Minerva's Bookcase

Minerva didn't really like Severus Tobias Snape.

Minerva liked rambunctious, feisty young boys. She liked boys who argued back during detentions. She liked boys whose pranks and acts of mischief she could secretly admire for the magical strengths that they revealed. This was why she had a soft spot for both James Potter and Sirius Black and, later the infamous Weasley twins. It was why she was good at controlling a house of Gyffindors.

However it was also the reason why she didn't really know how to deal with Percy Weasley's incessant worrying during his final year as a prefect or with Ginny Weasley's chronic, sickly pale shyness during her first year at Hogwarts.

And it was definitely the reason why Severus Tobias Snape irritated her. As a student he always seemed to be watching and waiting. He was quiet in her classes. He spoke only when necessary and never smiled.

Never speaking, never smiling but, somehow constantly getting himself into trouble, stoically carrying out his detentions with her in silence. He never came up with elaborate excuses for his behaviour ala James and Sirius or incredible reasons as to why he was simply unable to carry out the detention task assigned to him ala Fred and George. Severus never fought back, except for that incident in his fifth year when James Potter saved his life. Begrudgingly she could admit that it was James and Sirius that got him into that particular situation. She remembered how he had screamed and ranted in Albus's office, but only for a while, he stopped when he saw that histrionics would get him nowhere. She had almost resented his silence at that point; shouting and rage from a teenage boy she could deal with, sullen silence with a face on the verge tears she had no words for.

Simply put, Severus Tobias Snape made her uncomfortable. He made her skin crawl. And now he was back at Hogwarts. Teaching.

She had little qualms with his status as a teacher. She trusted Albus implicitly and even she remembered the boy's skills during his years at Hogwarts. But she avoided the man as much as possible. They lived at opposite ends of the castle, she taught on the third floor, he taught in the basement, they even sat at opposite ends of the head table at meal times. So she was more than a little irriated when two weeks before the start of term one summer holiday she literally bumped into him.

It was only a tiny bump, neither of them had been looking where they were going but it had been enough to send Severus sprawling to the floor.

Minerva had been busy dragging an old oak bookcase through the doorway of a little used storeroom in one of the lower corrdiros. Slightly to her own chagrin her last bookcase had given out over the number of transfigurations she had subjected it to over the years. Forced to hold an elaborate series of transformations over the years, its core magic had rebelled and the bookcase had collapsed. Sifting through an old store room she had found the perfect replacement. It was a lovely bookcase and would need only a little work to get it right to her tastes and so she found herself being extra caution and moving it by hand out the doorway. She didn't dare levitate it or use a featherweight charm until she got it clear of the cramp storeroom into the wide high ceiled corridor. Her charms had always been a little erratic. They were generally good, she was a Hogwarts Professor after all but just sometime, only sometimes her judgement could be off. And she didn't want to risk this bookcase. An over zealous feather light or levitation charm and she would find it smashed into the ceiling or floating out the window.

She was hot and sweaty and just trying to heave the bookcase over the ridge of the doorframe, when something, that turned out to be Severus has slammed into her side a with a decidedly human 'Ompf.'

Minerva let out a startled 'Oh' of surprise as she saw Severus on his backside on the stone floor, a pained expression on his face. She eyed his trim figure as he unfolded himself from the corridor floor and stood up with a whince.

'Professor McGonagall.' He said inclining his head. 'My apologies.'

Oh yes, that was another thing that irritated Minerva; Severus's insistence on using a kind of antiquated way of speaking. As if he was born 50 years before all the other inhabitants of the castle. A feat Albus could pull off, having being born at least 50 years before all the other inhabitants of the castle, but with Severus it just reeked of outdated sentimentality and a misguided attempt at superiority.

Minerva sniffed and replied. 'Severus. My apologies.'

He gave a curt nod but didn't meet her gaze. She watched as he nervously brushed his hands down the front of his trousers and then, without another word, turned smartly about on his heels and started to walk briskly down the corridor, back the way he had come from.

Minerva was hot, dusty and itchy from her physical exertions and more than ready for a little male assistance with her bookcase, even if that assistance had to come from Severus Tobias Snape. She was out of sorts from her abrupt encounter with the young potions master and she felt a rage of indignation begin to bubble up in her chest and before she knew it she was the professor and he was, once again her student.

'Severus Tobias Snape!' She exclaimed loudly and watched as, to her secret delight he froze mid stride.

'Get back here young man.' She said sternly. And watched as he slowly turned around on the spot and met her gaze. Twin spots of colour were high up on his cheeks and he was clenching and unclenching his hands into fists at his sides.

Minerva then subjected Severus to one of her best rants about politeness, responsibility and offering assistance. Spurred on by the fact that Severus just stood there staring at her, red faced and clenching and unclenching those fists, just like when he was a student. When she had finished, he quietly and rigidly helped lift the bookcase into the corridor. He then levitated it, without a word and floated it down the corridor and up two flights of stairs to Minerva's quarters under her watchful eye. She later would wonder that he knew where her rooms were without direction, she wouldn't have a clue where his were.

After levitating the bookcase over the threshold into the hallway of her rooms he had turned and fled. Minerva had watched him stride around a corner and shook her head. She was about to retreat into her rooms for some much needed bookcase rearrangement therapy when she had suddenly realised that she had left her cloak back in the storeroom. Normally she would have left it but it was one of her favourites, a gift from Albus when she'd become Head of Gryffindor. So she had, without much further ado set off back down the corridor, following on the heels Severus. As she rounded the corner she stopped in her tracks. There was Severus standing about 10 foot down the corridor. He was leaning against the wall, his right hip and shoulder pressed against the stone, and his right hand raised up above his head bracing himself against the wall. Confused she watched as he reached back round with his left hand and pressed his fingertips to the seat of his trousers. He gingerly lifted the hand to his face, she saw his fingers temble. She eyed the back of his trousers but the material was dark and she couldn't see anything unusual. She thought she saw something on his fingertips but she was too far away to be certain. Then Severus was pushing himself off the wall and hurrying back down the corridor.

For some reason she found herself calling out, 'Severus.' His step faltered slightly, she thought but he didn't stop and was soon down the corridor and through a door. She had thoughtfully made her way back to the storeroom. It was as she was swinging the tartan cloak around her shoulders that she made her decision and made her way to speak to Albus.

Severus wasn't at the midday or evening meals that day, neither was Poppy. The next day he looked a little less pale, she thought. Poppy had stopped her as she was leaving the Great Hall at breakfast time. Minerva listened incredulously as Poppy, one hand tightly gripping Minerva's sleeve had thanked her for 'doing right by the lad.' Minverva was slightly agog as Poppy walked away, she had only been reporting her suspicions to Albus. Surely Severus could find his own way to the infirmary. Avoiding all thoughts of black trousers and bloody finger tips Minerva quelled her guilt with something that had sustained her through seven years of Severus Snape, Sirius Black and James Potter in the same castle, in the same lessons; Whatever had happened to that boy, her lions would never have got into whatever kind of trouble that little snake Severus Snape had gotten himself into.

Now, she had a bookcase to rearrange.

Not sure about this one. A bit odd. Not quite sure it came out how I wanted it to. Let me know what you think! Reviews always appreciated! zx