CHAPTER 7: THE SOLEMN EVENING
INT. SYTHERIN COMMON ROOMS – EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)
Later that afternoon, after being embarrassed by Verena, Severus had found his way back to the Slytherin Common Room. Alone there for the most part, he would spend the rest of the afternoon studying and scribbling notes in his potions book by the light of the roaring fire in the marble Slytherin fireplace, sitting in an armchair quietly next to it.
The Slytherin Common Rooms included bright emerald green and gray hanging drapes, which bared the serpent insignia of Slytherin House. The elegant gray marble staircase, which was located on the wall behind Severus, led to the Slytherin bedrooms, while an extra-large main room with elegant stain glass windows with the symbol of House Slytherin embedded within them made up the remainder of the Slytherin Common Rooms.
The main room, where Severus was seated, included desks, armchairs and sofas. It also included unlit lanterns which hovered in mid-air above Severus, as well as the marble Slytherin fireplace. There was also a large, crystal chandelier hanging in the main room. Sections of the gray stone floors of the main room were covered by bright green velveteen rugs baring the symbol of House Slytherin, while the walls were flanked by high bookshelves full of books.
Above the immense marble Slytherin fireplace, hung the Slytherin House Coat Of Arms, which included the house colors and the image of a snake, as well as a pair of fencing swords mounted on the wall underneath it. The fireplace was located on the same wall that the entrance to the Slytherin Common Rooms was located, where Slytherin students would first enter the main room through it before going up the staircase to their bedrooms.
For a while, Severus was left alone in the Common Rooms to study quietly. Suddenly, he heard the door to the Slytherin Common Rooms open slowly and then close ominously, the door creaking loudly as it opened. Unable to see who it was at first, Severus looked up from his potions book and squinted, trying to catch what little he could see in the dim light of the room.
"Hello? Who's over there?" said Severus softly.
A figure began to slowly step into the light of the fire and manifest in front of Severus. It didn't take long for him to realize that it was another student of House Slytherin and another one of Severus's close friends. The student's name was Victor Scabior, though he often just went by the name of Scabior. Scabior was only a year older then Snape was and had fair skin, with gray-blue eyes and brown hair with a blood red streak going through it.
"Severus?" said Scabior with a slight break in his voice. He walked up next to Severus and stood.
Severus began to glare in disapproval, as though Scabior had just made the ultimate mistake by disturbing him in his studies. Severus never liked being disturbed while he was studying, even when it was a member of his own House that disturbed him. However, the look on Scabior's face told Severus that something was bothering him terribly.
"Oh, it's you. What do you want? I'm studying." hissed Severus softly, looking on with a subtle look of agitation upon his pale and sneering face, glaring out past his curtains of black hair.
"I'm sorry," said Scabior sadly, "But Professor Slughorn told me to come in here and fetch you. I've been ordered by Professor Dumbledore to escort you to the Headmaster's Office."
"Whatever for? I didn't do anything wrong," said Severus, "It was Verena Witchazel who caused all that trouble that happened earlier. And besides, I am quite capable of going to the Headmaster's Office on my own."
"I know, but..." Scabior began to stutter, "...but he said that I should be there with you when...when he tells you...I'm...I'm really, very sorry..."
Severus began to wear a look of shrewd puzzlement upon his face, narrowing his eyes once more.
"What is this all about Scabior?" said Severus, "What does Professor Dumbledore have to tell me?"
But Scabior wouldn't answer. He just continued to stare at Severus sadly, as though he knew what Dumbledore was going to tell Severus was something that Severus would not like to hear and thus couldn't bring himself to tell Severus on his own.
"Come, Professor Dumbledore and a few others are waiting for you." said Scabior finally, as tears began to slowly well up in his eyes.
Still puzzled, Severus closed his potions book and sat it down on the table next to him before he got up from the armchair and followed Scabior out the door to the Slytherin Common Rooms. The door closed slowly and ominously behind Severus and Scabior.
INT. HOGWARTS SECOND FLOOR CORRIDOR, TOWARDS THE GREAT HALL – EARLY EVENING (APR. 22ND, 1976)
Later that evening, Verena once again goes looking for Severus Snape, as the moon began to rise high in the sky and shown down over the sprawling landscape and the castle below. She had been thinking about what she had done to Severus earlier and decided that the best way to end the grudge that Severus had for her was to try and apologize to him. Thus, the only way that she was going to find Severus again on such short notice was to use a special Accio spell, which would be able to locate Severus no matter where he was hiding. Using her wand and holding it tightly, Verena pointed her wand out in front of her and spoke the spell, "Accio Attracto Severus Snape..."
