47. Two days before everything changed
It's funny how we feel so much
But we cannot say a word
We are screaming inside
But we can't be heard*
"Bloody hell! Damn her! She might get stuffed! Selfish egoist! I will never defend her again! Enough of that!" Ron burst into the dormitory so suddenly that Harry, who was lying on the bed, almost fell off it. He quickly pocketed the ball he had received as a Christmas present from Snape and had been staring at for the last fifteen minutes, alternatingly recalling the faces of his mother, father and Sirius. "She became unbearable! Worse than my mother! If I knew that- What was that?" Ron stopped spewing bitter curses and looked in surprise at Harry, who was trying to seem extremely interested in the wrinkle in the covers.
"What? Oh, it's nothing. Just... a ball. I was practicing... catching the snitch," Harry tried to explain quickly, but Ron frowned suspiciously. "What happened? You look pretty pissed," Harry asked, trying to change the subject.
His friend sighed heavily and fell onto the bed.
"Hermione," he muttered under his breath. "Is she that... I don't know how to call it... terrible to you, too?" Harry frowned, waiting for further explanation from his friend. "It's just that she... fuck, I don't know," Ron huffed irritably. "Her behavior is simply awful. She keeps following me around and telling me what to do. I can't even take a piss on my own. And suddenly she became incredibly demanding. She blames me for everything. That I don't do this, that I don't do that. I just can't take it anymore." Ron wiped his face with his hand and looked at Harry with the expression of a martyr. "Why didn't you stop me while there was still a chance?"
Harry shrugged.
"I didn't tell you to date her," he replied. He didn't feel like listening to Ron's complaints at all. He was going to see Snape in half an hour.
"Maybe it was a mistake?" his friend asked, turning his face to the window. It was late afternoon and the sun, low in the sky, cast long shadows on the sparkling white fields. Harry saw the obvious dejection on Ron's face and felt sorry for him. He knew exactly what he must be going through now. He had felt the same way many times this year. "You know what? I don't feel like sitting here. I don't feel like looking at her at all." The redhead turned his head towards Harry, looking at him with pleading eyes. "Let's go to the pitch and practice Quidditch. I need to have some fun."
Harry felt a pang in his stomach.
"Er... you know, it's quite late..." he muttered. "And it's very cold."
"It never seemed to bother you," Ron muttered with resentment in his voice. "Since you found a girlfriend, you don't have time for us at all. You're always gone. When was the last time we did something together?"
Harry swallowed. Ron was right. Lately, he had been devoting almost all of his free time to Severus. He tried to think of an evening he and Ron spent doing something other than homework, but he really couldn't. His friend looked at him with a mixture of bitterness and hope, and Harry felt very stupid.
He closed his eyes, fighting an internal battle within himself.
"Okay," he finally said. "You're right. Sorry. Let's go. I miss Quidditch too." He smiled faintly.
That was actually true. In winter, training was organized very rarely due to too severe frosts. Even Angelina wasn't sadistic enough to make them train in such conditions. Besides, no other team trained, so no one lost anything.
Ron perked up almost immediately. He jumped out of bed and dived into his trunk, looking for a broom and warm clothes. Harry took advantage of the fact that his friend wasn't paying attention to him and slipped his hand into the pocket, closing his fingers around the green gem.
Sorry, I can't come today. Something came up. We'll meet another time.
He jumped out of bed, feeling excitement in his heart. Oh, he really missed flying. Snape probably won't blame him for not coming to him this one time. Besides, it wasn't the day of the detention, so he didn't have to go.
As he changed into warmer clothes, he felt the warmth emanating from the stone. Pretending to tie his shoe, he knelt down and read the message:
I'll expect you tomorrow evening then.
Oh, he didn't expect Severus to take it so calmly, but he was pleasantly surprised.
All right. - he sent back quickly and stood up. He put both stones in his trunk so as not to lose them on the pitch, put on a few more layers of clothes and left the dormitory with Ron, clutching his Firebolt in his hand and already imagining the taste and smell of the winter air that he would finally be able to taste after this long break.
"Oh, are you going to fly?"
