Chapter 4: Severus
Having settled in for the night, I found that I couldn't relax. I can't say that I was surprised, having been through this for most of my adult life. Sleep is not welcome when all you see behind closed eyes are demons. The sad thing was that one of the largest demons was me. I was beyond the help of even the strongest dreamless sleep potion. I am sure that I was never meant to find peace. There are many times that I think death would be a welcome change. I, however, refused to give in. I did not like to lose.
I rose, walking to the window. The night was especially black, the clouds covering the moon. The only light was a faint one from a window on the 2nd floor of the manor. I could only assume it was Miss Granger, preparing for bed.
What had possessed me to tell her to call me by my given name? And why had I lost my temper about it? Ah yes. It was the fact that every time she said "Professor" I was reminded of the little girl who almost fell out of her chair trying to get my attention in class. Always the know-it-all. Strange how she reminded me so much of myself….
In truth, I do not know how long I stood there, lost in a reverie of the past. I realized that the room was freezing, and I shivered. Sometimes I think that I'll never know warmth. With a glance back toward the manor, I saw the light still burning. I wasn't the only one standing a sleepless vigil.
I conjured a fire in the tiny hearth and searched the cabinets. Ah…firewhisky. The cure for all that ails a man. That is, until you come back to your senses. But, sometimes a temporary reprieve is better than nothing. So, a toast to me. Smirking to no one, I raised the decanter and took a long draw. I paced in front of the fire, wondering how long I was to keep up this post. Unless the Dark Lord's plans changed, it would only be a matter of days before more attacks. I could only hope that I would be able to give warning to Dumbledore.
Sighing, I rubbed my temple, trying to relax. Another few swigs of firewhisky, and I started to feel the warmth that I sought. My mind drifted to Miss Granger. I always knew that she was studious, but to have come up with the beginnings of a method to counteract the Cruciatus curse? She was truly brilliant. It is something that I had thought of trying to do for years. But, between teaching and spying, I had no time for personal experiments. How ironic that I would have time now, in a place that I didn't want to be.
Eventually, I dozed. I woke with a start to hear a pop, jumping up with my wand ready. An ugly creature wearing a tea towel was standing in front of me. A house elf. Bloody hell! Could I get no peace?
"I's Alvar, sir. I's here to see if Master Snape needs anything, sir? He stood there, hopping from one foot to another, waiting for my answer.
"No, I don't, and I don't appreciate your sudden emergence!" I was harsher than I meant to be, but I didn't like awaking to what could have been an attack.
"Whatever sir says," said the elf, bowing before disappearing with another pop.
I walked to the mirror, noting that I looked tired. I splashed some water on my face before pulling my hair back with a ribbon. My robes were a bit bedraggled, so I muttered a spell to refresh them.
I suppose I was trying to stall from the inevitable meeting with Miss Granger, but finding that I had nothing else to do, I made my way back to the Manor. I stood in front of the door for a time, wondering what we could possibly have to say to each other.
The door flew open, and there she was, hair flying everywhere. She was slightly out of breath and looked harried. "I'm glad that you're here," she exclaimed, brushing the hair back from her face with her hand. "Please hurry, I'm in a bit of a jam!" Not waiting for me to answer, she turned and ran back into the house.
My curiosity piqued, I followed silently. She ran down the stairs and stopped on the bottom step to look up at me. As I approached her, she turned to look into what appeared to be a laboratory. I say that because, at this moment, it was covered with a thick white mist that seemed to be emitting a wail.
We both covered our ears to block the sound. I knew right away that I was hearing a banshee screaming, but it was different somehow, less powerful. Still, it was enough to make us both weak, and I just caught Miss Granger's arm before she fell to her knees. I roughly pushed her up the stairs and performed several cleaning charms on the room.
The silence was welcome, and I surveyed the room. Not much damage was done, thank goodness. What in the world had the girl been doing? I walked over to survey the remnants of her potion, but could find nothing there to enlighten me.
I started back up the stairs, only to find her unconscious at the top. Of all the inconveniences! I kneeled by her, murmuring "Ennervate". The spell did not work, which didn't surprise me, so I picked her up and carried her to the living area. Depositing her on the sofa, I bent over to see that she was breathing. She looked so young and fragile like this. Tentatively, I brushed a strand of hair back from her face. With my touch, a soft, fiery glow seemed to surround her, and warmth infused me. What was this? It was a moment before I pulled myself back. Chastising myself, I stood.
I quickly returned to the laboratory where I located the necessary ingredients to prepare a revival draught. Luckily there was a supply of salamander blood on hand. She was lucky that I was here, a fact that I would no doubt remind her of. Silly girl! Shaking my head, I returned to the sofa and slightly bent her head back. I let the potion trickle down her throat.
It did not take long for the potion to take affect and soon her eyes were opening. The glow faded and she stirred. Blinking a few times, she looked around, confused. When she finally focused on me, her lips parted and she gasped. "Professor?" Her shock was evident, and she tried to sit up.
"You'll be fine now, but would you care to explain what happened? You could have been killed! Then you drag me down there without a warning? What would have happened if we had both lost consciousness?" I expected more from her. Contrary to my outer actions, I knew what she was capable of, and her carelessness irritated me.
She was obviously flustered as she spoke. "I'm sorry, sir! I was adding unicorn hair to my potion and I don't know what happened. Then the wailing started. I was running to get you and you were at the door, so I thought you could help. I didn't think…."
"No, you didn't think! I expected more of you, Miss Granger!" Now, if you're quite able to walk, let us see if we can find out what you did!" Fuming, I strode off without a backward glance.
A/N:
What would my notes be without a huge "Thank You" to Judy and Jennifer for being my betas? You guys are the best.
Thanks for the reviews, everyone. I love seeing them in my inbox. It makes my heart soar.
vanityfair: Basically, you will see why he lost his temper in this chapter. He's a very impatient man by nature, and sometimes things just set him off. You're very likely to see more of this in the future of this fic.
Disclaimer:
I don't own any of it. I really wish I did, however, then I wouldn't have to worry about dragging my sorry behind to work each morning, even though I'm longing to do something more exciting.
