Creatures of habit
The week's teaching left Arun with very little time for anything else. Her evenings were taken up with marking and preparing for the next morning or helping Hagrid. She still hadn't managed to get down in the dungeons, but nobody reported anything disturbing. She hadn't seen Severus to ask him about Filch, he hadn't been in the morning briefings and when she had been to his classroom he was not there. She'd asked Minerva McGonagall, who had come to audit her planning and observe one of her classes, if Snape was at school and had been told yes but had she pushed much more it would have seemed suspicious. By Thursday Arun had a routine, wake up at six thirty, wash and dress, briefing and breakfast, lessons back to back, work through lunch and break, more lessons, help Hagrid with the animals, dinner at six, return to room, mark books, read until bed and sleep. When Friday hit she had no idea what to do with her time and dressed in her warmest jumper and leggings she decided that she couldn't waste any more time sitting idle. She took herself to the student library and started to hunt the history section.
"Hi Professor," a girl greeted her. Arun looked up with bleary eyes and saw long auburn hair, and a heart-shaped face set atop a long neck.
"Oh, hello Freya."
"You've been here for a while? I've got free periods this morning but Professor Snape set us a test and he's marking it like our NEWTs so-" she shrugged, "I'm here."
"In the history section?" Arun asked, her eyes travelling down to the names on the books Freya was holding. A history of hauntings. Curses of the old magic. And a hundred useful tips from the brewing masters. So not a complete lie.
Freya held up the last book, "There must be something…"
"What's the potion?"
The sixth-year brightened, and took a seat next to Arun, she leaned in to whisper because Madam Prince had appeared at the end of the history section and peered at them down her bespectacled nose. "It's a volubilis Potion, I tried to brew it last night but it turned red and then solidified- I wrecked my caldron."
"Show me your notes, if you have them."
Freya deposited her books onto the table next to Arun and started to hunt in her bag. Arun saw that Freya had drawn a map of the dungeons, and in tiny writing had mapped out where the attacks had happened. Her friend Jacob was by the entrance to the lower vaults, Filch was deep inside them, she had written Snape? In the corner of the page and the Slytherin boy had been inside the vaults too- not in the common room like Arun had supposed. Snape's quarters in the dungeon were where? She wondered. Perhaps deeper down than the potions rooms.
"Here it is," Freya opened her workbook and showed Arun her notes. Arun reached into her own bag for a quill and underlined where Freya had gone wrong.
"Too long at that temperature will wreck it, you didn't add enough honey water-"
"-But the book says-"
"I know what the book says but the book is wrong, add two hundred mills more and it will stop it getting too thick at the end. Once the mix turns pink, let it cool but not completely, then you will find it turns orange. You don't want to wait until it's dark orange before the next stage- you want to get it on the turn, a kind of skin colour, and then take it off the heat and add the sprigs."
Freya took her workbook back and started to make notes, Arun watched her to see when she was ready for the next instructions.
"Why do I take it off the heat rather than increasing the heat like it says to do in the book?"
"Because the sprigs will degrade too quickly and turn it sour. If you do it this way you will get a bright blue, like a summer sky, not a dark blue, and when it's bright blue then you add the other sprigs- crush them, don't cut them and you will make a more powerful mix."
"Really?"
"Crushing usually is better for a stronger potion."
"Okay, so, what next?"
"The potion will go from blue to pink- a very bright pink, and when it looks like it will turn red you add the stewed Mandrake and take it off the heat. When it goes orange whack the heat up really high and add the syrup of hellebore and it'll go to a dark blue and smell like seaweed. Keep the heat up, the potion will thicken and turn red. Then reduce to a simmer and it will go yellow and start to spark."
Freya put a full stop and sat back, "Thank you!" she exclaimed. "I wish Professor Snape would tell us this." she pouted and Arundel felt a wave of protective annoyance. "I don't understand why he teaches here, he clearly hates us. I guess nobody else would have him, he was a death eater you know."
Arun leant forward, a wicked smile spread across her face. "Was he?" she asked.
"That's what I was told. One of the worst, but the headmaster gave him a job, apparently, he was a spy, but I don't believe it."
"Why?" Arun asked.
"Because…" Freya stopped talking, she put a hand over her mouth as she realised she was talking to a Professor. Arun's nasty smile still slit across her face.
"You know he's better at making potions than I am? Do you realise how talented he is?"
Freya sat back and crossed her arms, "he could make more of an effort to show us then."