Harry turned halfway down the stairs, seeing Ginny coming out of the girls' dormitory.
"Yes, we want to get some exercise," Ron replied.
The girl beamed.
"Can I come with you? I haven't flown for a long time. I could use some exercise. I've missed the last few training sessions and it's not the same on my own. Greg doesn't like Quidditch." She grimaced, as if the idea of someone not liking Quidditch was as alien to her as house elves speaking ill of their masters.
Ron and Harry exchanged glances.
"Alright. You can be useful. You're gonna practice shooting, I'm gonna practice defense, and Harry's gonna practice finding the Snitch."
"Great!" Ginny clapped her hands. "I'll be right back, give me a minute to change."
"Have you seen that overhang? I almost fell off my broom, but it was worth it! Have you seen it? I didn't even know I could do that! It was amazing! Or how I hit that tile with just my fingertips! Have you seen it?" Ron was enthusiastic all the way from the pitch, across the meadows towards the castle, illuminated by the lights shining through the windows. The snow was crunching under their boots, and Harry felt as if every muscle in his body had frozen, and it squeaked even louder now as he walked. Even louder than Ginny's laughter. But at the same time he felt like he was born again. He felt completely relaxed. Like after good sex with Snape. Except that now he had a lot of energy inside him, which was literally driving him crazy.
"Yeah, that was good. Did you see how I made a last-minute turn just above the ground?" he asked Ron and Ginny, grinning from ear to ear and recollecting the rush of frosty air that still played in his hair. "I dug my feet into the snow. I thought I was done for. Hahaha. But at least now I know what to do if Zabini or Cho were hot on my tail. No broom can handle this. Except for the Firebolt."
"Yes, hahaha. I'll try this on my Cleansweep sometime," Ron grinned.
"Better not," Ginny giggled. "I'm not going to pick your pieces out of the snow later. Besides, you only succeeded because my fingers were too cold to aim properly. This isn't good weather for Quidditch though."
"Look," Harry remarked as the three of them entered the castle, stamping their feet and brushing the snow from their shoes, "if you scored so many goals in such conditions, how many will you score in the spring?"
"Scoring goals for Ron is no challenge," the girl smiled, and the Gryffindor turned red.
"You're about to get hit with a broom!" He raised his Cleansweep and swung it at Ginny, who jumped back, laughing, and hid behind Harry.
"Maybe you could stop being so loud?" a plump lady with a baby in a cradle growled at them, depicted in one of the paintings hanging in the Entrance Hall. "You're gonna wake her up!"
Ginny put her hand over her mouth, choking on laughter, while Ron chased her around the Entrance Hall, swinging his broom, and Harry had to lean against a pillar to control his laughter.
"I have to go to the toilet. Wait for me," Ron panted as he stopped for a moment, leaning on his broom, and then headed to the bathroom to the right of the Great Hall.
Ginny stopped next to Harry, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.
"It was great. It's a pity we don't go out together more often."
Harry straightened up, finally catching his breath. "Yeah. Next time-"
"What's going on here?" a deep, low voice filled the space, seemingly coming from nowhere. Harry felt a chill run down his spine. He turned sharply towards the stairs leading to the dungeons and saw Snape emerging from them. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Ginny's smile immediately disappeared from her face. His own smile was buried under the floor a long time ago.
The man approached them confidently, rustling his cloak. Harry saw only coldness in his eyes, making the frost outside seem like child's play.
"Mr. Potter and Miss Weasley," Snape muttered, stopping in front of them and looking down at them with narrowed eyes. "I see you're having so much fun that you don't care how much noise you make. Your house loses ten points."
"But it's not quiet the curfew yet…" Ginny protested.
"Silence!" Snape's voice seemed to be carved from ice, and Harry felt a strange vibration in it that made something inside him tremble with fear. He made sure he was standing far enough away from Ginny, but moved back a little more just to be safe.
"We were going to fly. Is this somehow prohibited now?" Ginny asked stoutly. Harry silently asked all the deities for her to shut up. Severus didn't seem willing to be lenient at the moment.
