Challenge # 91: The Knockturn Alley Challenge
Title: Eyes of a Stranger
Rating: PG
Pairings: none
Spoilers for HBP
Minerva shivered slightly as she stood and listened to Hagrid arguing with the rather shady looking merchant at one side of the dirty narrow street. She hadn’t wanted to come to Knockturn Alley. Even in good times, it was an area that made her uneasy, and her unease was certainly much higher now after all that had happened in the past couple of months. But none of them should be wandering around alone at the moment. Her experience in Hogsmeade a week earlier had shown her the folly of that, and since both she and Hagrid had errands to run in London, it just made sense for them to do them together.
Her eyes kept sliding away from her companion and roaming restlessly over her surroundings as she waited for him to finish his bargaining. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to be caught off guard in such a dismal and nasty place. Just as she glanced down between two buildings on her right, a familiar figure crossed the gap at the other end.
A jolt ran through her like a bolt of lightning. Had that been Severus? She glanced quickly towards Hagrid, but the groundskeeper was deeply immersed in his conversation and obviously hadn’t noticed a thing. Thoughtfully, she turned back towards the narrow opening. Should she check and see? If it was him, shouldn’t she at least try to see what he was up to? She hesitated for a moment longer, then, making up her mind, she tightened her grip on her wand and turned to walk quietly down the narrow passageway between the buildings.
When she reached the other end, she peered cautiously around the edge of the building to find herself outside an empty flagstone courtyard. Leading out of the small area was another narrow passage between the two facing buildings, a scarred wooden door that was firmly closed, and an archway that led into yet another smaller shadowy enclosure.
If he’d gone into the door, she wasn’t about to follow. That would be foolish in the extreme when she was alone. It seemed to make sense to check out the archway first and, if he wasn’t in there, to go and look down the other alleyway. So clasping her wand ever more tightly in nervous fingers, she inched her way over to the archway.
When she bent and peered carefully into the opening, a pale hand suddenly reached around her and jammed a wand up under her chin. As she jerked upright with a gasp, Snape’s low voice demanded that she drop her wand.
When she didn’t immediately do as he commanded, he jabbed his wand more painfully into the delicate flesh of her neck. Reluctantly responding to this wordless threat, she let her wand drop to the ground and stood there quietly waiting to see what he’d do next.
“What are you doing here, Minerva?” Snape hissed in her ear.
“Severus, I thought it was you,” she stated softly, trying to keep any emotion from her tone. “Are you going to kill me, too?”
The wand beneath her chin wavered slightly at her words and then dropped away, as her captor took a step back away from her. His voice sounded tired when he addressed her again. “You shouldn’t be here alone.”
She turned around to face him. “I’m not alone.” She extended her hand and pointed to one of the openings between the buildings. “Hagrid is right at the end of that passageway. He’d be here in a matter of moments if I call for him.”
“Are you going to call for him?” he asked.
“Are you going to stop me if I do?” she asked in return.
They stared wordlessly at one another for a long moment, taking each other’s measure, trying to read each other’s intent. Minerva couldn’t help noticing how horrid he looked. He’d always been thin and pale, but now he looked positively haggard. His hair was more unkempt than ever and there were deep dark hollows beneath his eyes that spoke of an exhaustion that penetrated to the bone.
“Why did you do it, Severus?” she whispered suddenly. That one question had burned most brightly in her heart ever since Albus had died, and she’d learned that Snape was responsible. It was a question that she never truly expected to have answered, because she never expected to have the chance to ask it. But now, against all odds, here she was face to face with him one more time. So she took her chance and waited.
He stiffened, and she saw the wand clutched tightly in his white knuckled hand tremble slightly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he murmured softly in a voice that was strained and tight.
“Try me,” she said simply.
His eyes narrowed and stared deeply into hers as she held her breath, waiting to see what he’d do. She hoped he could see her sincere desire to understand, but his own eyes, once so familiar and alive, were shuttered and blank.
For a moment they simply stood there unmoving, then he seemed to reach a decision and it looked as if he was about to reply…as if she might just get her answer after all. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, there was a loud rustling from the alleyway behind her, and Hagrid’s booming voice filled the enclosed space.
“Perfesser McGonagall! Where are you? Perfesser!!”
Annoyed at Hagrid’s horrendous timing, Minerva turned her head and glanced towards the sound of his voice. But when she turned back, Snape was gone. Involuntarily, she gasped and twisted around to see where he’d gone, but clearly he’d vanished. There was no point in looking any further. She wasn’t going to find him.
Just then, Hagrid came barreling out of the opening that looked too narrow to have contained him. “There ya are, Perfessor. You shouldn’t ought to go wanderin’ around alone here. It’s not safe,” he stated firmly in a voice heavy with relief.
Minerva nodded in agreement. “I’m sorry, Hagrid. You’re right. I should have said something before leaving you. I just…I thought I saw someone I recognized down here. That’s all.”
Hagrid frowned and looked around the empty space as if he’d somehow missed seeing another person. “Here? Did ya?”
Minerva shook her head sadly and bent to pick up her wand. “No. I was mistaken. It wasn’t anyone I knew after all.”
