Author's note: well, this chapter is basically for any snape fans we might have out there reading this... and any snape/lily shippers. (-kyra and caroline both raise their hands while tamara scoffs, muttering, 'i like sev and remus better.'-)
Disclaimer: i own a bright yellow skating dress, far too many mugs of tea, and a bad temper, but not harry potter...
--kyra
Snape glowered ferociously at the assembled class. Hermione and Malfoy exchanged glances. He was obviously in a bad mood, and Hermione wondered just who it was who'd failed to perform correctly this time. He didn't acknowledge either her or Malfoy, which was odd, and she wondered suddenly if she had been the one to fail. The thought chilled her slightly.
Snape was striding up and down the classroom, lecturing them about defeating boggarts without the Ridikulous charm. Hermione scribbled furiously, trying to record every word. Suddenly, he stopped talking and looked straight at her.
"Stop that incessant scratching, Miss Granger," he snapped. "Five points from Gryffindor."
She put down her quill, seething at the unfairness, and watched him as he strode back towards the rest of the class. He was attractive, that was undeniable. But, as she had just been shown yet again, he was a biased, unfair git much of the time. She could live without him. He finally finished lecturing, flicked his wand, and left them to it. A heavy trunk appeared on each desk, each containing an imitation Bogart. They were supposed to blast the imitation with a Patronus, which he expected everyone in the class to have perfected. Hermione thanked her lucky stars that she'd managed to do it the year before, and she looked at the trunk in front of her with determination.
She flicked the lid off, and watched as a Harry advanced towards her. At the last moment, he turned and walked swiftly away, not looking at her. She took a deep breath, and told herself firmly that it wasn't real. She clamped her mind around an image of the Christmas holiday and shouted, "EXPECTO PATRONUM!" The silvery otter shot out of her wand and headed towards the Harry-Harry. The boggart stopped when he saw the otter, and turned away again. The otter relentlessly herded it back to the trunk. Hermione slammed the lid shut and leaned against the desk, breathing heavily.
Malfoy looked at her oddly. "Your worst fear is Potter walking with his back to you?"
She sighed. "No, my worst fear is my friends abandoning me. Your turn."
Malfoy sighed just as heavily as she had, then took a grip on his wand and opened the trunk. Lucius Malfoy stepped out of the trunk and advanced on Malfoy. Malfoy took an inadvertent step back, then managed, "Expect Patronum!" A big cat exploded out of his wand and advanced on the boggart. It snarled softly, and the boggart slowly sank back into the trunk. Hermione closed the lid after it, and the two looked at each other. She didn't say anything in response to the open challenge on his face. She didn't have to. She'd seen the blank terror on Malfoy's face when the boggart stepped out of the trunk. There wasn't really anything else to say after that.
"Very impressive," Snape drawled, sliding up behind them noiselessly. He sneered at Malfoy. "But perhaps it might be improved by practicing."
Malfoy snarled back. "I am practicing, Professor," he said icily. "Perhaps you should show us yourself, just to make sure that we're doing it right."
His voice was loud enough that the entire class heard, and everyone went dead silent. Snape was looking at Malfoy with barely concealed fury. "Mr. Malfoy, you will see me after class. Ten points from Slytherin, and detention." He turned and stalked back to the front of the class and shot a poisonous glare at the rest of them. "Get back to work!"
Hermione looked at Malfoy in amazement. "What was that all about?" she hissed, gathering her thoughts to unleash the boggart again.
Malfoy shrugged. "We had a rather ugly confrontation the other day. He's apparently not very happy about it."
"About boggarts?"
"About my parents. Will you get back to practicing now, Granger?"
Hermione sighed, knowing full well that she would get no more answers out of Malfoy. She flipped open the trunk again, only to be faced with Ron this time. Lips clenched to stop them from shaking, she got to work.
Severus was trying very hard to control his temper. He knew that it had been unwise to blow up at Draco in public, and he wasn't naïve enough to think that it wouldn't be around the entire school in a matter of hours. He was the head boogeyman of Hogwarts, at least for those students for whom the Dark Lord was still a legend, and anything scandalous about him was instantly spread among the student body like the plague. But what else could he have done? Did the idiot boy not realize what he was doing? Granted, Severus' nerves were already stretched to the maximum by his little talk with the Dark Lord last night, but what business did Draco have challenging him like that?
Severus knew perfectly well what would have happened if he'd allowed himself to answer Draco's dare. The entire class would have seen the Dark Lord moving in for the kill. It wouldn't be productive, or useful, and Severus knew quite well the reaction that most of the school would have: that this was conformation of the fact that he was a Death Eater. Of course, Severus was a Death Eater, but only in name. He hadn't been on a raid in… well, to be prefect honest, he'd rather not think of the last raid that he'd been on.