"And another ten points for that impertinent tone," he growled, looking at the girl as if she had suddenly turned into a very irritating bug. "I don't care what you do together in your free time, but there are rules in this castle. One of them is the ban on making noise in the corridors. The second rule," he pointed to the wet, muddy traces covering the entire floor, "is the prohibition of destroying or dirtying school property. And for that, another ten points. Clean this up immediately or I will notify Mr. Filch."
Harry wanted to pull out his wand, but Ginny beat him to it. He saw that her hand was shaking slightly as she removed the marks with a cleaning spell. She was obviously having a hard time controlling her anger.
"And the third rule," Snape continued in a vindictive tone, "is the ban on using spells in the corridors. Another ten points for that, Miss Weasley. One more demerit and you'll be grounded, is that clear?"
Ginny blushed and nodded, though her eyes were almost flashing with lightning. She seemed disappointed that none of them had yet stabbed the teacher and burned him on the spot.
Harry swallowed, looking at the floor and trying not to shake with anger.
No, that was too much! Damn it, they weren't doing anything wrong!
At the same moment they heard the door open and Ron ran out of the bathroom. However, he stopped abruptly when he saw Snape.
"Uh... did something happen?" he asked uncertainly, glancing at the teacher, his sister, who was red with anger, and Harry, who was staring at the floor.
"Nothing," Ginny snapped, turning around and slinging her broom over her shoulder. "Let's go."
Harry dared to look up and almost immediately regretted it when he saw Severus' gaze. It was disturbing. Yes, it was icy and furious, but something was trembling inside it and Harry couldn't recognize it at all.
Maybe if he had looked more closely, he would have realized what it was, reacted differently, and then... it all wouldn't have happened.
When they returned to the Common Room, Hermione was nowhere to be seen. Ginny cursed Snape the whole way, Ron joined in after finding out what had happened, and Harry didn't say anything. He only regained his sense of humor when the three of them sat by the fireplace, warming themselves and playing an Exploding Snap. It was Friday and luckily they had the whole weekend to do their homework.
Harry had no idea how long they were playing, laughing and talking. It was almost like before, when they used to spend their evenings at the Burrow during the holidays. Eventually the Common Room emptied, Ginny went to bed, and Ron took out the Wizard's Chess set and talked Harry into playing a few rounds. Finally, when Harry managed to beat Ron for the first time, his friend said it was too late and he couldn't think anymore. He got up, took the chess and went upstairs. Harry stretched and yawned. It was so warm and pleasant in front of the fireplace that he had no desire to get up and move somewhere. He was just laying there and staring at the quietly shooting flames, remembering all the happy moments from today. Eventually, however, when his eyes began to feel unbearably heavy, he realized that he couldn't sleep here and with difficulty rose to a sitting position. Then he heard the sound of a portrait moving away and footsteps muffled by the carpet. He turned and saw Hermione entering the Common Room. Seeing Harry, she stopped uncertainly and turned her head away. However, the boy managed to notice her red eyes. She clutched a book in her arms.
"Oh, it's you Harry. I didn't think anyone would still be here at this time," she murmured, staring at the wall and clearly unwilling or unable to look at him.
"Where have you been?" he asked, frowning. "We thought you were in the dormitory. I was with Ron and Ginny at the-"
"I know," she interrupted him suddenly, her voice much sharper. "I saw you through the window. You're not the only one who needs some alone time in the Room of Requirement sometimes. And please... don't mention him to me."
"Who? Ron? I'm sorry," he muttered as she gave him a half-exasperated, half-bitter look. Seeing her swollen eyes and tear marks on her cheeks, he felt a pang in his heart. He didn't think their fight was that serious. Apparently, Hermione experienced it much more severely than Ron. While they had such a great time all evening...
"Listen," he started, not really knowing what he wanted to say. "Come on. In relationships... there are always arguments. It happens. And it's no one's fault."
Hermione looked at him sadly from under her blowout and slowly walked over to the sofa, plopping down on it with a sigh next to Harry. The boy bit his lip. He wasn't the best at comforting.
"That's not the point," she said quietly. "It's just that I feel like he... never mind."
"He doesn't want to listen to you and gets angry when you try to direct him?"