Suddenly, like a dog pulling their master on a short leash, the wand jolted forward, making a high, zinging metallic sound as it tugged Verena forward. She was quickly led down one dimly lit corridor after another by her wand, turning a corner and another corner still. She walked past the lines of lit torches which hung on the walls around her and past the countless enchanted portraits which hung on the walls of the corridors. She continued to be tugged along relentlessly by her wand.
After a few minutes of this, Verena was brought only twenty feet away from the doors to the Great Hall, where breakfast and dinner at Hogwarts was held daily and where most of the school's special events took place. The Great Hall was also occasionally used as a classroom when the room normally used for a class was being occupied or being used in some other way. Verena's wand was tugging even harder now, a sign to her that Severus Snape was near. Letting go of her wand, it continued to make a high, zinging metallic sound as it zipped forward through the air and flew to the foot of the Great Hall's wooden doors, where it stopped. Verena began to run towards the doors to the Great Hall. Upon reaching the doors, she looked down and noticed that her wand was pointing to something which was sticking halfway out from underneath the doors.
Verena picked it up and soon realized that it was a copy of The Evening Prophet. The Evening Prophet was the evening equivalent to The Daily Prophet, the wizard newspaper and the source of all wizard news. The wizard newspaper, as anything in the Wizarding world was, was just as enchanted with magic as the portraits around Verena were. Those in the portraits around her looked on as Verena stared down at the newspaper. Even the pictures on the newspaper moved, as did some of the writing. Though Verena was curious as to why her wand had been pointing at the newspaper, she didn't seem too interested in what it was saying. Unknown to Verena however, she was about to notice something on the front page that was anything but pleasant. Suddenly, one of the portraits nearby began to speak.
"You're not going to like what you'll be reading in that, Verena," said a man suddenly from one of the portraits, mildly startling Verena, who recognized the man as one of her dead uncles, Hadarimus Witchazel.
"Uncle Hadarimus?" said Verena suddenly.
"If I were you, I wouldn't read it. It's bad enough that you lost us to Sulphilim so very long ago. You don't need any more grief and anguish in your life." said Hadarimus once more.
"Hadarimus, please, leave her alone," said the voice of a woman, who was Verena's Aunt Bethia Witchazel née Torvel, who was married to Hadarimus and also long since dead. Bethia sat next to Hadarimus in the portrait, holding him by the arm as she continued, "She already notices. But truly dear, you are not going to like it. We've been noticing how you've been paying attention to young Severus Snape lately. We know you are quite fond of him. Though it seems that you now have even more in common with him than ever before. Don't be sad my dear, you can comfort each other."
"I really wouldn't read it you know. You'll find out soon enough." said Hadarimus once more.
Wanting to heed her uncle's warning, she was about to let the newspaper fall to the ground, until she saw the grizzly headline, with its title words pulsing bright red.
FIRE IN COKEWORTH KILLS FAMILY, FOUL PLAY CONFIRMED!
'According to an investigation that was conducted by investigators from the Ministry Of Magic and with the aid of the Cokeworth Police, it has been confirmed that the fire which had occurred this early evening on the 22nd of April, 1976, at 2103 Spinner's End in Cokeworth, Northern England was the work of foul play, caused by a mysterious young woman. According to eye witnesses who watched and attempted to put out the fire, the fire had been burning for 15 minutes by the time the Cokeworth Fire Department had reached the blaze.
'The witnesses who were present at the time claimed that around 8:37pm, the strange woman had confronted and argued with the owner in front of the house at 2103 Spinner's End and then ran away around the corner, only to reappear about 15 minutes later, entering the house by use of an odd and unusual method that the witnesses were unable to describe properly. She then reappeared suddenly 7 minutes later after a huge commotion was heard inside the house. Upon standing in front of the house, the strange woman turned around, pausing only for about 2 minutes before pointing her wand at the house. It is assumed that the strange woman had sealed the doors by using an entrapment spell. It is also claimed that the woman had also cast two more spells onto the house, one of which made those inside unable to disapparate and escape the house.
'Moments later, the woman cast another strange spell towards the house with her wand, causing the explosion which led to the burning of the house. The woman then ran down the street, vanishing around the corner once more. For the next ten minutes after, as was claimed by the witnesses, screams and cries for help were heard from the burning house. Witnesses tried to free those trapped in the house, but to no avail.