There was a knock on the door, and Draco came in without waiting for approval. He sat in stony silence in one of Severus' chairs and looked steadily at his Head of House. Severus looked back at him, wondering which of them would break the silence first. Finally, as the silence became more and more oppressive, Severus said, "I am sure that you are aware of why you are here."
Draco shrugged. "You're angry at me."
"Obviously," Severus said, struggling to contain his frustration.
"What are you going to do to me, take more points away?"
Severus wondered how long it would be before he lost all of his control completely. "Mr. Malfoy, I am going to put you in detention for as long as it takes. But that is beside the point."
"Then what's the point?"
"The point, you idiot boy, is that you are being intolerable and I will not tolerate it!"
Draco's lips clenched in anger. "Professor, you will refrain from insulting me."
"And you will refrain from threatening, Mr. Malfoy. Impressive though your work was on St. Valentine's Day, I assure you that I am still far better than you when it comes to the game of Wizard's dueling."
"Are you sure about that?"
"I am," Severus said icily, and his tone seemed to be enough to shut Draco up. Severus took advantage of the silence to continue. "I am not going to have this conversation with you again, so you will listen to me very well. You know nothing of the dangers of the real world, Mr. Malfoy. You have no idea what dangers your parents face, and you have no idea of the dangers that I face, just to keep all of you students alive. You are being an ungrateful brat, and this will stop now. Do I make myself quite clear?"
Draco sneered. "You do indeed. Though perhaps I should take over the job, if it's such a danger to your safety?"
"That is precisely what must not happen," Severus roared, finally losing his temper. "Do you not realize what people are doing for you? There are countless Aurors out there risking their lives daily for your safety. Yes, you in particular. In case you hadn't figured it out, most of our delightful Ministry of Magic officials are baying for your blood. No child has been imprisoned in Azkaban for over sixty years, but you could well be the one who revives the tradition."
"But they couldn't keep me there," Draco pointed out. "Their security is lax."
"Do you expect a rescue party like your parents?" Severus asked acidly. "Because I assure you, the Dark Lord could care less about you. I know. I spoke with him."
For the first time, Draco was looking slightly nervous. He hid it skillfully, though, and demanded, "And you think that I want to be rescued by the Dark Lord?"
"If you go to Azkaban you will," Severus warned. "Believe me." It was his turn to retain the shudder that passed through him at the thought of being imprisoned in that place again.
Draco, curse him, was astute, and he caught the very slight motion. His eyebrow shot up. "Personal experience, Professor?"
Silently, Severus nodded. He braced himself for a cutting remark, and so was amazed when Draco didn't immediately reply. Finally, the blond boy asked slowly, "And you escaped?"
"I was rescued," Severus said curtly, wondering desperately how to change the subject. He certainly did not want to discuss this with Draco.
Draco was relentless, though, and he pressed on. "Who rescued you?"
"Professor Dumbledore." Severus sighed, and supposed that he would have to tell the entire story. Or at least, some of the entire story. "I had been working for the Dark Lord, and I was foolish enough to get caught. Professor Dumbledore discovered me and offered me a position on his staff –a permanent position– in return for information that he could use. I'd realized by then that the Dark Lord could care less whether I rotted in Azkaban or not, and I took the offer." There had been more, of course there had, but Draco had no business knowing about Lily. No one had any business knowing about Lily.
Thankfully, Draco seemed satisfied with Severus' explanation. He sat for a long moment, lost in silence. Finally, he stood. "When shall I report for detention?"
Severus frowned, mentally flipping the pages of his calendar. "Tomorrow," he said. "After dinner."
Draco nodded, and walked out of the room, closing the door firmly behind him. Severus watched him go, then sank down into the black leather armchair that was conveniently placed by the cold hearth. Severus didn't bother lighting a fire.
He was pacing in his cell, wondering how long it would be until he went completely and totally mad. Already he could feel it advancing, creeping up on him in his sleep and times of mental fatigue. He hadn't slept properly in days, and the times of mental fatigue were coming more and more often. Soon, he wouldn't have the strength to resist any longer. And what was the point? She was gone, after all. She'd married that cursed prat Potter. What more reason did he have to live? She would never look at him again, that was for sure.
He sat down heavily on the pallet bed that was the only chair that the cell contained. He buried his face in his hands yet again, allowing the greasy black hair to tumble over his head and create another layer to hide his face. The tears leaked out, and he soon found himself weeping openly yet again. He couldn't stop thinking of her, and the more he thought, the more depressed he became. What was the point of trying any longer? She was gone, and she wasn't ever coming back.