"Perhaps he thinks that you should make more of an effort to learn, instead of holding your hand like I am. Perhaps you don't understand why your potions are going wrong because you don't understand diffusion or the properties of heating and cooling. Perhaps, in failing, you are learning a more valuable lesson. One I am now stopping you from learning for your happiness and my convenience."
Freya went red.
"Snape's no more of a Death Eater than I am, and remember who you are talking to."
The girl looked like she might cry, Arun realised that up until this point the girl had held her in high esteem but now she felt humiliated that was broken. Now hurt would turn to resentment and then it would end with bitterness and hatred, and she understood in that moment just why Snape bypassed all that with his students and just got to the point. 'You hate me, I hate you, now shut up and let's get this over with.'
"Sorry professor, I should have realised you were friends. I should have thought…" But Arun was wrong, the girl was trying to make amends.
"Freya, go and practice your potion."
Freya stood, nodded and hurried away with her books in her arms. When Arun turned back she realised that she had left open her own research on the American civil war and Wisdon Grant.
After lunch, which was a luxury to eat, she made her way down to Hagrid's hut where she hoped to visit the Hogglepops, but Hagrid wasn't in. It was one of those awful days where the sky was heavy with white mist and rain, and all noise seemed deadened. The wind was ice chilled so when a screech came from the Forbidden Forest she wasn't sure if it was the cold or the noise that made her shiver. She was about to go back to the castle with the intention of actually locating her office and living quarters but her conversation with Fenrir replayed in her head and she paused, looked back to the Forest and decided it couldn't be ignored.
The world changed under the trees, the light was dulled, the sounds of dripping water and the scent of wet foliage and mushroom compost filled her nose. She followed a path for at least half an hour, until the trees grew so thick that there wasn't any natural light any more. She didn't know much about tracking, so she made herself as conspicuous as possible, casting Lumos Maximus to light her way and alert anything lurking to her presence. After an hour more she started to think about turning back, and she let her light dull as she turned and retraced her steps.
"Halt!" a commanding voice cut through the dark. The rumble of hooves shook the ground under her feet and the shadow of Centaur's surrounded her. "What are you doing intruding so deep into our kingdom?"
"I come with a warning," Arun told the figures in the shadow.
"You need not have bothered, it is foretold."
Arun remembered the Centaurs put a lot of stock into reading the heavens, "Then you know to keep a watch for the Werewolves or others trying to get through the forest to attack the school? I know the stars," Arun told them. "But the stars are not as specific as me. Fenrir Greyback is plotting something and you need to keep watch."
Her words were met with silence. She turned in her circle looking at the shadows, and then the shadows were gone, they had heard her but what they decided to do next had nothing to do with her. She sighed and made her way back, feeling like she hadn't done enough to prevent an attack.
In her classroom, she started to search for her office, but she couldn't find it anywhere. In the hallway she started banging on bricks, looking behind pictures and twitching tapestries until a crowd of students stopped to watch her.
"What are you doing professor?" one ginger-haired student she was sure she taught asked.
"I can't find my office."
This was met with a chorus of giggles.
"The old Professor must have had one?" Arun speculated as she continued to search. "Hidden door or…." she paused by a picture of a unicorn. It bowed to her and galloped away and in its place a door formed. She turned to the students and gave them a huge grin. "Finally!" They replied by clapping. "Go on," she told them, "Don't you have classes to attend?"
Once they had sloped off, Arun grasped the door handle cursed herself for feeling so excited. This would be her room, her sacred space, her home whilst she pretended to teach here. She pictured how comfortable it would be, how full of curio's and creatures and, she was sure, all manner of books left behind by her predecessor. She opened the door with her eyes closed and stepped inside.
With her eyes still closed she felt cold air play on her skin, the scent of damp stone and mould, and when she opened her eyes she felt the corners of her mouth fall.
"My god," she muttered.
The room was bare, the window missing, the fire covered in a layer of filth from a dirty chimney, the bookshelves were missing books and the desk was missing panels, there was a dried brown bloodstain near the door to the living quarters, and when she managed to pull the warped wood open she saw a mess of destroyed furniture, a wet bed, more broken windows and cleared out shelving.
