Dungeons. Snape office. Hermione bursting in. She couldn't find Dumbledore perhaps with Snape help he could find Dumbledore. He looks up from his book, sees her approaching his desk.
"What can I do for you today, Miss Granger?" He asked. "I believe you don't have any classes with me".
"I'm here not asking you about potions. It's Umbridge".
Snape smirking, said. "You dare call her name like that".
"I am. She's outrageous. How can we protect ourselves without magic".
"Why do you need your magic to protect yourself?"
"From Dementors. Or something. How dare she call Harry a liar when he saw You-Know-Who and Cedric dead. She says Cedric died in such a tragedy. Is she an idiot or what?!"
Hermione breathes. "Harry got himself detention and she torturing him. A word carved itself in the skin of Harry's hand. She made him too".
Snape bite his lips. He took his quill and parchment as he wrote something on it. He didn't ignore Hermione, he listened to her.
Just there no word what he should say to her. "You didn't listen to me, aren't you, Professor".
"Of course I listen, Miss Granger. I'd just remember something as I look at you. Something I need to buy from the store. Well, of course my ingredients for my next class".
He drops the quill, pushes the parchment aside. His eye went back to Hermione.
"My dear, Hermione. Do use your common sense. Umbridge. She is here to interfere with Dumbledore. And things could get much worse, trust me".
He heard sighs, Snape spoke again. "You are here because you couldn't find Dumbledore in his office, you went straight to me cause you know I will find him. Your thoughts are wrong, Miss Granger. No one knows where he could be".
"I can't tell Professor McGonagall about this. She got an Umbridge note from Harry about he'd being rude.. is that necessary if I asked you, Professor? Ow, never mind that. You never liked Harry anyway".
She turned her feet. Her hand is about to reach the knob. Stops. she turned back to him.
"I've been asking myself why you hate Harry so much?" She looked into his eyes. "Maybe I'll find my answer why".
Reach the knob, slam the door shut.
"You will never know why... my dear Hermione".
Snape whispers. Push his chair, walk toward the fireplaces, he stood in the emerald green flames. Floo himself to Spinner's End. Snape connected his fireplaces to his mother's house.
Later. Great Hall. Students have their feast. Hermione and Ron sit at the Gryffindor table.
Hermione staring Ron and how he eats like a pig. "Do you ever stop eating?" She asked. Ron look up.
"What? I'm hungry".
Shake her head. She turned her right where Harry stood. "Harry". He smiled.
"Can I join you?"
There's a small argument here outside the great hall. Students turn to look at the great hall door. Hermione could hear McGonagall and Umbridge voices. She rose up, followed by other students behind.
"Pardon me, professor, but what exactly are you insinuating?" asked Umbridge to McGonagall.
"I am merely requesting that when it comes to my students... you conform to the prescribed disciplinary practices".
"So silly of me, but it sounds... as if you're questioning my authority in my own classroom... Minerva".
"Not at all, Dolores, merely your medieval methods".
"I am sorry, dear. But to question my practices is to question the Ministry... and by extension, the minister himself. I am a tolerant woman... but the one thing I will not stand for is disloyalty".
Minerva takes a step back. "Disloyalty".
"Things at Hogwarts are far worse than I feared. Cornelius will want to take immediate action".
Spinner's End. Snape comes out from the fireplaces, his eyes searching for his mother, Eileen. And she was nowhere to be seen around the room. Where could she have been?
Snape went inside the kitchen having some glass of water. Then he takes a seat waiting for his mother. His eyes studied the kitchen. Nothing changed since he left for Hogwarts, neither changed until he became a teacher at Hogwarts.
Nothing is changing.
He takes a drink again. The door burst open, looking over his shoulder. His mother stood at the door, a grocery bag in her arm.
So, she went to stores alone. Walk to the kitchen and see Snape. "Who are you, son? What are you doing in my house?" she asked.
"Mother it's me, Snape. Your son and only son you have in the family". Snape helped her with the bag. "I came to see you".
"My dear boy. Have you seen your father?"
"We never spoke about him, mother. Not in this house. He's no longer lived with us since - never mind. We just don't talk about him".
Too painful to remember about his father, Tobias Snape. His father is muggle-born. Married to his pure-blood mother Eileen Prince. He abused her mentally and emotionally, Eileen may not have told him about the wizard world before their wedding.
It is possible that the marriage caused Eileen to be disowned by the Prince family.
Snape remembers he told Lily during their conversation that his parents fought often. Tobias was not fond of very much of anything, including magic.