Hermione snapped her head up and looked at him with wide eyes. "How do you know?"
"Because you... you always want to boss everyone around," Harry muttered.
"Thanks," she snorted.
"I don't want to make excuses for him," Harry denied. "But you should probably understand that no one likes being told what to do all the time. I know you mean well and... I don't know, you're convinced or something that you're right and that it will help him and that it will be best for him... but people don't like being controlled all the time." He swallowed, feeling a sudden knot in his stomach and remembering Severus' gaze.
Hermione gave him a long, thoughtful look.
"I know you're right, but still... I won't forgive him for what he said. He always generalize. That's all he can do. I hate this."
"Like you now?" Harry muttered.
"What?" Hermione looked at him in surprise and blushed. Harry smiled slightly.
"I always thought he could do a few other things," he said.
"Yes, for example, eat," the girl replied and suddenly burst into laughter.
"And snore," Harry added.
"And not being worried about doing his homework."
"And he's a real master of Exploding Snap."
Hermione giggled and sighed deeply, then looked at Harry with gratitude in her hazel eyes.
"Thanks," she muttered. "But I won't forgive him anyway. At least not this fast. He needs to understand that some things... shouldn't be said," she finished, sadness filling her voice again. "But I don't have a pair for tomorrow's party... Will you go with me? I don't want to be there alone and watch Ron... And I don't want to be stuck in the dormitory like a bump on the log."
Harry blinked. "What party?"
Then he remembered. Joint birthday of Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell. He completely forgot about it. They invited him some time ago, but he had no intention or desire to go.
"Er..." He looked at his friend, who was still looking at him with red eyes, and sighed deeply. "All right. Actually, it might even be nice..." he said, trying to show enthusiasm and not think about how he would explain it to Snape. It's probably best to do it in person.
Hermione beamed and threw her arms around his neck. "Thanks, Harry. You're wonderful."
Yes, but is the fact that he's 'wonderful' enough of an explanation for Snape? He sincerely doubted it.
Harry woke up at noon. He went to bed so late that when he got to his dorm, he just threw himself on the bed and fell asleep almost immediately. He didn't even feel like changing his clothes.
He sat down on the bed and looked around. Neither Neville nor Ron was in the room. Snow was falling outside the window and the sky was cloudy. He stretched and climbed out of bed, then headed to the bathroom. The cool shower immediately woke him up. As he put on his clean trousers, he instinctively reached into his old pockets to replace the stone, but when he didn't find it there, he froze. Only after a few seconds did he remember that he had thrown it into the trunk yesterday and completely forgotten about it.
Damn, that meant he forgot to send Snape the 'good night' too!
He rushed out of the bathroom, opened the trunk and started rummaging through it. He smiled slightly when a small red box fell into his hand. Valentine's Day gift for Severus. It's true that there are still two weeks until Valentine's Day, but he decided to prepare it earlier. He had bought the box during his last visit to Hogsmeade, and what was inside it... Well, he just hoped he would be brave enough to give it to Severus. He moved the box aside and reached to the bottom of the trunk, where he found a green stone. With a now faded message:
Are you all right, Potter?
Harry bit his lip. Snape must have sent it to him last night, after Harry didn't send him a 'good night'. Damn it! How could he forget about it? What if Severus had been worried about him all night?
No, hold on. Surely Severus wouldn't worry about him all night long... No, certainly not. He just... was probably surprised that Harry hadn't sent him anything and wanted to find out what was going on. Yes, it was probably like that. Severus wasn't the type to worry about something like this.
He sighed, wondering what to send back, and finally settled on:
I'm sorry, but I left a stone in the trunk and then I got tired and went to sleep. And only now did I get up. Don't be angry.
And after a while he added:
I'll come in the evening.
True, he only intended to go to explain to Severus why he couldn't stay, but in the end... he would come.
He put the stone in his pocket just as Ron burst into the dormitory.
"Well, you finally got up. Do you know where Hermione is? I tried to write my Astronomy essay in time for the party, but I'm having trouble. And she's been nowhere to find since yesterday."
Harry sighed. He probably had a long conversation waiting for him...