"Okay," she muttered and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. A moment's thought and she was back in her classroom dragging her trunk out across the hall and into the mess of her new study, she sat on the lid picturing how she wanted it to look when she was finished. She pictured a hoard of books filling the walls either side of the fireplace, which would be left bare stone. She would have two tanks of snakes, and some hanging baskets for Pixies and birds. She would have spinners like her sisters and a Fools Mirror should anybody try to trick her with polyjuice. Ambers picture could hang in her living quarters. Where she would keep a stock of potions and a cauldron as well as a space to train, something she had neglected since coming here. The sofa in her living quarters would be a leather one, and directly in front of the fire. And she would get some fun plants to hang near the windows or stand in the corners. A bigger bed would be needed, and a complete overhaul of the excuse of a bathroom (sink and toilet and a hole in the floor where there should be a bath plumbed) She'd get a bewitched muggle kettle and a cold box for milk so she could have tea and coffee whenever she wanted, and then it would be fine. If she started now, by Monday it could be done, but first, she needed to place some orders. She snapped her fingers and a little houself appeared and studied her, "How may I help you?"
"I need you to get me enough books about magical creatures that it will fill two bookshelves either side of this fireplace," she pointed. "And enough books on potions, charms, hexes and old magic to fill another three bookshelves in the room back there." Arun paused, "Do you know what happened in here?"
"This room has not been used for years Professor," the elf told her. "The last one to use it was eaten by a mugwump. The others have all used the store cupboard in the classroom."
"There's a store cupboard?"
"Oh yes! It's a trapdoor behind the desk."
Arun pouted, she preferred her discovery. "Well, the books are just the start. I'm going to need new furniture and a huge list of things to decorate…"
"Just ask, I shall find for you."
But Arun wanted the books first. So she told the elf that she would get the room ready and the little creature nodded and disappeared. For the next three hours, Arun sat on the floor with her eyes closed directing the clean up like a conductor. Bookshelves formed, the chimney was vanished clean, the glass replaced itself. The bloodstain she left, she actually quite liked it. She vanished the furniture and destroyed the mould in the corners of the room, cleaned up the walls and ceiling and floor.
By the time she opened her eyes she was sat in complete darkness, but the room was dry and the wind had stopped blowing. She went for tea, and ate alone in the noisy Great Hall, thinking only of her room and what she wanted to do next to make it comfortable. She was so lost to her own thoughts that she didn't see Snape stride up to her until he was stood in front of her.
"Don't tell my students how to brew potions," he said.
"Eh?"
"I said-"
"I know what you said, when you get angry you still have an accent."
Snape's lip curled, "No I don't. I've spent years getting rid of it."
"And it comes back when you get angry, Tobias."
"I'm not angry."
"Then it comes back when you are annoyed," Arun smiled at him. "Where have you been?"
"It's not nice when people just disappear, is it?" Snape hissed back at her, and he came around the table to sit next to her. "What are you eating?"
"It's the soup course first, this is pea and ham I think."
Snape spooned some into his bowl and sipped at it, then he took a chunk of bread and covered it in butter, and sat back to look at the people in the hall. "Lucius asked if we would like to go to Sunday lunch, I might say yes but I need to go back home first."
"Home as in Cokeworth?" Arun asked.
"Where else?"
She shrugged, "Thought you were done with that place?"
"I am," he muttered and she caught his eye, he looked quite upset.
"I'm not doing anything tomorrow," she told him. "I was going to go down to the vaults but it can wait, it's all gone quiet anyway."
He shrugged and carried on eating.
"We could stay at yours and then go to the Malfoys after."
Snape turned his head to her, "really?" he asked, as if she were mad. Arun knocked his leg with her knee and gave him an encouraging smile.
"Really," she said.
When she went back to her office she found that the bookshelves had been filled. The house elf turned up a little later to see if she was happy and she told it that she was delighted and gave it a list of furniture she wanted. She asked about payment but the elf said that it'd found everything in the castle anyway. She slept once again inside her travel trunk on her horribly uncomfortable sofa with a blanket that was too thin in this cold weather. Tomorrow would be the start of December and she was buggered if she was going to be living inside her suitcase at Christmas. The portrait of Amber cleared her throat, "Update Sis!"
"Hi, Amber!" Arun matched her eager tones and giggled to herself at what she believed to be an accurate mockery.
" I, that is to say, your sister has located the tomb and laid claim to its contents for the wizarding world, The ministry is considering giving me, her, an Order of Merlin Third Class honour for it but that would mean coming back to England and I'm, we're...she's researching for you and studying the contents of the temple so...not going to come back...sorry."
"Any news on the Grants Artifacts?"
"No, but we're looking older. Looking at the nature of the items and how to destroy them. There was a period of time, around the Roman Empire, when there cursed objects of power were popular so that's where we are starting." The painting of Amber leaned forward, seemingly to see more of the room, "You still in your travel trunk?"
"Moving out soon. I found my office and rooms, they are in a really bad state though. I'll need to sleep elsewhere whilst I get a bed."