Rating: PG
Pairings: none
Spoilers for HBP
Minerva shivered slightly as she stood and listened to Hagrid arguing with the rather shady looking merchant at one side of the dirty narrow street. She hadn’t wanted to come to Knockturn Alley. Even in good times, it was an area that made her uneasy, and her unease was certainly much higher now after all that had happened in the past couple of months. But none of them should be wandering around alone at the moment. Her experience in Hogsmeade a week earlier had shown her the folly of that, and since both she and Hagrid had errands to run in London, it just made sense for them to do them together.
Her eyes kept sliding away from her companion and roaming restlessly over her surroundings as she waited for him to finish his bargaining. The last thing she wanted was for either of them to be caught off guard in such a dismal and nasty place. Just as she glanced down between two buildings on her right, a familiar figure crossed the gap at the other end.
A jolt ran through her like a bolt of lightning. Had that been Severus? She glanced quickly towards Hagrid, but the groundskeeper was deeply immersed in his conversation and obviously hadn’t noticed a thing. Thoughtfully, she turned back towards the narrow opening. Should she check and see? If it was him, shouldn’t she at least try to see what he was up to? She hesitated for a moment longer, then, making up her mind, she tightened her grip on her wand and turned to walk quietly down the narrow passageway between the buildings.
When she reached the other end, she peered cautiously around the edge of the building to find herself outside an empty flagstone courtyard. Leading out of the small area was another narrow passage between the two facing buildings, a scarred wooden door that was firmly closed, and an archway that led into yet another smaller shadowy enclosure.
If he’d gone into the door, she wasn’t about to follow. That would be foolish in the extreme when she was alone. It seemed to make sense to check out the archway first and, if he wasn’t in there, to go and look down the other alleyway. So clasping her wand ever more tightly in nervous fingers, she inched her way over to the archway.
When she bent and peered carefully into the opening, a pale hand suddenly reached around her and jammed a wand up under her chin. As she jerked upright with a gasp, Snape’s low voice demanded that she drop her wand.
When she didn’t immediately do as he commanded, he jabbed his wand more painfully into the delicate flesh of her neck. Reluctantly responding to this wordless threat, she let her wand drop to the ground and stood there quietly waiting to see what he’d do next.
“What are you doing here, Minerva?” Snape hissed in her ear.
“Severus, I thought it was you,” she stated softly, trying to keep any emotion from her tone. “Are you going to kill me, too?”
The wand beneath her chin wavered slightly at her words and then dropped away, as her captor took a step back away from her. His voice sounded tired when he addressed her again. “You shouldn’t be here alone.”
She turned around to face him. “I’m not alone.” She extended her hand and pointed to one of the openings between the buildings. “Hagrid is right at the end of that passageway. He’d be here in a matter of moments if I call for him.”
“Are you going to call for him?” he asked.
“Are you going to stop me if I do?” she asked in return.
They stared wordlessly at one another for a long moment, taking each other’s measure, trying to read each other’s intent. Minerva couldn’t help noticing how horrid he looked. He’d always been thin and pale, but now he looked positively haggard. His hair was more unkempt than ever and there were deep dark hollows beneath his eyes that spoke of an exhaustion that penetrated to the bone.
“Why did you do it, Severus?” she whispered suddenly. That one question had burned most brightly in her heart ever since Albus had died, and she’d learned that Snape was responsible. It was a question that she never truly expected to have answered, because she never expected to have the chance to ask it. But now, against all odds, here she was face to face with him one more time. So she took her chance and waited.
He stiffened, and she saw the wand clutched tightly in his white knuckled hand tremble slightly. “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” he murmured softly in a voice that was strained and tight.
“Try me,” she said simply.
His eyes narrowed and stared deeply into hers as she held her breath, waiting to see what he’d do. She hoped he could see her sincere desire to understand, but his own eyes, once so familiar and alive, were shuttered and blank.
For a moment they simply stood there unmoving, then he seemed to reach a decision and it looked as if he was about to reply…as if she might just get her answer after all. But just as he opened his mouth to speak, there was a loud rustling from the alleyway behind her, and Hagrid’s booming voice filled the enclosed space.
“Perfesser McGonagall! Where are you? Perfesser!!”
Annoyed at Hagrid’s horrendous timing, Minerva turned her head and glanced towards the sound of his voice. But when she turned back, Snape was gone. Involuntarily, she gasped and twisted around to see where he’d gone, but clearly he’d vanished. There was no point in looking any further. She wasn’t going to find him.
Just then, Hagrid came barreling out of the opening that looked too narrow to have contained him. “There ya are, Perfessor. You shouldn’t ought to go wanderin’ around alone here. It’s not safe,” he stated firmly in a voice heavy with relief.
Minerva nodded in agreement. “I’m sorry, Hagrid. You’re right. I should have said something before leaving you. I just…I thought I saw someone I recognized down here. That’s all.”
Hagrid frowned and looked around the empty space as if he’d somehow missed seeing another person. “Here? Did ya?”
Minerva shook her head sadly and bent to pick up her wand. “No. I was mistaken. It wasn’t anyone I knew after all.”