As he stopped in front of the familiar door, he was filled with doubt. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed? Maybe he should say no to Hermione? He had been thinking about it all day today, but every time he remembered her red eyes, he felt overwhelmed with guilt. He really didn't have time for his friends at all lately, and Hermione was always there to help him, if he had a problem, he couldn't turn his back on her now, no matter how much he'd rather spend the evening with Severus. After all, they'll have hundreds of other evenings... right?
With a heavy sigh, he touched the wooden surface of the door and entered the office. Once inside, he took off his invisibility cloak and walked to another door, but he just stared at it for a few moments before finally deciding to knock. He felt as if he had eaten a lot of stones, which now weighed unbearably in his stomach. The door opened almost as soon as he touched it, revealing a tall, dark figure. Severus' eyes narrowed and his lips pursed into a sneer as soon as his eyes fell on Harry standing in the doorway.
"Oh, so you decided to come… What a surprise," he spat, turning his back on Harry and moving towards the armchair.
"A simple 'good evening' would do," Harry murmured as he stepped inside. Well, he expected Severus to not be in the best mood, but he didn't think it would be this bad...
The man plopped down in his chair and reached for his half-empty glass. Harry glanced at the bottle next to him. It was almost empty.
Well, that's even worse...
"Come on, sit down," Severus muttered, drinking the rest of the glass in one gulp. "Are you going to stand there all evening?"
Harry took a deep breath, watching the man tilt the bottle and pour the last of the drink into the glass.
"I... I just came to tell you-" he swallowed as his throat suddenly constricted, preventing him from saying anything, "-that I cannot stay."
The hand with the bottle paused in the air and for a few seconds it seemed as if time had stopped. Harry tried to read Severus' face, but it was covered by a curtain of hair. After a moment, time began to move again and the man put the bottle back on the table very carefully, although Harry had the strange feeling that he was squeezing it a little too tightly. He thought that he should probably explain himself somehow, even if it felt like every next word might be his last.
"I... there's a party in the Common Room today and Hermione had an argument with Ron and asked me to go with her. And I couldn't say no, because lately I just-"
"Shut up and leave."
The words that cut through the air seemed to come from very far away.
Harry pursed his lips and licked his lips. Snape didn't yell at him or throw him. It was not that bad. But something about that voice was bothering him... But he didn't have time to think about it now, because he was too relieved.
"I'm sorry," he mumbled into the floor. "Next time I'll stay, I promise. I want to-"
"If you want to go, why are you still standing here?" Severus growled, not turning his head away from the fireplace, nor looking at Harry.
Harry bit his lip. It would probably be best to get away before Severus changes his mind. Apparently he shouldn't have been so afraid.
"Then... see you later," he muttered and turned to the door. When he was behind it, he took a deep breath. It didn't go as bad as he thought. He thought Snape would blame him for going out with Ginny, but maybe he had finally decided that he was overreacting. Although in light of what had happened when Harry put on her tie, it was unlike Severus to take such a calm approach to the subject.
Harry reached the door leading to the hall, threw on his cloak and opened it, but before he left he hesitated as he remembered the strange tone of the man's voice.
There was something about it... something Harry could feel subconsciously, but he couldn't name or define it. It bothered him. Didn't Severus react too calmly? Maybe he should go back and... ask him about it. Confess that he would rather spend the evening with him, because after all, he didn't tell him that at all...
He slammed the door and turned back. However, he had only taken a few steps when he heard a loud, terrifying bang. He jumped and stopped on his way, staring in bewilderment at the door leading to Severus' chambers.
It sounded like... like... like someone had smashed a bottle against the door.
He swallowed.
Maybe it would be better... not to come back. He didn't feel like having another... battle right now.
He tiptoed back to the door and opened it as quietly as he could, then closed it with the same caution.
Later he would talk to Severus and explain a few things to him. Now he had neither the disposition nor the strength for it. Yes, later...
