the letter K because E and K are in the middle of seeker and the other clues lead to K.
"The answer is the letter K!" Severus exclaimed.
"Correct, you're smarter than you look, kid. But they're not all that easy," remarked the gargoyle.
When referring to one's self, it's another way
Of saying I or ye
Take away the first letter and you will see
Severus: It seems like it's wordy to get you confused, so let's see. It's another way of saying I or ye, therefore it's...me! Take away the first letter and you get E!
"I know it's the letter E!" Severus shouted again.
"Right, again," replied the gargoyle sounding disoriented and almost...surprised, "Well this is the hardest of them all, answer carefully or you will fall," told the creature.
"Fall where?" asked Severus curiously.
"Well, well you haven't been told a lot about the Snape Inferus Militus Opulentia. Anyway, I guess I must explain if you lose, demons will take your soul to the underworld..." explained the gargoyle before Severus interrupted.
"Bloody hell!", yelled Severus.
"Exactly, well here we go!" the gargoyle said excitedly.
Don't stand there and lie, when it's tough you may sigh
All the words rhyme, but no the letter isn't I
But sometimes it's considered part of the 4
Put all 3 riddles together and get information galore
Severus: Oh this is great, not only do I lose my life but my soul! Why didn't the stupid doorknob tell me? And the gargoyle said "You've got nothing to lose", oh yeah only my soul! Ok, I am never trusting a gargoyle ever again. This is all father's fault! Wait, what did the doorknob say... patience, well how can you have patience when you might lose everything! Severus focus on the riddle. Oh great now I'm talking in third person! Lets see all the words rhyme, the letter isn't I, but it has to be a letter. Sometimes part of the 4...vowels, so the answer is Y! But what did it say put all three letters together, KEY!
"Key!" exclaimed Severus.
"Correct, good, now choose a door," the gargoyle answered mischievously while handing him something.
"This key will open all doors and more. But most importantly you will find the information you seek and most of all the information galore," finished the gargoyle.
By this time Severus was freezing, yet he needed to ask one more question, "Do you always have to rhyme?"
"For your question I have no time. But the answer is yes, I was bewitched to always rhyme. But when I'm insulting a Snape, that is of my kind, so at those times I don't have to rhyme. Rhyming is also not present when I'm telling you right or wrong because if I did that in rhymes it would be too long." the gargoyle chuckled.
"Say Arthur Weasley's hair is carrot orange," demanded Severus.
"Arthur Weasley's hair is carrot orange. But he never has a rusty door hinge," responded the gargoyle.
"Wow, you are good!" said Severus.
"Stop procrastinating and choose a door or I'll have you answer the riddles 4," reprimanded the gargoyle.
Since Severus had had enough with riddles, he decided to pick a door. He walked to the left door, but when he touched the doorknob it was even colder than the room he was in. Then he decided to touch the other doorknob, and it felt warmer than the room, so he put the key in the lock. Suddenly, he heard a click and the door opened
To be continued
A/N: Sorry for the cliffie! Well if you liked it or you hated it please review! Indie J. Black and Tom-Felton-Fan01 thank you sooooooooooo much my only reviewers! Whoever guesses what the Snape Inferus Militus Opulentia means gets a cookie. Hint: it's latin