He didn't know how long he sat there, the tears dripping down his clothes and into a puddle in his lap. Finally, insistent sounds from outside the cell penetrated his grief-filled mind, and he looked up angrily. How dare officials interrupt his grief? He was about to yell at them to go away, when he suddenly realized just who it was who was standing patiently outside the door to his cell.
"What are you doing here?" Severus asked, his voice rusty from weeping and disuse.
Albus Dumbledore eyed him compassionately. "I came to speak with you."
"Are you going to condemn me? Because if you're asking me to fall to my knees and beg you for forgiveness, you will be sadly mistaken."
Dumbledore looked at him steadily. "I came to offer you a second chance, Severus."
Severus snorted. "What's the price? Unquestioning obedience? Sworn allegiance to you and your cause?"
"I want you to teach at Hogwarts."
Severus blinked. That had not been what he was expecting. "And what do I get?"
"Your freedom. A secure position. The possibility to redeem yourself in the eyes of the world." It remained unspoken, but Severus knew that Dumbledore meant: in her eyes. He knew, then. Of course he knew. Dumbledore was infamous for knowing everything.
"I can't," Severus told Dumbledore bluntly. "There's no way that I can redeem myself."
"Are you willing to try?"
Severus only hesitated for a beat. Then, he nodded. "Yes."
He was pacing in his room, wondering just how long it would be until someone came to check on him. He wasn't popular with his colleagues, and the only person who seemed to care a wit about him was Albus. But Albus was busy with Order stuff, and no one else would care. He resisted the urge to drop into a chair and stare moodily into the fire. He'd been doing that too much lately, and it worried him. Where had Severus Snape, the boy who prided himself on never crying, gone? Now he was a wimp, he knew. There was no way anyone would want him. No way she would want him.
He hadn't spoken of her since leaving Azkaban. She hadn't communicated with him, and he hadn't tried to find her. If he didn't know, then he could pretend to himself that she was miserable and regretting her choice. It was an empty hope, one built of his obsessive dreams, but he couldn't help himself. When he allowed himself to think truly about it, he was horrified at the depths to which he'd descended.
There was a knock on the door, and he turned with a frown, glancing at his watch. It was far too early for any of the staff to be worried. If they were going to care, then it would happen around four in the morning, when – fueled by firewhiskey and Christmastime – they would experience humanitarian impulses and try to bring him to the festivities. He shuddered at the thought, and momentarily debated the merits of pretending to be asleep. The knock sounded again, more instant this time, and he sighed. Whoever it was, they knew quite well that he rarely fell asleep before midnight on any night, Christmas party or no.
"Enter."
The door was pushed open hesitantly, and someone stepped in. Severus had turned his back, hoping to discourage any charitable impulses, and all he saw was the shadow that was cast by his visitor. There was a very long silence, and Severus wondered just when whoever it was would speak. He could deal with silence. It was the best weapon he had. He'd learned long ago that few people shared his affinity with that acute lack of noise.
"Sev?"
He stiffened, not daring to believe his ears. It couldn't be… could it? What was she doing here? It couldn't be her. She was probably shut up with Potter, celebrating their first Christmas together. It was just his imagination playing tricks on him.
"Severus!" More insistent this time, just like she used to be. She never could take no for an answer, and when she was finally convinced of something, she never turned away from her beliefs.
Without turning, he whispered, "Lily?"
She laughed. Yes, it was her laugh, though it sounded sadder than it had been. Well, whose laugh wasn't, these days? "Of course it's me, Sev. Who did you think?"
"I thought you'd be with… him." With her husband. The words stuck in his throat, and he couldn't speak them. He knew that he would never be able to speak them.
"He's in the Great Hall," she answered. "I wanted to find you."
"You've found me."
"Will you at least do me the courtesy of looking at me?" she demanded, and he could just picture the expression on her face. Very slowly, he turned to look at her. Yes, it was definitely her. Her red hair had been cut, and it now barely brushed her shoulders. She was dressed nicely, but with the understated elegance that she'd displayed even at school. She was looking at him with hesitant joy mixed with irritation, and he felt his breath catch as he looked at her. He couldn't speak, and she finally asked, "Are you just going to leave me standing here?"
He started, then blushed a deep red. He would bet anything he owned that none of his colleagues – including Albus – would have thought him capable of turning such a shade. Lily, who knew him far better than any of them ever had, only grinned.
Belatedly, he gestured to the chair that he'd been refraining from collapsing into. She sat daintily, and he moved to light a fire in the grate. He couldn't remember the last time he'd had a proper fire. He pointedly ignored the way his hands were shaking.
