Lady o' the House
Lightweight
Joined: 17 Mar 2007
Posts: 15
Location: Indiana
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 Posted: Mon Mar 26, 2007 5:50 pm Post subject: Snape's Second Chance - PG |
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Hi,
This idea's been swimming around in my head for months now, and I've finally started writing it down. It's a work in progress, so feel free to tell if you think it's trash.
Cheers,
Lady
I.
There was a knock on the door.
“Severus, may I come in?”
Snape looked up from his ledger and scowled at the door. Although he had great respect for Albus Dumbledore, Snape disliked the old headmaster of Hogwarts and all the ‘good’ he stood for.
“Come in,” Snape sneered, rising to his feet in deference.
The door opened slowly and the bearded old man hobbled in, walking stick in his left hand. He smiled warmly at Snape and sat down in the large chair across from the desk. Snape sat back down in his chair and stared at Dumbledore, waiting to hear what he wanted.
Dumbledore, aware of Snape’s discomfort, took a deep breath and glanced around the room. Snape’s chamber was full of jars of dried herbs and bottles of liquids of every color of the rainbow. Directly behind Snape’s chair was a large floor-to-ceiling bookcase filled with rows upon rows of herbology and potions books. The high round window across from Snape’s desk illuminated the volumes and they glowed with the sunlight of the mid-day. Little flecks of dust flew about in the sunbeams.
“Severus, I thought you’d like to know that I just spoke to an old friend of yours.”
Snape was intrigued. He didn’t have many friends, at least friends who would talk to Dumbledore. He didn’t let his interest show in his stoic face, however.
Dumbledore went on. “I’ve invited your old friend to come back to Hogwarts and teach for a semester. She’s an expert on the use of aromas and visuals; sensory magic.”
She. Snape racked his brain, but couldn’t recall any sorceress he knew, other than McGonagall, Hooch, and the others currently at the school.
“She’s coming from Thailand, and will be here tomorrow evening.”
Dumbledore sensed Snape’s confusion.
“Surely you remember Morna?”
Oh, God, thought Snape, unable to keep his face from falling. Not her.
“If I remember correctly, you two were very good friends while you were students.”
Snape felt trapped.
“That was a long time ago, Albus.”
“Not so very long ago. Anyway, she’ll be here for the evening meal. She did ask about you.”
Snape continued his stoic stare.
“I’ll be sure to leave a place next to you at the table for her.”
Dumbledore rose from the chair and started toward the door.
“Oh, Severus? She’ll also need to have some use of your room. She is bringing her own things, but there are some things she was unable to obtain in Thailand. She’ll be taking the chamber next door.” Dumbledore gave Snape a small smile and a nod, then headed out the door.
When the door closed, Snape sat back in his chair and gazed into the air, wondering what he could do. It had been more than ten years since he’d last seen Morna, and at least five since the last letter. Of course, he’d never written her back, but she’d persisted for half of her absence.
He closed his eyes and tried to think about anything else, but Morna’s face kept coming back to him. Her soft brown eyes, ruby red lips, her long, wavy dark brown hair, and her soft laughter. She was always happy, always full of laughter, but still, a very serious student. Those were definitely happier times. At one time, he had considered the idea of marriage, but Morna was gone from Hogwarts before he could muster the courage to ask her.
Shaking his head to clear the reverie, he rose from the chair and walked out the door. A walk in the courtyard among his plants would help to clear his thoughts.
“Severus, Albus told us all the good news about Morna joining the faculty this semester. I bet you are thrilled.”
Minerva McGonagall strode up to Severus, who was crouched down tending his favorite foxglove plant.
“Mmmm,” he mumbled.
“How long has it been? Oh, fifteen years, I suppose?”
“Ten.” Snape refused to look at her.
“My, it seems much longer. She was a wonderful student, and a beautiful girl. You both were close friends, weren’t you?”
McGonagall was not taking the hint. Snape didn’t want to talk about Morna, and especially with the teacher who called Morna her favorite pupil.
“If you’ll excuse me, Professor McGonagall, my herbs need weeding.” Snape arose and walked around her, to the other side of the garden.
Puzzled, McGonagall shrugged her shoulders and walked out of the garden.
Snape watched her leave from the corner of his eye. When McGonagall was out of sight, he sat back on his heels and looked up at the sky. He wondered if word about his history with the new teacher had gotten around to the students yet.
“I’m not staying out here to find out,” he said out loud. He got to his feet and walked back inside the school.
Luckily, there were no students in the corridor. Snape quickly walked back to his chamber and closed himself inside.
He decided to stay in his chambers instead of going to the evening meal, saying that he had papers to grade and plans to edit for tomorrow’s classes. Hagrid took the message to Dumbledore for him and brought Snape back a tray with roast duck and a few carrots. Snape left the food sitting on his table and went back to his work, trying desperately to keep Morna out of his mind.
While looking over Miss Greengrass’s latest masterpiece, Snape’s brain was overcome by the memory of his first meeting with Morna. Dumbledore had introduced them and paired them together as study partners.
“Severus, this is Miss Wintervale. She’s a new student to Hogwarts, and she’s been placed in Slytherin. I know the two of you will get along famously, and that you’ll both be a great help to the other,” Dumbledore smiled at Morna and then at Snape.
Snape wasn’t very happy about being paired with a younger student; Morna was a year behind him. But he knew there was nothing to be done about it, so he nodded curtly at the girl and then asked her to follow him.