"Oh, Harry, it's a pity you don't like dancing," Hermione sighed, plopping down next to him on the sofa against the wall. She was flushed with exertion and her thick hair was disheveled. For the last fifteen minutes she had been having fun with Neville, who seemed to be the only boy in the group who could dance. Besides, Seamus, Dean and the rest of them looked and acted as if there was some "addition" in their butterbeer bottles again. The music was so loud that Harry could barely hear himself think. He had the impression that the entire Gryffindor House was crowded in the Common Room. Or at least everyone from third grade and up. It was Angelina and Katie's last birthday, as they were both leaving Hogwarts in a year, so they apparently decided to throw such a big birthday party that everyone would talk about for a long time. Harry wondered how they managed to convince McGonagall to accept it.
Ron and Hermione still weren't speaking to each other. Ron was having fun on the other side of the Common Room with Lee Jordan and the other seventh years, Ginny had disappeared halfway through the party, probably sneaking out to have a tryst with her boyfriend again, and Harry was just sitting on the couch drinking Butterbeer 'with a twist' most of the time. which he didn't even know how, ended up in his hands, and watching couples flirting more and more shamelessly in the corners.
"I'm thirsty," Hermione muttered, taking the beer from his hand and taking a long sip. Her cheeks reddened even more, but she didn't say anything as she handed the bottle back to Harry. "Are you sure you don't want to dance?" she asked, looking at him carefully.
"No thanks. I'm comfortable here. I'm glad you're having fun, though." He smiled artificially.
"I really needed it," she replied with a bright smile. "Thanks for coming with me." She leaned forward and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm going now. If you feel like it, you can join us. "After these words, she got up and ran to Neville, who was jumping around like his own toad.
Harry sighed. He was fed up with the noise, laughing people and couples hugging each other. He thought it would be nice, that he would spend pleasant time with his friends again, but in fact he felt extremely alien here. As if he had stopped belonging to this world a long time ago. He leaned his head back, resting it on the back of the couch, and stared at the ceiling. For the next half hour he just sat there and drank until the ceiling started to be blurred. When he finished another bottle, he lowered his head and looked around the room, fighting against dizziness. A ballad was coming from the speakers and most of the people were dancing, pressed against each other, and the number of couples snuggling in corners had doubled. Harry scanned the crowd, trying to spot Hermione, but he couldn't see her anywhere. He stood up carefully, set the bottle down on the table and moved forward, making his way through the crowd of dancers. When he reached the other side of the Common Room, he stopped suddenly.
He found Hermione. She was sitting on the couch with Ron and making out with him. Well, apparently they finally made up... It looked like he wasn't needed anymore.
He sighed heavily and turned around, wondering what to do with himself.
He will go to Severus. Yes. Maybe it's not too late. No one will notice that he's gone anyway. He'll just sneak out for a little while, just to see him.
He entered the dormitory, took the invisibility cloak from his trunk, hid it in his pocket and went downstairs. He managed to slip away unnoticed, and when he reached the corridor, he threw on his cloak and carefully made his way up the stairs and straight to the dungeons. Halfway there, he realized that he forgot to take the Marauder's Map. He just hoped he wouldn't suddenly run into Filch or some teacher patrolling the corridors.
Fortunately, he managed to reach the door of Severus' office without any major obstacles. He stopped in front of them and reached out to touch them, but... they didn't move. He frowned and reached for the doorknob. He pressed it several times, but the door remained closed.
Apparently Severus wasn't there. Maybe he had to go on some mission again. Too bad... He wanted to see him so much. Tell him that it was a big mistake, that he should have stayed with him, that he had agreed to go to that party unnecessarily.
He sighed and turned around. He started back, shuffling his legs and wondering if Severus was still angry with him... He had already climbed to the fifth floor, but then the stairs started in the opposite direction and he had to make a detour. But when he came around the corner of the corridor, he had to stop so abruptly that he almost tripped and fell. He almost stepped on Mrs. Norris. The cat snorted and jumped away, huffing furiously.
Harry looked around the hall for Filch, but luckily he was nowhere around. He knew he had to get out of here as soon as possible if he didn't want that damned cat to raise the alarm.
He carefully bypassed Mrs. Norris who was watching him with her ruby eyes and moved on. However, the animal began to follow him.