Even so, his son was a talented young wizard before even receiving the Hogwarts letter. Tobias might not have tried to ban magic from the home, or Eileen and Severus might have used it whenever he was not around.
Tobias had a very poor relationship with both his wife and his son. When Severus was younger, Tobias frequently shouted at Eileen, and possibly hit her, whilst their son crouched in a corner, crying.
The unhappy memories of the Snape home would haunt Severus into adulthood.
"Remember September, 1981. I became a Potions Master that you both no longer resided in this house. I bet you both are still alive but moved away, or separately. I don't know. I came back looking for you both but the only one person I found is - you".
Snape sighs. "I found you mother. Wandering around the place and you barely knew me I was your son. So, I took you back in here. Use my spell and clean all this mess. I connected your fireplaces to mine so I can see you whenever I like".
"About your husband... I don't know where he has been all these years. I never tried looking for him. He made my life miserable so did he do to you".
Snape eye on Eileen. "That's why we never spoke about him in this house. Even his death. I don't care what happened to him".
He smiles a bit as Eileen starts to cook something. "Let me help you, mother".
Hogwarts. Day. Snape read the Daily Prophet before the students bursting inside his classroom. About Umbridge over power Dumbledore's job and the entire Hogwarts and Wizardry world.
He snarled, then folded Daily Prophet and laid it on top of his desk, hearing heavy footsteps bursting, entering his classroom. Students take their seats.
"Today, you're gonna learn something that makes you regret being born in this world". He reached his notes. "Pages 105". He walked toward his cauldron. "We learning how to brew.. "
Suddenly. Umbridge bursting inside his classroom. Snape stood behind Ron Weasley.
"What brought you here, Dolores?" He asked. "You need something from me".
"Yes".
Snape is the only Slytherin who did not support Dolores Umbridge. He hated Umbridge from the moment he set eyes on her for taking the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher.
Because of this, Snape was the only one who could ignore Umbridge's insults and endure her tantrums.
"Just one question, dear". She circled around Snape where he stood. "You've been in this post for how long, exactly? You applied first for the Defense Against the Dark Arts post, is that correct?"
Snape mouth hangs open as he said. "Yes''.
"But you were unsuccessful?"
"Obviously".
An evil smile. She left Snape's classroom. Umbridge in turn seemed to enjoy bullying Snape over the fact that Dumbledore always refused him the Defense Against the Dark Arts position, which Snape found to be infuriating, and barely hid his rage.
As she shut the door behind her. Snape cursed her. "Pinky pig!" Ron or perhaps other students who hear him say those words laugh in silence. "Pages 105!" He said gritting his teeth.
Gryffindor's common room. Night. Outside the castle poured heavy rain. Hermione pacing around the room. Harry and Ron sit watching her.
"That foul, evil, old gargoyle. We're not learning how to defend ourselves. We're not learning how to pass our OWLs. She's taking over the entire school".
Harry hears something behind him. On the radio, it was broadcast. Harry turned up the volume so that they could hear what the Minister of Magic had said.
Security has been and will remain the Ministry's top priority. Furthermore, we have convincing evidence... that these disappearances are the work... of notorious mass murderer Sirius Black.
"Harry".
The trio turn to look inside the fireplaces, between the fire flames. Sirius Black on view.
"Sirius. What are you doing here?" Hermione knee beside Harry. Ron behind them.
"Answering your letter. You said you were worried about Umbridge. What's she doing? Training you to kill half-breeds?"
"She's not letting us use magic at all".
"Well, I'm not surprised. The latest intelligence is that Fudge doesn't want you trained in combat".
"Combat? What does he think, we're forming some sort of wizard army?"
"That's exactly what he thinks. That Dumbledore is assembling his own forces to take on the Ministry. He's becoming more paranoid by the minute. The others wouldn't want me telling you this, Harry... but things aren't going at all well with the Order. Fudge is blocking the truth at every turn... and these disappearances are just how it started before".
Silent. Black's spoke back. "Voldemort is on the move".
"Well, what can we do?"
"Someone's coming. I'm sorry I can't be of more help. But for now, at least, it looks like you're on your own".
Black's disappear between the fire flames. Hermione rose up from her knees, she walked toward the large window where we could see outside the castle still raining.
Harry and Ron stood behind her. She breathes then sighs as she looks outside. Only darkly she could see it from her view.
"He really is out there, isn't he?" Her eyes were searching. "We've got to be able to defend ourselves. And if Umbridge refuses to teach us how, we need someone who will".
As she turns to Harry. Harry blink without a word.