"In with Snivellus?"
"Don't call him that."
Amber smiled, "and…?"
"We're fine, I haven't seen him much but I'm going away with him for the weekend."
"Anywhere nice?"
"Cokeworth."
"Oh...romantic."
"Sod off."
Painting Amber giggled. "Wrap up warm. See you soon."
She slept badly and met Snape in the hall for breakfast. He was dressed in his usual uniform black robes but she'd put on muggle clothes under dark green robes that tied in at the waist. The magic sky in the great hall showed rainfall and dark clouds and both of them looked up with a frown. "Every time," Snape muttered.
"It's called foreshadowing," Arun told him with a wicked grin. "When are we going and how are we travelling?"
"Apparition, and from Hogsmeade, I need to go shopping first."
They travelled in a coach from the school to the town, and though Snape didn't tell Arun what he was buying she realised quite quickly that it was the ingredients for a cooling salve, very similar to the one he had used on her face after she had been beaten by the dark lord a few years ago for laughing at an inappropriate time. As he shopped his jaw set hard. His eyes connected with Arun, she didn't dare say anything but he saw she knew what was happening and practically sagged.
"It's nearly ten am," she told him.
"I'm done, we should go," he offered her his arm and together they apperated to Cokeworth, two long rows of yellow brick Victorian terraces stretched away from them, and the rain came down so heavily that she couldn't see the end of it. As they walked down Spinners End to Snape's parent's house they saw a light on and could hear shouting. Snape stopped, the rainwater dripping off of his hair so that it hung in rats tails, Arun saw his apprehension and she squeezed his arm.
"Come on," she coaxed.
Together they stood on the doorstep, Severus rung the doorbell but the shouting didn't stop, Arun could hear Tobias even with the door closed, "How many books do you need woman?" he cried, "All my money goes on your fucking books. I've read some of em! Bunch of hocus pocus shit. What are you going to do with that ahy? Fucking useless bitch."
"Let off Toby," a woman sneered. "So jealous of what you don't have, so so jealous."
"Jealous!" Tobias laughed, there was a crash and a sound of swearing and he started to laugh. "Your nothing without this though, are you woman? Nothing without this stupid stick to wave around like it's a fucking gun."
Severus reached up and rang the doorbell again, his face was very long and very pale.
"Who the fuck is that?" there were footsteps, the door wrenched open and Tobias Snape looked down upon his son with distaste. "Look what the cat's dragged in," he muttered. He looked like melted wax, his skin grey and yellow like the tobacco he smoked had stained him. Grey hair was scraped back into a ponytail, with large chunks of dandruff nestled amongst the sebum. "Run out of money? Had enough playing magic? How dare you come round here looking like a fucking faggot in that dress. Haven't you any shame?" he hocked back a phlegm ball and turned to let them through. He hadn't even looked at Arun, she was beneath his contempt she supposed. "I'm going to t'pub," Tobias grumbled, grabbed his coat and his wallet and stormed out of the door. As he left he shoved something into his pocket. Arun realised it was his wife's wand.
"Mum?" Snape called from the dark hallway.
Something dropped in shock, a book maybe, Arun heard a curse, and then footsteps from behind the living room door. "Oh, Sev love!" his mum kept the left side of her face turned away from them, she cupped Severus' face and smiled at him ever so warmly. "Sev," she said again, "You didn't need to…"
"I thought you might need more-" Severus stopped talking as he saw the mess in the living room. Eileen Snape had a huge collection of books, they filled the walls and the doors piled up on the floor next to the threadbare furniture. But they were scattered, some were on the fire.
"Don't worry love, just an accident." his mum smiled, one of her teeth was missing. "You going to brew me up some more face cream? Aintcha a good boy."
"Mum-" Snape pushed wet hair from his face and dripped onto the living room floorboards. "I thought you said he'd stopped drinking? You told me he'd been better."
"Oh- look you're like a drowned rat- there are clothes in your room, give me these and I'll get them dry. Got my wand around here somewhere-" she gave Arun the briefest of smiles and turned to pretend to look for it. Snape pointed his wand at himself and with a few words had dried his clothes, then he turned his attention to Arun and did the same for her.
"It's alright mum I've done it."
"Have you? so quick, you are talented," she gave him a far-off smile and for a moment appeared so very lost. Arun realised Eileen was shaking, was she an alcoholic too, like her horrid husband?
"Mrs Snape," she said gently, "Go and sit down, I'll put the kettle on."