As they walked to Slytherin House, Morna tried to make small talk with Snape. He answered her questions with short answers, hoping she’d get the hint that he wasn’t into chatting, but she kept up her line of questioning.
“This is Slytherin House. This is the commons area, where we meet as a group, and your room is up those stairs,” Snape said, pointing to the stairway.
Morna stood there, looking from the stairway to Snape and back again.
“I don’t know where I’m going, Severus. Would you walk up with me?” Morna turned on all her charm and smiled shyly at the older boy.
Snape suddenly felt dizzy, like he was lost in a cloud. He could hear himself answering her as if he were outside his body.
“Sure.” Smiling, he bounded up the stairs and Morna followed him.
Looking up from his desk, Snape could see that the light was gone from outside and his candle had shrunk down to almost a stub. With a sigh, he blew out the candle and went to bed.
II.
Snape’s night was anything but restful. Sleep was slow to come, and when it did, his mind jumped right into dreams of her. He couldn’t keep her memory away any longer.
It was evening and Morna and Snape were alone in the Slytherin commons area, poring over their herbology books. Snape, as usual, was very quick at brewing potions and he read his chapter with ease. Morna, on the other hand, struggled with herbology, and, frustrated, she growled at the words on the page.
“Aaahhhrrrrr. I don’t understand how you do it,” she cried.
“Do what?”
“Get through this bloody reading. It’s enough to drive me simply insane.” Morna dropped her head down on the table and sighed.
“What don’t you understand?” Snape, who was already experiencing very strong feelings for the girl, shook his head and raised his thin brows.
“Anything! And everything!” The voice coming from the prone girl was beginning to falter. Snape thought she might start to cry.
He got up and sat down next to her and picked up her book. As he did, he brushed against her hand. Instantly, he was startled by a sensation rather like a mild electric shock, although the feeling was the opposite of unpleasant.
Dumbfounded, he looked at her. Her head still lay on the table, but she was holding her breath. It seemed she was afraid to move.
“What just happened?” she asked, finally looking up at him, her eyes red from tears which had just begun to flow.
“I…I don’t know. I simply brushed against your hand. I’ve never felt anything like that before.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Why do you apologize?” he asked.
“Because I did it,” she said, matter-of-factly.
“What did you do?”
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Morna sighed. “I’ve always been able to do it, but only when I’m stressed. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”
Snape looked at her.
“No need to apologize, it didn’t hurt.”
“Oh,” she said, looking away from him, embarrassed.
Snape sat dazed, staring at the girl beside him. Whatever happened between them, he felt it zap straight through him. It wasn’t a painful feeling, but it was one to make his heart skip a beat and give him a strange sensation all over. Carefully, he picked up her book and looked down at the page.
“Uh…mmmm…alright. Here, look at this,” he stammered, blushing at the feelings in his body and the faltering of his words.
Unaware of Snape’s behavior, Morna moved closer without touching him and looked on as Snape explained the passage in her book. She studied the words intently, as Snape tried to read on.
At last, it was too much for him to bear. Snape got up and moved to the fireplace and rubbed his hands. Despite the warmth in the room, he felt a chill in his hands and feet. Morna watched him, and when he stopped in front of the fire, she turned away from the book to face him.
“I’ll talk to Professor Dumbledore tomorrow,” she said sadly.
Snape turned around, puzzled.
“Whatever for?”
“I don’t think this will work. I’m bringing your marks down as well as mine. I’ll ask him to assign me to another study partner.”
“Nonsense. My marks have never been stronger.”
“It’s bound to happen.”
“Why do you say?”
“Because I can’t concentrate and it’s rubbing off on you.”
Snape couldn’t make sense of what Morna was saying. Morna wasn’t sure she was making sense at all.
“Severus, do you ever feel like there’s something missing or out there, away from you, or just within your grasp, but you can’t see it or feel it?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Never mind.” Morna shook her head and looked away.
“No, tell me more,” Snape said, moving back to the bench and sitting next to her. He could feel the vibrations coming from her again, but this time he didn’t shy away.
“Sometimes I feel so empty inside, like I’m not a whole person. It’s strange, but when I’m with you, I don’t feel like that.”
Snape’s eyes grew wide. He was afraid his feelings showed. He didn’t speak, for fear of blurting out what his heart felt.
“Sometimes I feel like my power is not of this knowledge,” Morna whispered. “I mean, I love my studies here, even herbology,” she said, slamming the book shut and shoving it away from her. “But it feels as if I am missing another knowledge.”
“Morna.”
The girl looked up at him. Her eyes were soft and warm, and filled with the beginnings of tears. He took her face in his hands and bent down. He kissed her ever so softly, his lips touching hers slowly and sensuously.
When Snape sat back up, he noticed that her eyes were still closed. Slowly, she opened her eyes and gazed up at him longingly.
“I shouldn’t have done that,” Snape blushed and looked away.
“No, it’s okay. I rather liked it,” Morna smiled and put her hand up to his face.
Snape closed his eyes against the sweet touch of her fingers on his temple. Morna moved closer and slowly kissed him. His arms instinctively wrapped around her and she melted into him.
Snape woke with a start. He was in a cold sweat, and he felt disoriented for a moment. Gradually, he realized he was in his room and morning light was pouring into the room from the high round window.
He swung his legs over the side of the bed and shook off the residue of the disturbing visions. He rose, dressed, and gathered his books and papers and left the room without a glance back.
(To be continued?)
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A little sleep, a little dream. |
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