"Let me." From her seat, Lily expertly cast an incendio charm, which set the decorative log on fire. Severus moved back from the hearth, wondering what to do now. He had no other chairs, and he couldn't just go on standing stupidly with nothing to do. Finally, he started to make tea, deciding that there was nothing else he could do.
"I haven't heard from you in ages," she commented, apparently watching him. Or maybe that was just wishful thinking on his part.
"I've been occupied," he answered stiffly.
"I can see that. You spend so much time thinking in here that it's a wonder you go out at all."
"I get out upon occasion."
She was silent for a long moment, then she said quietly, "Albus told me what you do."
"Oh?"
"He said that you're a double agent for us. I think that's wonderful, Sev."
He raised his eyebrows, though she couldn't see him. "Do you?"
She sighed in exasperation. "Have you lost the ability to communicate in anything but monosyllables?"
"No." She giggled slightly, and for a moment, he could have sworn that they were both sixteen again. He quickly busied himself with the tea again.
"Sev, you've changed," she remarked sadly after another long moment of silence.
"So have you," he said involuntarily.
She sighed heavily. "We all have," she agreed. Then, her tone brightened. "Though not all changes are bad."
He grunted noncommittally.
He could just picture her rolling her eyes as she said, "I'm going to have a baby, Severus."
He dropped the teacup that he was holding. The scalding liquid burned through his shoes and into his feet, but he didn't notice. How could she do this to him? This was the ultimate betrayal!
"Sev?" she asked, in a worried tone. "Sev, are you all right?"
He managed another grunt, his mind still reeling from the news. Then, she delivered the next bombshell.
"I'd like you to be Godfather."
"No." The word was out of his mouth before he could think, before he could do anything but react with his gut instinct.
"Why not?" she sounded puzzled and, worse, hurt. But the word had been said, and there was no retracting it now.
"Does he know?"
"He has a name, Severus," she told him angrily. "And yes, James agrees."
"No." It was more definite this time, a clear refusal that he'd had time to think through.
"Why?" she demanded again.
"I want nothing to do with him."
"Is it because of what happened at school? Honestly, Sev, you need to let go sometime!"
'It's because he took you!' Severus ached to say the words, but he knew that he never would. He'd hidden the truth for far too long to stop now. "No, Lily."
"Fine!" She was angry now. He preferred it that way. Anger broke his heart, but pain shattered it. "Maybe I was wrong about you! I thought that you would be able to change, Severus! I thought that you could be beyond schoolboy rivalries and petty arguments. But I was wrong! James was right about you after all! I never want to talk to you again!" She was shouting by the time she finished, and she stood up so fast that she almost toppled the chair over. She strode out of the room and yanked the door open, slamming it behind her so hard that Severus fancied that he could hear the walls shake. He stood in the puddle of rapidly cooling tea for a long moment, then sank into the chair. It was still warm from her body heat, and it smelled faintly of her. The tears dripped down his face, and even as he started to sob, he knew that it would be the last time he ever cried for Lily Potter.
He was pacing in Albus' office, wondering just what he was doing there. He'd been told, of course, and he didn't know how he should be reacting. He was devastated, naturally, but there was an odd numbness in his soul as well. It was as though he had heard the news through a window, as though there was a barrier between himself and the news. His eyes remained dry, and he could feel none of the crushing pain that Albus seemed to be expecting. And why should he? She'd been dead to him for the last year, after all. She'd kept her promise, and he'd never seen her again. Had she known? That night, had she known that she would be dead within a year? No, of course she hadn't. How could she have known?
The door opened, and Albus stepped through. Severus stopped pacing, and nodded very slightly to his employer.
"I had hoped that you would come," Albus said mildly.
"I did not have much choice," Severus said stiffly.
"You always have a choice, Severus," Albus told him. Severus didn't answer, waiting for Albus to come to the point. Albus took his time, offering Severus both a seat and some sort of candy that Severus refused with a shudder. He confined his answers to grunts and monosyllables, and Albus finally said, "I expect you are wondering why I asked you here."
Severus refrained from either shrugging or nodding.
"I have something to give you."
Severus raised a single eyebrow. Albus sighed, then handed him a scroll.
"Need I open it here?"
"Of course not."
"Headmaster." Severus' nod was as curtly cordial as humanly possible, and he turned without hesitation and walked back down the stairs.
He arrived in his own rooms without meeting anyone, and locked the door with a barked spell. He sat down slowly in the chair, putting his wand away without lighting the fire. There was enough daylight seeping through that he didn't need it.