'By the time the Cokeworth Fire Department was able to respond; most of the interior structure of the house had been burned down to a cinder and was forced to watch the remainder of the house burn down. The remaining fire was quickly expunged, allowing for investigators to enter the smoldering remains of the house. Upon entering the remnants of the house, the burned remains of those trapped inside were found
'Those who perished in the fire includes the following: Tobias Snape (Muggle), his wife Eileen Snape née Prince (witch), Tobias's parents Edmund Snape (Muggle) and stepmother Irene Snape née Wilfe (Muggle), his brother Edward Snape (Muggle) and his half-sisters Darline Snape (Muggle) and Christine Snape (Muggle), his half-brother Jered Snape (Muggle), Eileen's nephew Patrick Starvel (wizard) and her older nephews Edward Starvel and James Starvel II (wizard), Eileen's sister Daniela Starvel née Prince (witch) and her brothers Fitzgerald Prince II (wizard) and Cian Prince (wizard), Eileen's parents Lethbridge Prince III (wizard) and her mother Cathaline Prince née Wovel (witch). Patrick Starvel was only 10 years old. It has been claimed by witnesses that James Starvel was holding his younger brother Patrick close to him as they died.
'The Snape Family is survived by Tobias and Eileen's son, Severus Snape (wizard), Tobias Snape and Edward Snape's biological mother, Eveline Prince nee Rosill (squib), Eileen's sister-in-law Adelaide Prince née Potter (witch), Eileen's nieces Abigail Prince nee Willowind, Lana Starvel (witch) and Catherine Starvel (witch) and nephew Christopher Starvel II (wizard), Daniela's husband Christopher Starvel I (wizard), Abigail's husband, Garard Willowind I (wizard) and their two sons, Garard Willowind II (wizard) and Bartamius Willowind (wizard), Tobias Snape's half-brother Nathalius Prince (wizard) and Nathalius's children, Jack, Janine and Joseph Prince (wizard, witch, wizard), Tobias's half-sister Daphiline Prince (witch), further members of the Prince Family (wizard family), further members of the Potter family (wizard family), further members of the Willowind family (wizard family) further members of the Rosill family (wizard family), further members of the Starvel family (wizard family), further members of the Wovel family (wizard family) and further members of the Wilfe Family (muggle family).
'It has yet to be decided who will gain guardianship over Eileen's son, Severus, though by all accounts noted he will remain at Hogwarts School until a guardian for him is appointed. A 5,000,000 pound reward has been issued for the capture and arrest of their killer, who remains at large. Eileen and Tobias's son, Severus, is the last known surviving member of the Snape family...'
"Oh, no..." said Verena, looking up at the portrait of her uncle and aunt with a look of dread in her eyes, "...Severus..."
"You lost your family long before Severus did, my dear," said Hadarimus, "But even still, you and Severus now have more in common than Severus himself realizes. Have you told him about us my dear?"
"No, I haven't still," said Verena as her voice began to break slightly as she turned away, bringing a sleeve to her eyes, "Though it seems that we're all connected by grief these days, but even more so now between me and Snape. Poor Severus, I feel so bad for him."
"Happiness can't exist without grief my dear, just as good can't exist without evil. They balance one another, where within that balance there exists both truths and lies," said Bethia, who glared on, smiling softly and watching Verena, "There can never be one without the other. Remember my dear, we are always more powerful in our masses then we ever are alone. No one can do everything alone, just as Severus can't always grieve alone. Be his friend Verena, love him and keep to close to him, for he may never live long enough to find the true love and happiness that he's so desperately in need of in his life...remember..."
Suddenly, Verena began to hear gentle sobbing coming from the Great Hall. She looked up at the doors briefly before she walked up to them and pulled the handle of one of the doors towards her, opening it. The door groaned and creaked slightly as it opened. She then stopped and stood in the threshold of the Great Hall's massive doors.
Inside, the Great Hall was a vast room, long and sweeping, where a row of high marble pillars sat on both sides of the Great Hall. Narrow balconies sat atop narrow rows of pillars, where hanging drapes hung down and skirted narrow arching doorways, behind them which lied a narrow walkway and large, unlit fireplaces in the wall.
The flags of each of the four Houses hung down from metal rods that were attached to the flanking sides of the balconies, suspended high above over the Great Hall below. The walls and pillars were flanked by lit torches running down the entire length of the walls and pillars on either side of the room.