"Kitchen's through-" she waved a hand to the hallway. Arun slunk off to give Snape and his mum some privacy. The kitchen was tiny and hadn't been updated since the sixties, the units were falling off the walls and it smelled like tobacco and cooking fat. She saw mouse droppings in the corner by the fridge and a layer of grime and dirt had turned the countertops sticky. When she looked in the cupboards all she found was a box of Marshmallow Krispies and a tin of spam.
"Merlin's beard," she muttered as she put the kettle onto the gas hob and found a blue top milk bottle in the fridge. A fridge that was pretty much bare, and in desperate need of a clean. There was a sprouting potato in there, along with a mouldy half of bread. She wanted to clean, but part of her knew that it would make everything worse. Tobias would resent it, and would punish Eileen for it. Whilst she waited for the water to boil she snuck back to listen to Snape's conversation with his mum. At first, she could only hear muttering, but a quick spell improved her hearing.
"I love your father Sev."
"I can afford to buy you a nice place in a magical community away from him. Don't you want to be amongst your own people?"
"Tobias is all the magic I need, he'll see me right lad."
Severus let out an audible sigh, "Mum, he hits you."
"It's my fault, I can be insensitive."
"Stop making excuses."
"He needs me Sev, since the factory closed we've not got any money coming in. He'd die without me."
"Stop protecting him."
"Son-" There was a pause, Arun leaned closer to the door. "Sev, you're such a good boy, do you know how proud I am of you?" Another pause. "I won't leave him."
The kettle whistled, the sound cut through her head like a poker. She winced, reversed the spell on her hearing and went back to the kitchen. A moment later and she levitated three cups of tea into the living room.
"Ta love, cracking brew, that," Snape's mum smiled up at her, and for the first time Arun saw the damage to the side of her face. One of her eyes was bloodshot, she had swelling under her eyebrow and onto her cheek and the thin part of her eyebag was purple and brown. It was three days old at least. Severus looked up at Arun with deep and resounding hopelessness.
"Do you want me to make the face cream?"
Severus shook his head, "No, I'll do it myself," he told her and he took his bag and his cup of tea into the kitchen. As he walked away she saw moisture glisten in his eyes. She took his seat and smiled at Eileen.
"How are you keeping? It's been a while."
"That it has love," Eileen reached out and took her hand, "You keeping my boy out of trouble?"
"That's easier said than done."
"He said you'd gone," Eileen leaned in. "Glad you came back though." she sipped her tea, "I do love a good brew, you make the best."
"Did he say why I left?"
"No, he tries not to take after his father, but-" she left the assumption hang and Arun put her cup of tea down and turned to give Eileen her full attention.
"He would never raise his fist to me, he's not a coward."
Eileen said nothing for a moment, then she reached out and took Arun's hand. "Sometimes," she whispered. "Sometimes I think about going. But Toby, here, on his own. He'd not last a moment."
"Why don't you kick him out?"
"It's his house love, he worked for it. I'd not take it from him."
Arun rested her own hand over Eileen's, "One day, he's going to go to far and he's going to kill you."
To her surprise Snape's mum didn't seem too worried, "he hasn't yet..."
"You think your son would ever forgive you if he did?" Arun leaned in. "Sev's giving you a way out."
"I don't need a way out." Eileen snapped. "Tobias loves me, he wouldn't go too far, sometimes I just mess up. He's a kind man really, you just don't know him."
Arun picked up her cup of tea again and gave Eileen a sad smile. Into the evening they talked and read and spoke about the school. Arun played Eileen at gobbelstones and was squirted in the face. Snape played and gave his mum a better run for her money but he too got squirted. They treated her bruises and Arun went to the chippy to get them tea. But as the night wore on Tobias didn't come home. Eileen went to bed but Arun and Severus stayed up, and though they both wanted to talk about his parents they avoided it. A little after two in the morning, when Arun was thinking about bed there was a knock at the door.
"Did he forget his keys?" Arun asked. But he hadn't. Paramedics came and told them that Tobias Snape had a heart attack at the working man's club, he'd died before the paramedics had managed to get an ambulance to him. And it's taken them so long to let the family know because all he had on him was a wooden poker and cash. They'd found the house because his pocket knife had his full name engraved. A knife Severus had bought him for his fiftieth.
Eileen came down to talk to them, Arun had never seen somebody so distraught as if years of pent-up misery was unstoppered and poured out for everybody to see. Snape told the paramedics to leave, Arun walked them out and asked if they had his things and they handed them over on the doorstep. Eileen's wand was broken in half, and the cash was a few bob of loose change. Into the morning Severus held his mother as she cried, and Arun cleaned the house.