He slit the scroll open, and looked at the letter without really seeing it. He'd known who it was from, of course. He'd seen her handwriting on the outside, and no one else called him Sev. It was odd that she would use her nickname for him on the letter, though. Usually they reserved it for being in private. He felt his mind start to wander back to those times, and turned it severely back to the letter. Those times were past, and it would do no good to dwell on them.
Dear Sev,
I don't really know how to start this, so I may as well just get the first part over with. I am so sorry for what I said at Christmas. It was totally uncalled for, and I was wrong. You have changed, you know. You've become even more internal and closed than before. I don't know if that's a good thing or not, but I suppose that it's not really your fault. You remember, I told you that Albus explained what you were doing for us? I forgot to tell you how much I appreciate it. James doesn't, but I'm trying to change his mind. You deserve respect, Sev. You're a man now, not a boy anymore. Sometimes it's hard to remember. So much has happened since we talked at Christmas. I had my baby. A beautiful boy called Harry. James' best friend was Godfather, but I would still have preferred it to be you. I've never liked Sirius Black, as you well know.
I hope that you'll forgive me for what I told you. I still want to be your friend, and I hope that we'll be able to meet again. But if we can't, and I know that you might not even read this, then please be nice to Harry. He doesn't deserve to be punished for either of his parents' sins. He looks just like James you know. But he has my eyes. He's going to get so tired of hearing that, I can just tell. He's already walking, and he's even starting to talk. His first word was 'love,' you know. I was telling him how lucky we are to have him, and he looked into my eyes, and burst into a bright grin. Then, he said, "Ove!" I just know that he was telling me that he loves me. I know that you'll love him as much as I do.
This is getting a bit long for just an apology note. I hope that you'll answer me. Please Sev. I don't want you to be angry with me anymore. I was wrong, and I'm admitting to it you. If you want me to tell you in person, then you'll have to come here. Harry's a bit young for Hogwarts yet. (Though I refuse to get down on my knees! I'm not that desperate, you know!) But joking aside, I do miss you, and I want to talk with you again.
Love,
You friend,
Lily.
He held the letter in trembling hands. She'd signed it 'Love.' Could it mean…? But no. She hadn't said anything else about it, just that she wanted to be his friend. That was enough. But she was dead. It was too late now.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered, clasping the letter to his heart. "It was my fault. My fault that you died, and my fault that you thought I hated you. How could you think that? I've never hated you Lily. Never."
Slowly, he pulled the letter away from his body. He knew that he had to keep it. How could he not? But where to put it? He wanted to frame it and hang it for all to see, but there was no way that he could. He wouldn't allow any of the others to see. It was too private, too much a part of himself to flaunt it for all to notice.
Finally, he pulled a discreet black volume off his bookshelf. It was filled with pictures of her, pictures that he'd drawn without her noticing. He slipped the letter into the book, and forced himself to put it back without flipping through the pictures. He'd sworn never to cry for Lily Potter again, and he knew that he would if he allowed himself to get caught up in the pictures. He put the notebook back onto the shelf, and he knew with a definite certainty that he didn't even know he had, that he would never look at the inside of that book again.
He was pacing around his classroom, wondering how in the hell to handle the next seven years. He'd met him. Lily's boy. For the last ten years, Severus had been both dreading and longing for that moment. This was her only child, the last living person who was really hers. And he looked like him. He looked so much like him that Severus had had to study the boy closely to ensure that it really wasn't him. But no. He had Lily's eyes. Those glorious green eyes that showed so much emotion. Severus couldn't take his own eyes off the boy. He wondered what the others would say about him.
Severus couldn't help hoping that the boy would be in his own house. That would have made it so much easier. It would have given him a chance to favor the boy and get him away from all the things that were said about Severus himself. It would give him a chance to get to know the boy and, maybe, reveal some of the things that the boy didn't know about her. He should have known better.
As the sorting hat, curse it, revealed that the boy was a Gryffindor, Severus turned his blazing eyes towards Albus. Albus' gently beaming smile told Severus all he needed to know: Albus had known that the boy would be in Gryffindor, and he knew that Severus hadn't wanted it. In that moment, Severus wanted to hate Albus as much as he'd once wanted to hate Lily. But, like then, he couldn't. He could only sneer and turn away, pretending to all that he didn't care.
The boy showed up in Severus' first class, and Severus felt such hatred boil in him that he surprised even himself. He hadn't thought that he could still feel such emotions. He'd fought to control his emotions and he thought that he'd succeeded. Apparently he'd been wrong. The boy sparked so many feelings that Severus wasn't used to. He looked like him. He looked so much like him that Severus wanted to hate him so much. And yet there were Lily's eyes. Those two green orbs were really the only things that prevented Severus from attacking him on the spot. He couldn't hurt the boy. He wanted to, but he couldn't.