At the far end of the Great Hall, there was a long, oak staff table which sat upon a raised portion of the floor and sat underneath a large and elaborately decorated cathedral type window above it that was made of stained glass crystal and framed in wood, with curtains of crimson and gold colored drapes hanging down from its sides.
A set of four longer oak wood tables ran vertically down the entire length of the Great Hall, ending near the foot of the raised portion of the marble stone floor. Each of these tables belonged to one of the four Houses of Hogwarts School and was where the students would sit during breakfast and dinner and occasionally to study.
Looming high above Verena, there was the arching cathedral type ceiling of the Great Hall, where the space between the ceiling and the floor above her was crowded with lit candles which hovered and hung in mid-air. As the ceiling was bewitched, Verena was able to look beyond it at the night sky above the castle, which was filled with countless twinkling stars.
Suddenly, Verena began to hear sniffling and gentle sobbing once more, coming from the far end of the Slytherin table, which was the table closest to the wall on the left. It didn't take long for her to realize that the gentle sobbing and sniffling was coming from Severus Snape, who had his head lying on the table and his face buried in his arms. Around him were other Slytherin students, including Victor Scabior, who was sitting closest to Severus and looking on with remorse.
"I cannot express enough how sorry I am for your loss, Severus. But you will be alright, Severus. You'll see," said Victor Scabior as he placed a hand on Severus's shoulder, "Though I certainly understand how you must be feeling right now. I wouldn't know what to think if I found out that my father was killed."
Another Slytherin student, with fair skin and blond hair and was sitting next to Severus, looked up at Scabior and narrowed her eyes, "He's not crying over his father, Victor. And if you ever heard of the stories about Snape's father that I have heard, you wouldn't cry over him either."
"He's crying over his mother then?" said Scabior.
"I wouldn't know about that either," said the Slytherin student, "But I think we should all leave Severus alone to mourn in peace for now."
There was a look of remorse in Verena's eyes as she looked over at where Severus and those sitting with him were sitting. Saying not a word, Verena turned away quietly and stepped back out into the corridor, closing the door silently. Once out in the corridor again, she looked at the newspaper once more and began holding it close to her chest, bowing her head in silent remorse and sadness, with her amber colored locks hanging down from both sides of her face.
INT. THE HOGWARTS EXPRESS - EARLY AFTERNOON (SEPT. 1ST, 2018)
After finding their way to the compartment where they would be siting during their trip to Hogwarts, Albus Potter, James Potter, Lily Potter, Rose Weasley and Hugo Weasley settled in and began doing the things they usually did while going on trips. As was usually the case, Albus and those with him were normally on the train with only other students as there were usually no adults aboard the Hogwarts Express except the witch with the tea trolley and the train driver, and possibly a fireman, who was needed to shovel coal into a locomotive's boiler to keep it running, although the shovel and other components had spells placed on them to perform the tasks without the need of a fireman. Occasionally, new teachers would be found aboard the train as well, taking the journey to Hogwarts with the rest of the students, but as far as Albus and the others knew, their were no teachers on board.
As they sat in their compartment on the train, James was sitting next to Albus and busy reading The Daily Prophet that he had stolen from The Well-House earlier, while Lily, Rose and Hugo were busy looking at large book titled Nola's Book of Ancient and Forbidden Magical Practices (Revised Edition), which included entries of some lost magical practices as well as entries of rare herbs and potions that were associated with some of the practices in the book, including the ALPS. Rose had brought the book with her, along with several other interesting and obscure books that Rose was bringing to help her in her studies at Hogwarts.
"Do you see this, Albus?" said James, pointing to the article on Severus Snape that was on the back page of the newspaper, "This is what our Father read earlier. It's mental, I tell you. And what makes them think that the rumors are true? I mean seriously, have they actually gone to the Shambles and found witnesses to back up these claims?"
"I heard that several wizards had been sent to the Shambles to try and find out the source of the claims, including Uncle Harry. But so far, they've come up empty." said Rose, looking up from the book she, Lily and Hugo were looking at.
"Well, I'm not surprised," scoffed James, "They should have told the person who put this article in the newspaper to talk to them when they actually find something."
"They've done that to, James, and they still don't have anything." said Rose once more.
"It's a waste of time for Dad if you ask me. Dad should be out chasing dark wizards and dark witches that are actually alive, not chasing rumors all over the North of England. It's just mental, all of it."
