Sevvie Want A Cracker?
Written for The Family Ties event
Prompt 11: Write about a dark individual when they were young (i.e. 17). Alternatively, incorporate cheesy crackers into your story.
A/N: I was trying to find inspiration at 2:30 in the morning and this happened. If you're one of my friends, you'll get the joke. Everyone else, enjoy the random nonsense. :)
"You know what it means as well as I!" Karkaroff spouted, retracting his sleeve and revealing the symbol on his forearm.
The door struck the stone wall with a bang, the noise reverberating throughout the corridor as Severus backed against the shelves. That was when they noticed the boy standing with his mouth agape, staring at moving image seared into Karkaroff's flesh.
Their eyes met briefly, black burning into olive green. Karkaroff swept past, keeping his head down as he hurried along the corridor. But the noise had drawn the attention of another, the familiar step-thump, step-thump echoing off the walls.
A slew of muttered expletives fell from his lips, and without a moment's hesitation Severus slammed the door in Harry's face.
He was in no mood to deal with the boy or that off the wall crackpot Albus hired to replace his former colleague. Severus needed a moment to think, to compose himself in the privacy of his storeroom without being accosted by that wretched Karkaroff.
Step-thump, step-thump. Footsteps getting closer, racing thoughts and distant voices.
Surely he hadn't seen that. No, of course not. In any case, it's not as though Potter knew what that symbol meant. Moody might very well chase down Karkaroff and interrogate him, leaving the Potions Master in peace.
With his back against the door, Severus took several deep breaths, listening to the conversation outside. When the voices started to fade, he let out a sigh of relief.
"Finally," he muttered, and reached for the ladder to his right.
The dark man glanced at the door, listening for a while longer. And then he began to climb. When he reached the top, he started searching through the bottles and jars, moving them aside one by one until he found what he was looking for.
Severus carefully slid a large box off the top shelf. He began his descent with the box tucked under his arm, one hand on the ladder to steady himself. When he reached the bottom he paused, lovingly caressing the box with long slender fingers.
This was it. His most precious treasure. And without a single word he plunged into the contents of the box, bringing out several bags of cheesy crackers.
Both hands were in constant motion, shoveling snacks into his mouth like there was no tomorrow. Crumbs spilled down the front of his pristine clothes, gathering like dust on the floor. He was just starting on his fourth bag when the door was flung open, and there in the corridor stood the leering form of Mad Eye Moody.
Severus froze, crouched on the floor in front his box of cheesy crackers. One hand was halfway to his mouth, his grubby fist overflowing with cheesy goodness.
Only his eyes moved, starting at the artificial limb and then travelling upwards. He watched as a gastly grin split the scarred features of Alastor's face, and the former Auror calmly stated, "Some things never change, Severus."
What did he mean by that, Severus wondered, hearing the door squeal on his hinges as Alastor made his way down the corridor, chuckling as he went. He then went back to stuffing his face with cheesy crackers, making sure the door was locked before continuing his feast.