After that class was over, Severus waited for Albus. Sure enough, the fire roared the same shade as her eyes, and the familiar tall, thin figure stepped out, brushing the soot off his snowy beard.
"As convenient as floo powder is, it does have its disadvantages," Albus commented mildly.
Severus didn't answer. Albus hadn't expected one.
"You had your first classes with the first years today, didn't you?"
Severus grunted noncommittally. Albus waited, and Severus knew that he couldn't get away with just that. He sighed. "What did you expect? He resembles his father in every way."
"Does he?"
"He does."
Albus didn't answer for a long moment. Finally, he said quietly, "You could have made the boy into your greatest friend." He didn't have to add that Severus had thrown his chance away.
Severus managed to sneer, though all he wanted was to blast Albus' gently smiling figure out of existence. "There is too much… baggage between us for that to happen, my own reputation among that."
Albus raised his eyebrows. "Is that what you truly believe?"
"I know it, Headmaster," Severus said stiffly.
"Well then," Albus said briskly. "If you know it, then there is nothing I can do to change your mind. I shall leave you to prepare your classes." He stepped through the fire, leaving Severus alone and discontent. Why had Albus left so quickly? Severus wanted Albus to try to insist. Then, he could vent his anger, his fury, and his despair. As it was, all he could do was give all of his students inordinately low marks, and know that it wasn't enough. He sensed that he was destined to spend the next four years in a blur of conflicting emotions. He was not looking forward to it.
Severus shook himself out of memory lane. It was late. The candle that burned perpetually on his mantle had accumulated several more dribbly blobs of wax, and he was stiff from sitting still for too long. He groaned as he stood, carefully not looking at the bookcase as he stretched the cramps out of his long limbs. The black volume was still there, and he knew that if he allowed himself to look at it, he would need to take it out and look at the pictures. That would result in yet another spur of half-remembered conversations and emotions, and he'd had quite enough of that for one night. Instead, he forced his mind to more mundane matters.
What would he do with Draco? It wasn't a particularly pleasant topic, but it was a distraction, and he seized it eagerly. He would have to give the boy detention, and he was far too angry to give him an easy one. Hagrid, maybe? Normally he refused to have anything to do with the man, but now he began to turn the idea over in his head. Draco had wanted to know fear, had he? Hagrid would certainly show him that. Severus' thin mouth turned up in a razor of a smile. Yes, that was what he would do. He glanced at his watch. It wasn't too late after all. Maybe Hagrid would even still be up.
He walked over to his window and peered out into the gloom. Sure enough, a dim light still shone in the gamekeeper's hut. Severus grabbed his cloak and wrapped it securely around himself, stopping only to ward the room securely, then headed as fast as he could towards the front door.
Five minutes later, he was knocking on Hagrid's door. The half-giant opened it with surprise. "Professor Snape," he said warily. "To what do I owe the honor of yer visit?"
"I was wondering if you would have time to take Mr. Malfoy for a detention sometime soon," Severus said curtly. He was cold: even in May the evening air was cool, but he didn't want to prolong this visit any more than necessary.
Hagrid looked surprised. He opened his mouth to ask, but one look at Severus' patent glare discouraged him. "I've got Ginny Weasley tomorrow evenin'," he said. "I can bring 'im with her."
Severus nodded curtly, then hurried back to his rooms.
Ginny looked at Malfoy with distaste. She understood that she was being punished, but still! She glanced over her shoulder at Hagrid, who was trudging behind them.
"Straight ahead into the forest," he instructed.
Malfoy blanched. "Into the forest?" he demanded. "You can't take us there!"
Hagrid glared at him. "I can an' I will, an' if you can't deal with that, then I will inform Professor Snape an' let him deal with you, understood?"
Malfoy glared at him, but didn't comment further. Ginny was surprised. She'd expected Malfoy to jump at the prospect of getting out of the detention. Either he was braver than he looked, unlikely, or he had some ulterior motive. She resolved to keep a close eye on him.
They walked into the forest, and Ginny felt a small part of herself relax. Evidently when Dancing Moon had marked her, she'd left more than just the ability to communicate.
"Right," Hagrid said quietly. "Now, we're not particularly welcome in 'ere any more, but we've got to risk it. There's been strange goin' ons around 'ere, and it's my job to find out what's up. Ginny, Malfoy, keep yer eyes open an' stick together."
"Where are you going?" Malfoy demanded, slowing.