"Shoo! Get out of here!" he hissed, quickening his pace. The cat meowed in response. She apparently still remembered the last meeting during which Severus had treated her so brutally. The worst thing was that she seemed to have perfect vision through the invisibility cloak. She almost got him in trouble a few times. He must lose her!
He accelerated even more, but the animal was still running after him.
"Back off, you stupid little furball!" he muttered angrily, then started running. The cat meowed again and gave chase. Harry rounded another corner and ran down the narrow corridor, looking over his shoulder to see how far Mrs. Norris was from him. And then, just before the next corner, he hit something that screamed in fear in a high-pitched voice, he bounced off something soft, and landed on the floor.
He shook himself, trying to get rid of the spots dancing before his eyes, and then he saw.
It was Ginny. She groaned, getting up from the floor and staring in horror at where Harry lay. It must have been a really huge shock for her, colliding with something invisible. Harry quickly pulled the cloak off his head.
"It's me," he whispered. But she didn't look reassured at all. She stood up and looked behind her, eyes wide with fear. Harry noticed that her blouse was wrinkled and buttoned with only one button, her lipstick was completely smeared, her hair was disheveled, and there were several visible hickeys on her exposed neck. Oh, she was obviously coming back from her tryst with Greg...
"Get up," she squeaked softly, her voice trembling so much that she could hardly control it. "I... I just almost bumped into Snape. I don't think he saw me, but he definitely heard me. Come on, we have to-"
Harry froze when he heard distant footsteps. He felt as if his heart had dropped to his feet and his stomach had sunk into his esophagus. He looked back, seeing a cat running up and snorting loudly.
"We have to hide!" Ginny rushed to his side and jerked him to his feet. "Here!" Without waiting for anything, she pulled him towards the nearest cupboard door. Harry didn't even have time to protest before she pushed him inside, closed the door behind them, and pushed them into the far corner of the room, trembling all over. But Harry felt like he was shaking even more than she was. He could almost hear his own heartbeat as it echoed in his ears. He unfolded the cloak and threw it over himself and Ginny, praying to all the gods that-
He heard meowing and scratching behind the door.
"No..." Ginny moaned, pressing herself even further into the wall. Harry couldn't get the words out anyway.
The footsteps were getting closer, each one making Harry have more trouble breathing. Finally the footsteps paused. They both stopped breathing.
He knows it's me! Harry thought in panic. He heard Mrs. Norris snorting loudly and the doorknob moved. The door opened with a soft creak and a tall, dark figure appeared in the entrance. Harry felt as he had felt a few months ago when Severus had entered the cupboard for the first time, radiating that bone-deep danger. He couldn't breathe back then, and he had the impression that the man was sucking the space around himself. But Harry was much more afraid of him now than he was back then.
"Potter," he muttered, walking inside and reaching for his wand, which he used to light a few candles on the shelf. "I know it's you."
Harry wanted to walk into the wall, and judging by Ginny pressing herself against him, she was dreaming of exactly the same thing. Snape took a step towards them. Harry stepped back even further, knocking the broom, which slowly slid down the wall with a terrible noise and fell to the floor.
Severus moved his gaze from the fallen broom to the exact spot where Harry and Ginny were standing. He held out his hand. Harry saw long fingers tightening in the air and getting closer and closer. He forgot how to breathe.
He knew it was over.
The man's fingers tightened on the cloak and a look of triumph spread across his face. With a violent jerk, he pulled it towards him, and when his eyes fell on Harry and Ginny pressed against the wall... the triumph turned into stupefaction so enormous that Harry had the impression that the man had also forgotten how to breathe. His wide, black eyes moved from Harry's terrified face to Ginny hunching at his side, and slowly moved down through the disheveled hair, the wrinkled, almost completely unbuttoned blouse, and the red hickeys covering the girl's neck.
When the man's dark, strangely shining eyes moved back to Harry, the boy saw only one thing in them... terrible hatred. As if everything had suddenly disappeared, leaving only a gaping, venomous, hellish revulsion. As if they suddenly went back a few months, to that day when it all started...
And Harry felt like he was going to slide down the wall because Severus... his Severus was now looking at him the same way... as he had for the last six years.
* "I will remember you" by Sarah McLachlan