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Chapter 6: Dawn light
It was early the next morning when Severus Snape awoke. Sitting in the dawn light he observed that the Weasley twins were both asleep and the young witch who shared the wards with was in exactly the same as she had been last night. Hermione Granger's head was in a neck brace laying flat on the mattress. She had no pillow. Her long hair was lifted to rest on splayed out on the bed away from her neck above her head. Under the sheets her legs were laid out straight and appeared to be splinted. Her arms seemed to lie like levers against the sheet and blanket that was covering her. Why if she had broken bones had not Pomfrey given the witch skelegrow wondered the Potions Master.
Tinky the elf came in and checked on the young witch before levitating one twin to another cot that he observed in the room. The small elfess then climbed onto the bed and carefully cuddled up to Miss Granger so she could easily whisper into her ear. Severus could not hear what the elf was saying but she seemed to be having an intense conversation with the witch. After a while the elf got up and crossed over to Severus.
"Soo Professor Snapey whats you feel like?" the elf inquired tilting her head while looking attentively at him. "Do you want the cloakroom?"
"Yes please but I am not sure I will be able to walk there alone so could you give me a hand," asked Severus Snape in a polite tone his students would be amazed he even knew.
"So no snarky today," questioned Tinky with a raised eyebrow so like the Potion Masters own habit of the raised brow.
"No no Snarky today I don't have to pretend to be bad any more," advised the professor as he hobbled with assistance of the elf to the bathroom. The elf smiled, as she had known for years that it was a complete act and the potion master was really quite nice to all the castle elves.
"You should have shower too Snapey I get a shower chair for you and your toilet kit from your rooms for you while you goes oneses. I will also get Dinky to come and stay with you too so if you fall you don't go all redese like that one time", advised the elf before it was cut off by the Headmaster.
"Thank you that would be nice" said Severus quickly cutting off the elf while he tried to control the blush that had crossed his cheeks thinking of the time he was rescued from the bath by the female house elf with the assistance of Poppy and Minerva. The three females had dined out on the embarrassing situation for years. Most certainly he did not want to add more tall tales to the many in circulation about the dungeon bat of Hogwarts.
After his absolutions the male house elf Dinky assisted him back to a freshly made up bed. Goddess it was good to get back into a bed with fresh sheets and feel clean. As Severus Snape was dressed in a pair of black sleep trousers and a short sleeve black t-shirt he only pulled the sheet over himself. Kicking the blanket to the side while he settled down to read one of the potion journals that had appeared in the ward on his bedside table.
"My Goddess! Severus Snape not formally dressed what on earth is the world coming to? Where is your stiff top coat?" teased Minerva McGonagall as she came in with his breakfast tray. It was set with two meals and the Deputy Headmistress settled herself down to eat and discuss a number of issues. Poppy had bustled in with a tray that had a couple of meals for the twins and Tinky. After setting the lid off the bacon she allowed the fumes to wake the Weasleys. Food was always a good prompt for them to wake she found over the years of treating the various members of the family.
"So Severus do you wish to stay on as Headmaster? Are you willing to allow your Snakes to be looked after by another Professor? What do you want to do now that you are no longer forced to be here due to your vows to Albus?" probed Minerva. She had fired off the questions rapidly at the former Order spy.
"I really don't know Min. I never thought that I would actually survive the war. So at this point in time I don't know what to think or what I want," the confused man confessed to his formally dear friend. Severus Snape was not sure if he had completely forgiven Minerva for her betrayal or was it his betrayal? What ever it was the lack of faith or support by this woman who had been a long time friend and colleague had hurt him. Yes he knew that it was a role and he had played it but he thought that this woman knew him better than the superficial character he played for the public.
"What about all those things we used to talk about to reform the teaching and create less friction between the students? Now is your chance to implement them. I am pretty sure that you will have support from the Minister of Magic and I think we could get some of the others like Potter to come out in support of your changes", advised Minerva McGonagall. The witch was hoping to keep the younger man as Headmaster. Many times in the past the two colleagues had discussed improving Hogwarts and if change was going to happen it need a younger person's drive and enthusiasm.
"If we are going to make improvements to the teaching I would want to make changes to all subject areas and I would like the input of the others. Additionally I would like to add new subjects and make some modernization to the building to reflect the modern society we live in today. I wont be able to do it with out the support of a strong Deputy. Do you think you would be willing to be my deputy? I feel guilty that you were passed over as you had been Albus deputy for years" acknowledged Severus looking at the older witch watching to see her reaction.