"I'm stayin here," Hagrid told him. "I ain't exactly inconspicuous, understand, an' there's things in 'ere what wouldn't be 'appy to see me."
"So you're sending us in instead," Malfoy said. "You can't do that!"
"I can an' I am," Hagrid said firmly. "You an' Ginny should 'ave enough magic to send up a signal an' stay alive until I get there if somethin' nasty gets you."
"Should?"
"Just get on with it," Hagrid snarled. "The sooner you get in there, the sooner you can get out."
"What exactly are we looking for?" Ginny asked, trying her best to change the subject. She wanted to get into the forest proper as soon as she could, and Malfoy was not making it easy. She wondered how much trouble she'd be in if she ditched him and went to talk to Dancing Moon instead.
"Anythin' out of the ordinary," Hagrid told her. "I don't know what's out there, so just keep yer eyes open."
She nodded, then turned towards Malfoy. "Are you coming?" she demanded. "Most of the really dangerous things are nocturnal, you know."
He gulped, then nodded. The two of them walked into the forest, careful to keep a good five feet of empty space between them. Ginny lit her wand, and Malfoy followed suit. Slowly, glancing around as they went, they advanced into the forest.
Ginny, attuned to nature through her connection with the unicorns, sensed it first. She veered to the right, leaving the defined path.
"Where are you going?" Malfoy hissed.
"Something's wrong over there," Ginny whispered back. "I'm going to take a look."
"We're supposed to stay on the path!" Malfoy told her fiercely.
"We're supposed to be looking for unusual things," Ginny answered firmly. "This is most definitely unusual. You can stay there, if you want. I wouldn't keep going, though. You wouldn't want to get lost."
"Shut up," Malfoy snarled, but he stepped off the path to join her. "What makes you the expert here?"
She flashed him a grin that had nothing friendly whatsoever in it. "I've been here more than you have," she said flatly. "Now be quiet."
To her surprise, he didn't complain, only followed her deeper into the underbrush. They went a good ten yards, until Ginny stopped dead.
"What?" Malfoy demanded, almost running into her.
"Shut up," Ginny snarled, not turning. Her eyes were glued to the scene in front of her. The creature in the clearing turned to look at her, and she took a step back, colliding with Malfoy. Its human head followed her as she moved, and it began to advance. Its spider-like body was uncoordinated and clumsy, yet it managed to move with surprising speed.
"What is it?" Malfoy demanded. His voice rose until it cracked, but Ginny was too terrified to notice.
"I don't know," she answered. "But I think it's what Hagrid's looking for."
The creature suddenly halted, and a strand of gray material shot next to them. It glowed eerily, and Ginny shuddered.
"Call for help!" she shouted, sidestepping another strand of gray stuff.
"What?" Malfoy shrieked.
"Call for Hagrid!"
"How?"
She turned to him in irritation. "Are you a wizard or not, Malfoy?"
He fumbled for his wand, dropping it in his haste. He backed up another step, and screamed as another of the monsters grabbed him from behind. Ginny reacted instinctively, blasting a curse at the thing. She missed, and her hex blew up the bush next to Malfoy. The smoke curled up into the sky, hanging in the still air.
'Well, at least Hagrid will see it,' she thought absently, readying herself for another spell. Suddenly, there was another explosion, and the monster that held Malfoy was blasted back several feet. Ginny looked at Malfoy in surprise. He was standing there, terrified, looking in disbelief at the monster that had only seconds before been holding him. It lay stunned on the ground, bleeding sluggishly. Its blood dripped a glittering black, and Ginny shuddered violently. There was another explosion, and the one facing her fell back in its turn. Ginny looked behind her in amazement, hardly daring to believe what she was seeing. A convoy of unicorns burst into the clearing, led by a young male. Dancing Moon was keeping very close to him, but she veered away as soon as she saw Ginny.
"Are you all right?" she asked, worriedly.
"I… I'm not sure," Ginny answered, shakily. The reality of what had just happened hit her suddenly, and she turned abruptly, vomiting into the nearby bushes. They were blackened and torn, both by the webs the creatures had created and the blasts of the unicorns. "I'm alive, at least."
The male leader neighed impatiently. "Battle Star asks, who is the human male with you?" Dancing Moon translated.
"His name is Malfoy," Ginny said. Malfoy looked at her sharply when he heard his name. Feeling that she should probably do introductions both ways, she added, "Malfoy, this is Dancing Moon. We met under circumstances that don't concern you."
"Are you alone?" Dancing Moon asked her, not acknowledging Malfoy.