"He's got a point you know," said Hugo, butting in, "And besides, what would they do with Severus Snape if he was alive?"
"They'd take him to the Ministry Of Magic to be put on trial and maybe Azkaban Prison afterwards," said Albus, "But that's Dad's job, he's an Auror. He chases dark wizards and dark witches for a living. It would be Dad's job to bring Severus Snape in if he was ever found to be alive. But no one can confirm that Severus Snape actually is alive...truthfully..."
As Rose and Hugo went back to looking at the book with Lily, the familiar sound of a trolley going down the corridor between the compartments could be heard. It then stopped in front of the open door to the compartment, showing off a various assortment of candies and drinks favored by young wizards and young witches alike.
The woman pushing the trolley soon looked in. She was much younger then the woman who usually pushed the trolley and spoke with a strong Scottish accent, "Anything from the trolley, dears?"
As the journey to Hogwarts commenced, a celebration quickly rang out throughout the train. Unbeknownst and to the surprise of the students, a small group of Scottish musicians were taking the Hogwarts Express back to Scotland, playing a sprightly and up-beat Scottish folk tune with violins, tambourines and a strange hand cranked instrument called a hurdy-gurdy. A hurdy-gurdy was a European stringed instrument in which the strings were rubbed by a rosined wheel instead of a bow. The wheel was turned by the player's right hand, while the left hand played the tune on the keys in the keybox. Two of the strings called the chanters or melody strings, run though the keybox and their vibrating length was shortened by the key pressing against it.
Now the musicians were dancing down the middle of the passenger cars, playing their instruments as students clapped to the beat of the music and yelled joyously as the musicians passed. Soon, the musicians went past Albus's compartment, while James and the others with Albus were busy eating candy and laughing. James's pet ferret Gisbourne was sitting on James's lap and chattering, while Willowbree was sitting on the luggage rack above where Albus and James sat, looking down and giving a low and mellowed meow. Featherbeak was screeching softly and sitting in a cage on the luggage rack above where Lily, Rose and Hugo sat.
Further down the corridor, Cyrus Snape looked down the corridor through the entrance of the compartment that he, Evangeline and Darius were sitting in. Though he was not coming to school with Cyrus and Evangeline, he was taking the trip with them as their parents were, but so far, their parents had yet to show themselves.
"Shouldn't we save Mum from that noise, Cyrus? It has got to be mental in there." said Evangeline softly with a subtle hint of concern in her voice as Cyrus kept his eyes on the celebration that was going on further down the corridor.
"Mum doesn't need saving, Evangeline, Mum needs an excuse to get out of there without being noticed." said Darius softly and nonchalantly, looking on coolly at his sister.
Cyrus quickly pulled himself back into the compartment as the musicians came closer. Next to Cyrus was a small stack of parchment and a quill pen. He quickly placed a piece of parchment onto his lap and pulled out his wand, which was 15 inches long, with a handle made of Holly, a stem made of Ebony and with a dragon heartstring core, which was the same as Evangeline's wand, though her wand had a distinctly different design from Cyrus's wand.
Cyrus soon placed the tip of his wand on the parchment in front of him and spoke, "Macula Atra...", causing blotches of black to form and appear on the parchment, as if black water droplets had fallen on the parchment and had bled into it. Cyrus then spoke another spell, "Charta Volucres...", causing the parchment, now spotted with black, to quickly transform into an enchanted paper bird. Evangeline and Darius watched as Cyrus brought the paper bird towards the entrance to the compartment and held it out into the corridor.
Darius soon spoke, "What do you think you're doing, Cyrus?"
Cyrus looked at Darius and softly replied, "Giving Mum an excuse..."
And with that, Cyrus looked back at the elegant and enchanted paper bird, which gently flew off of his hand and gracefully flew towards the compartment where Albus and those with him were still busy laughing and eating candy, telling jokes and sharing stories among one another. The graceful paper bird flew over the musicians as they passed and flew into the compartment, where it began hovering and moving about in a place where it wouldn't be noticed except by Willowbree, who began staring at the enchanted paper bird with interest. Willowbree quickly jumped down from off of the luggage rack and landed on the floor of the compartment, where she meowed and started to follow the paper bird out of the compartment, keeping her eyes fixed on the paper bird as it flew. Albus and those present in the compartment were to busy with celebrating to even notice Willowbree leaving as she walked into the corridor and vanished around the bend, meowing as she left. The celebration continued long into the afternoon.
CONTINUED...CHAPTER 8...