"So you will stay," cried the woman who was in tears before she rose quickly to embrace the prickly potions master. "Do you want to implement your grand dream as you used to call it?"
"I do but I have updated it since I last talked to you about the improvement plan a couple of years ago. We have to deal with staff who are not competent for the new standards I want to implement and recruit staff who can teach rather than be self-serving idiots. The first item for the agenda is the exorcism of Binns and getting a better curriculum in place for the History of Magic because our history is not just the Goblin wars of 200 years ago," exclaimed the Headmaster.
Nodding in agreement Minerva mentioned, "Well you don't have to worry about Horace as he has already packed and left the building. So we can say thank you and send him back to retirement with a nice box of pineapple pieces".
" We will need someone for potions and we will also need a Slytherin who could look after your snakes for you", advised the Gryffindor Lioness listing some areas that would need replacements for the next school year. No more doing two or three roles in the one organisation. They needed more people to spread the workload.
"Well we would need some one to be your deputy house master and a second transfiguration teacher as I will need you for administration and academic control. You can't do it all or you will fall apart believe me I have tried and I am paying the price", countered Severus.
"I would want Remus so that means we will have to have Tonks. The two of them can do DADA. We need another couple of deputy heads and second teachers for all the existing subjects. We also will need qualified teachers for the new subjects."
"I will need to review the damage to the building and we will need to get a design committee together to draw up the new plans. I want to speak to the Goblin Imperator about funding as well as representatives from all the magical races. If it is the last thing I do I will break down the discrimination and prejudice."
"I want to see every member of staff today and I will need you to do the pre briefing session with them on the grand plan," stated the dark haired man who seemed to have a light of passion glittering in his dark orbs that Minerva had not seen in years. Yes he looks like he was going to live his life. Miss Granger had done a miraculous save according to Harry Potter. The young witch had protected a large number of other students but now Professor McGonagall would have to ensure that Hogwarts looked after this witch who had looked after so many.
Poppy moved from Miss Granger's bed across to Severus. "Now Min don't you think it is time that we removed Severus' glamours. Since you don't have to be the cruel bastard any more why not be true to yourself," suggested the mediwitch.
"You put those glamours on 16 years ago when you started teaching here and were not that much older than the 7th year students. I don't think you will have a problem anymore with 7th years", advised Minerva. Yes in the new world let Severus be his own man that including looking like his true self.
"Besides I am keeping you in here for at least a week my boy so I can get you fitter and repair some of the damage all those years of torture did to you. We need a super fit Headmaster to lead our school into the modern age," affirmed Poppy with a broad smile.
"Ok get it over quickly," conceded the set upon man.
Pomfrey passed a pain potion to Severus and he knocked it back with a grimace of distaste for the taste. "Don't complain you're the one who brewed it", the mediwitch advised him before whipping out her wand and casting a number of spells removing the glamours before straightening and whitening his teeth.
Severus Snape hair was no longer greasy but now very soft inky blue black and slightly longer before the removal of the glamour. The Headmaster was a little taller as his sleep trousers confirmed with his ankles now showing below the cuffs. The spy master's complexion changed as well as he was no longer pasty white but now a light olive skin tone and looked about ten years younger than his actual age of 38 years.
"Do you want me to try to do anything about your scaring?" inquired Madam Pomfrey.
"No Poppy there is nothing much you can do about the scaring and you know it. I am used to them they are part of me of who I am," the dour man stated ardently.
The Twins had finished their breakfast and they now put their heads round the curtain again to see what Madam Pomfrey had done to Professor Snape.
"Oh Snapey Don't", said one twin while making over dramatic gestures with his hands.
"You look good", advised the other twin deploying a camp mincing walk while clicking his fingers as he walked round to the other side of the bed.
"We can no longer call you", stated the camp acting twin while pointing a finger at Severus hair.
"The greasy bat" advised the other twin before his brother switched in with the end of the sentence, "of the dungeons anymore".
"Severus when you want to get a funding committee up and running we will be in," advised the Twin who had been acting very camp, as he turned suddenly serious. Severus was not sure which twin it was because the boys always pulled the double trouble act on him.
"We also want to help with the rebuilding and development of educational programs to suit individual's like Miss Know-it-all there and other intelligent individuals who were bored senseless in classes. Not that we are saying either you or Minnie's teaching was crap but it was a little boring at times", confirmed the other twin which just affirmed Severus' long held belief that these two twins were so mischievous due to boredom.