Ginny shook her head. "Our teacher should be here soon," she said. Sure enough, a loud crashing heralded the coming of Hagrid. He burst into the clearing, red faced and sweating, holding his cocked crossbow ready. He stopped dead when he saw the unicorns. His eyes traveled from Malfoy to Ginny to Dancing Moon to Battle Star and his battalion of unicorn then down to the bodies of the two monsters. He stared at the bodies.
"What in God's name are those things?" he demanded.
"You're into monsters," Malfoy answered, still a little shakily. "Why don't you tell us?"
Hagrid ignored him, looking back up at Ginny.
"Tell him that Battle Star wishes to speak to him," Dancing Moon told Ginny in response to the leader's imperious whinny. Ginny conveyed the message, then waited as Battle Star began a discourse in unicorn tongue. Dancing Moon waited until he was through, then began to translate. As she spoke, Ginny repeated her words out loud.
"She says, the monsters came about a month ago. None of them know what they are, but they've been watching them carefully. She says that this is the first time the monsters have actually attacked anyone, but they suspected that it was only a matter of time. She wants to know if you can do anything about them. They'd rather not take the matter into their own hands – sorry, horns – again, but they will if they must."
Hagrid looked at her in shock. "How?" he began. Dancing Moon snorted sharply.
"She says, don't worry about that right now. I'll explain it to you when we have time, I promise. They want to know your answer."
Hagrid sighed. He suddenly seemed to remember the cocked crossbow in his hands, and busied himself with taking the arrow off the string.
"She says don't do that," Ginny told him. "They don't know if there are any more around."
Hagrid nodded, and looked up again. "Tell 'er that I don't know yet what to do. I'd better take these two in an' study 'em first. Maybe that'll give me an' idea of what they are."
"They're spiders with human heads," Malfoy said scornfully. His face was still dead white, but he was starting to regain some of his poise. Ginny looked at him with disgust. "How much more do you need?"
Hagrid ignored him, still staring at the monsters. "An' I've got to tell Dumbledore. Maybe he'll know what they are."
Ginny nodded. She pulled out her wand and dropped down next to the monster. Holding the wand as a defense in case it wasn't quite dead, she examined it. It was even more hideous from close up. Its teeth shone wetly in the moonlight, pointed and cruel. Its human face was streaked with filth, and one of its pincers twitched every so often. She shuddered and backed up quickly.
"Tell your teacher that we will hold a council to decide what to do," Dancing Moon instructed. "I will call you when we reach a decision."
Ginny nodded and relayed Dancing Moon's message. "Let's get out o' here," Hagrid said, nodding gruffly to Dancing Moon and Battle Star. "Dumbledore'll want to know this as soon as possible."
The unicorns melted back into the forest. Dancing Moon bowed her head to Ginny, and Ginny smiled at her. Her smiled trembled, but she willed it to still. She turned back to Hagrid. "Let's get out of here." With the departure of the unicorns, the last of the adrenaline was leaving her system, and she felt dangerously close to fainting. The forest was suddenly as alien as it had been for the last four years of her life, and she wanted nothing more than to leave and never come back.
"I agree," Malfoy said. Both were too shaken to internalize his words, and neither one reacted to the fact that he'd actually agreed with her. "You shouldn't have made us come in here in the first place. I could get you fired for this!"
"Shut up," Hagrid snapped. "Ginny, can you find yer way out without me?"
Ginny nodded. "I think so."
"Good. Go back to the castle and fetch Dumbledore he'll want to know about this."
She nodded again, and turned swiftly back towards the path. Fifteen minutes later, she and Malfoy had emerged into the grounds proper. Malfoy sped off towards the castle without even looking back at her. She grimaced, but couldn't really blame him. Even attuned to the forest as she was, then encounter had been terrifying. She couldn't imagine what it must have been like for him.
Angrily, she shook the thought out of her mind. In its place, she saw the monster advancing on her again. She took off in her turn, running towards the castle at top speed. She burst through the doors and up to the gargoyle. There, she stopped. She had no idea of the password. "Let me in!" she gasped. "It's important!"
The gargoyle didn't move. Suddenly, she heard footsteps behind her. Still not entirely free of the visions of monstrosities, she drew her wand and spun around, turning to face the monster that she half-expected. As she did so, she noticed for the first time that her hands and clothes were splattered with black blood and gore. She shuddered convulsively, and swayed, her vision graying.
"Miss Weasley," a sharp voice said. "What has happened?"
Dimly, she recognized the voice as Dumbledore's. "Hagrid. Monsters. Help," she managed, then fainted onto the stone floor.
Author's note 2: Yo give credit where it's due, the spider monsters belong to Tamora Pierce. Go read her series, 'The Immortals,' it's pretty fun stuff... -grins-
--Tamara