III

Severus stood near the door and seethed for quite some time before finally calming down, glancing over at his desk. His tea was cold, of course, so he had to make another, knowing that the potion he had put in it to ease his mind would not work properly unless it was warm. He watched the bubbling beakers, attempting to clear his head of the pulsing pressure overwhelming it. When it finished he once again put the brew into his cup and poured the tea overtop of it and then sank down into his chair with a sigh. His eyes blurred slightly as he glanced at a gold-plated water clock. Realizing it was even later than he had thought, he debated whether or not to add a punishment for being in the halls after curfew to the list of charges against Potter and Weasley. But as he was debating a way to further punish them, he heard a distinct whisper travel through the room.

Severus Snape.

His eyes went over to the fireplace, which right now was down to embers. He then glanced around the room once before cautiously pulling up his sleeve, but the tattoo on his arm hadn't moved. Relaxing slightly, Severus readjusted his robes and turned back to his tea.

Severus Snape.

Once might have been his imagination, but now Severus was alert. He had just moved to set his tea down on the desk and take out his wand when he happened to look into the steaming liquid. There, before his eyes, the steam seemed to form into the figure of a haggard dog, which called out his name again.

Severus Snape!

Severus leapt out of his chair, and with a lightning fast movement he took out his wand and pointed it at the cup. But the steam had evaporated, leaving nothing but the creamy liquid…nothing but a typical cup of tea. He stood there with his wand still pointed for fifteen minutes, perhaps more, but nothing happened. Not a painting had stirred from its place, not a candle flickered to indicate anything was amiss, so reluctantly, Severus put his wand back up his sleeve.

He turned to his small lab then and opened up all the ingredients, sniffing each one experimentally or pressing it between his fingers to make sure none of them had gone bad. Was he just getting paranoid? Perhaps it was echoes of memories that he had so forcibly removed. Yes, that would make sense, he reasoned…there were always bits of memory one didn't lose; only the fine details were lost in the Pensieve…dangerous echoes. Were he to let even one of those show under the watchful eyes of the Dark Lord, it would most assuredly cost him his life and those he protected.

Severus chided himself for his carelessness. He had gotten too exhausted, he decided, and most likely just needed to meditate and get some rest. Pushing the suspicious tea aside, he secured the study and headed into his private rooms, debating whether to find some evening clothes or dispense with the bother and sleep in what he was wearing.

Severus Snape.

The fire in the fireplace had surged to life, so with wand in hand once more he went over to it with a frown, waiting for a face to appear.

None came.

With a flick of the wrist, he snuffed it completely out, and the room immediately went cold, as if none of the heat from the fire had dared to linger. There was a hiss of protest, and Severus turned to the bed to see a very large lizard lying there, protesting the sudden change of temperature. That much, at least, was normal.

"Get off, Rasputin," Severus said to his familiar. "Why don't you go lurk around? There is something unwholesome going on."

"The only thing unwholesome in here is you, Snivellus," said a voice from right behind him. Severus twirled around with his wand pointed at the direction of the voice, but then his eyes went wide with surprise when he found himself staring at the phantom of Sirius Black. "Why, Snape, you look almost like you have seen a ghost or something," he added wryly.

"You have no ghost," Severus said flatly. "You fell into oblivion."

"Tell me something I don't know!" Sirius said. "And whose brilliant idea was it to put something like that down in the Ministry with only a rope to protect it, instead of some blasted way to keep people from falling into it? Hell, even I don't believe I'm dead."

Severus stared at him.

"But you're a ghost."

"Ironic, isn't it?" Sirius said dryly.

"I think it's more likely that I simply botched my potion," Severus decided.

"Severus, you've never botched a potion in your life," Sirius sighed.

"You are a figment of my imagination then."

"And you picked me? I'm very flattered," Sirius said mockingly.

"If you don't leave, I will have you exorcised," Severus threatened, sitting on his bed.

"Oooo, go right ahead, Headmaster," Sirius said. "It's not like I want to be here so much as I have to be."

"If you are waiting for me to ask why you are here, you are going to be waiting a very long time, because I really don't care," Severus said.

"I'm not leaving until you hear me out, Severus."

"I can't hear you when you can't possibly exist."

"Just pretend that I do, for the sake of argument," Sirius said dryly.

"No, thank you. I think I'm going to bed," Severus said. But when he turned down the covers, Sirius floated up through his bed at an alarming speed and began making frightening faces at him. Severus stared at him. "Please. Next to the Bloody Baron, you look like Moaning Myrtle."

"Well she can be scary at times," Sirius joked, but then raised his hand when Severus tried to lay down again. "Severus Snape, I swear if you don't listen to me, I will stay around and taunt you, and if that doesn't work, I'll get Peeves, and if that doesn't work, I'll invite every ghost in this castle up for a party."

"Fine! Say what's on your mind and then go! It's not like I'm going to listen."

"Yes, I realize that," Sirius said, floating back through the bed and standing beside it. "First of all, don't think in any way, shape, or form, that I'm here for your sake."

"Perish the thought," Severus said dryly.

"I am here," Sirius continued. "To make sure you don't make Harry's last Christmas as a student here a living nightmare."

"Oh, bugger off," Severus said in annoyance. "I really am going to go through my potion ingredients in the morning."

"If I am your manifestation, Severus, I am a manifestation of guilt," Sirius pointed out.

"I feel no guilt or regrets. Harry got what he deserved," Severus said.

"Did he deserve to have his parents murdered? To have his fate sealed before he could barely walk?" Sirius barked at him angrily, pulling his covers away. "Does he deserve to be put in the position he is now as the people he cares about most get picked off like flies?"

"In your case, you got picked off like a maggot," Severus said.

"God, what I wouldn't do to haunt you the rest of your life," Sirius snarled. "As it is, I can only haunt you tonight, but I swear if you don't stop punishing Harry for your own personal position, your death is going to be even more pathetic than mine!"

"I did not punish him for my position!" Severus shouted.

"You've been punishing him for your position since he got to Hogwarts, and you know it!" Sirius barked. "And somehow, we're going to make you see it! Things are dark enough without you adding your own callus sniveling opinions into this mix. You will see the error of your ways before the morning comes, I swear it!"

"Good luck. I'm going to sleep," Severus said, fumbling in his end table and pulling out a Sleeping Potion. "A nice, dreamless sleep for a full eight to ten hours. And when I wake up, I have little doubt that your stupid, potion-induced manifestation will be long gone."

"How I hate you," Sirius said as Severus defiantly took the potion and pulled his covers over his head. "And perhaps you won't see me again tonight, Severus Snape, but you will see others. Hopefully they'll have a bit better luck with you than I have." But his words were lost, for Severus was already fast asleep.