Chapter 2

I had wept myself to sleep. Me, nearly a forty-year-old man, and I wept myself into slumber like a seven-year-old boy. I had let my emotions grab a hold of me once more, but then again I haven't had a respectable amount of sleep in days. Possibly my insomnia is the reason for my even more darkening mood these past few days.

At nights, I find myself back within the inner circle of Lord Voldemort and listening to instructions we must carry out, or it would mean our deaths. At nights, I find myself suspended in mid air and being ridiculed by my peers and even the ones I love. At nights, I find myself being beaten and bruised by my own father only to see him do the same to my mother. At nights, I am trapped within my own horrific memories of the past.

Usually, I am able to repress them to clear my mind for rest, but these past few weeks they have been uncontrollable.

Rolling off the bed, I stumbled into the bathroom to see if appearance had worsened at all. Needless to say, it had. The short nap I had did nothing but darken the circles under my eyes.

I ran my hand down the back of my head in attempt to smooth down my hair. Perhaps a shower would be good tonight, at least to calm me to try and get some sleep.

Splashing some cold water on my face, I turned to leave for the Great Hall because surely it was close to dinnertime.

Walking back up the teacher's wing corridor lit by torches, I finally reached the portrait, and pushed it open.

I took only two steps when the closing portrait recognized me and spoke, "Sir, my apologies, but I have yet to inform you that the Headmaster wishes to have a staff meeting after dinner tonight in his office."

"Oh," I muttered. "And, what time is it now?"

The painting fumbled with his pocket watch and then looked back up at me, "Oh! Merlin, dinner was over fifteen minutes ago! You better hurry!"

"Splendid," I groaned. "Next time you plan on not informing me of something of importance, I'll have the Headmaster exchange you for a more intelligent painting."

"Well—!" I heard him huff as I started down the corridor at a quickened pace.

It would take me at least ten minutes to get up to Dumbledore's office. I climbed the ever-changing staircases, skipping steps as I went to cut down time. Finally, I reached his corridor, and caught sight of the stone gyphon at the end.

Why the entrances had to be at the end of the corridors baffled me, but nonetheless there was nothing I could do about it now I thought as I practically ran past the portraits.

"Acid pops!" I shouted as I approached it.

The gyphon leapt aside, and I raced up the stairs to the Headmaster's door. Without a second thought I burst though it to face many curious stares from the several teachers employed here at Hogwarts.

"Oh, Severus! How nice of you to join us." Albus twinkling smile welcomed me if I was a student.

Recomposing myself, I let the door close behind me with a dramatic clunk.

"Our portrait regretted to inform me of the meeting, Headmaster. I am sure we will be expunging it shortly." I spoke sourly, though it was clear I was still short of breath.

"Oh, no there will be no need for that, Severus," Albus smirked again. "We all make mistakes at times. Please, come and sit. I was just telling everyone the good news." He waved his hand inviting me to join them.

I walked up the small stairs further into his office, and around the fluffy chairs he had clearly conjured for us to sit in. Placing my back to one of his numerous bookcases, I drew up my robes around me and leaned there listening as the meeting continued.

"Now, as I was saying, I am sure all of you are aware of Professor Sinistra notifying me last week that she would be leaving our wonderful staff for personal reasons," The Headmaster carried on reclining back in his chair.

Some teachers nodded in agreement, and he continued, "And, that is why I have called this meeting...to tell you all officially we have found a replacement."

Severus couldn't believe he had ran across the school for this...to be introduced to a old bat he wouldn't even see in day light hours.

"Here, stand up Miss Vega—" Albus insisted motioning his hand in front of him where she sat. "Everyone, this is Ebony Vega, our new Astronomy Professor.

I was staring out the window at the far side of the room; the sky was wholly black in all its glory at this time. I had slept though the sunset, I noticed. When was the last time I gazed out the window to the sky? When was the last time that I even went outside?

Why do we always look to the sky? In my youth, I always looked to it for answers in hopes it promised me a greater life some day. If only I would have known what I do now. The promises were merely empty hollow ones.

"...And, finally, this is our fashionably late Potions Master: Severus Snape."

Albus' voice brought me back from my thoughts gone past the window, and my eyes flickered back to him...then to our new professor.

A/N: One of my best friends from preschool, David, was helping my write in homeroom today (11 Oct '04), and he insisted that I use 'insisted' to describe Dumbledore. Then, he insisted that I make a note of it....