(no subject)
Who: Matthis Heim and Severus Snape
What: In which Heim tastes victory and Severus obliges
When: GrownHP timeline, backdated to sometime within the first 48 hours of Sebastian’s coma, after the Remus-Sev incident.
Matthias Heim had to call Snape’s name twice before Severus seemed to take notice of him at all. The Death Eater’s eyes were as pitch black as he remembered from school, and just as angry. There was a bruise against Severus’ jaw line where he had been struck and a vague weariness that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Against the unhappy expression, blank eyes and black garb, set pale and unassuming against his neck were four small scars peppering either side of Severus’ jugular.
The reason he died.
Matthias was a Healer, or had been before retirement and his entry into politics. He had been the head at St. Mungo’s. He never assumed to be all knowing, and he wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that logic could explain everything. He’d seen people wake up from comas decades afterwards, and had seen people crumble and fade away when there was nothing physically wrong with them. He understood there were things that magic, and medicine could not explain.
That being said, Severus like a handful of other people had returned from the dead. There were ways to cheat death, Matthias knew, and all of them about as black as magic came. It made those scars on his neck as telling as the brand on his arm. Matthias’ eyes followed from the scar on his neck, to the black tattoo on Severus’ arm and back again. Snape seemed amused.
“I asked you a question.” Heim mumbled. “The Auror, will he live?”
The anger almost flashed in Snape’s eyes. Instead, the man began to pace. He reminded Matthias of a dog being kept on a short leash. Waiting. “My son is still recovering.” There was another beat before, “How is your grandson?”
“Careful.” Heim warned.
“Sound advice, pray you take it. I’m in no mood.”
“Do you know what I can do to this school?” Heim asked suddenly, both surprised and bemused that Severus would dare to speak to him in such a way. He crossed the Headmaster’s office to stand before the desk. Snape seemed to retreat then, pulling himself to his full height, with those black eyes darting towards the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. He had heard of course, of Severus’ legendary devotion to the Headmaster and an almost inability to make decisions without someone else telling what to choose and why. Governor McNair had said to use that. Men like Snape were only as powerful as their Masters- and right now, his master was an ocean away. “Do you know what I can do to you?”
Snape arched a brow but his eyes remained on the portrait. He looked for a moment to be asking permission. “Oh? And tell me, Inquisitor, what can you do to me?”
“Understand.” Heim hissed, leaning forward, rolling his weight onto his knuckles. “This is not a personal matter for me. I have no interest in revenge. I paid my price in the wars.” The Headmaster made a motion, and Heim’s hand fell to his wand. “But can you imagine what I can I do? You are a Death Eater Headmaster, and tell me does that boy of yours still wear the Dark Mark like a symbol of pride? Does he still cast it up in the sky? I wonder how it must look- your boy and you. Lupin and his cub.” Matthias found himself smiling at Snape’s ill-concealed anger. “At best, you are making this school into a new Durmstrang and at worst, you both are hard at work raising our children to be another generation of Death Eaters and monsters. The press will pull you apart like warm bread and I confess, I am curious. Is your master proud of your accomplishments?”
Heim let the words hang in the air for a long time. The Headmaster was pulling at his leash, demanding a chance, however minute. It was times like this when Heim remembered how savage these creatures really were; men like Malfoy and Lupin, like Fenrir. They only looked human and only at first. If you stood in a room too long with them you began to see the cracks, their true nature shining through.
Foolish man, he thought staring up at Snape, do you think you can take anything more from me.
Snape’s eyes were angry and nothing more. It took several moments before Snape choose to respond and when he did, it was like watching a man slide into a mask. His entire persona seemed to become quiet. “I wonder if you see it.”
“See what?”
“What you’ve become.”
Now it was Heim’s turn to straighten to his full height, the Headmaster remained demur. He even bowed his head, refusing to meet his eyes. Heim felt suddenly as if he was being played. Looking into Snape’s expression was very much like staring into ink: nothing escaped or was revealed, the pacing from a moment before had vanished, and even the tone was low, respectful and perhaps even the slightest bit sarcastic as if to avoid suspicion. He couldn’t tell which person had been the real Headmaster. It was almost as if Snape had set up a perfect guise to lure Heim out and now once revealed, had sprung the trap.
He doubled back mentally. Snape was not that clever. He was striking at an easy wound because he was running scared. Creatures were predictable.
Weren’t they?
“Now you understand.” Severus returned, his tone soft. “Credit my interests to whatever source you like, but I have no intention of seeing this school or the students within it endangered. The investigation into how our wards were breached is already underway and I intend to make a full report to the Governors board, and I am sure the Aurors will make their report available to you as well.” There was a long pause. “And because you are High Inquisitor, I am obligated to inform you that I expect your full support should I decide to close the school.”
The feeling of being played increased. “Closing? You would close the school.”
“I will not see the students in this school endangered.” Snape said it softly, like a mantra. “And I am willing to do whatever is in my power to ensure that.” Another beat. “Including cutting my losses when I feel all other avenues have been exhausted and not a moment before. Are you satisfied?”
“I want to question your Deputy Headmaster myself…”
“That is your right. My staff is open to you.”
“…what do you gain from this?”
“My daughter is one of the champions threatened.”
“I think we both know how much you care about that girl.” Heim countered. “The child you attacked was your namesake, wasn’t he? Your new Head of House? Handy payoff.”
If his intention was to get a rise, Snape didn’t offer it. The Headmaster simply looked down, and seemed to marvel at the mess on his desk. “I will begin to make the arrangements for that contingency plan. You’ll have them on your desk by the morning and if I can be any more use to you,” a thin smile, all at once patronizing and humble, “do not hesitate to ask.”
What: In which Heim tastes victory and Severus obliges
When: GrownHP timeline, backdated to sometime within the first 48 hours of Sebastian’s coma, after the Remus-Sev incident.
Matthias Heim had to call Snape’s name twice before Severus seemed to take notice of him at all. The Death Eater’s eyes were as pitch black as he remembered from school, and just as angry. There was a bruise against Severus’ jaw line where he had been struck and a vague weariness that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Against the unhappy expression, blank eyes and black garb, set pale and unassuming against his neck were four small scars peppering either side of Severus’ jugular.
The reason he died.
Matthias was a Healer, or had been before retirement and his entry into politics. He had been the head at St. Mungo’s. He never assumed to be all knowing, and he wasn’t arrogant enough to believe that logic could explain everything. He’d seen people wake up from comas decades afterwards, and had seen people crumble and fade away when there was nothing physically wrong with them. He understood there were things that magic, and medicine could not explain.
That being said, Severus like a handful of other people had returned from the dead. There were ways to cheat death, Matthias knew, and all of them about as black as magic came. It made those scars on his neck as telling as the brand on his arm. Matthias’ eyes followed from the scar on his neck, to the black tattoo on Severus’ arm and back again. Snape seemed amused.
“I asked you a question.” Heim mumbled. “The Auror, will he live?”
The anger almost flashed in Snape’s eyes. Instead, the man began to pace. He reminded Matthias of a dog being kept on a short leash. Waiting. “My son is still recovering.” There was another beat before, “How is your grandson?”
“Careful.” Heim warned.
“Sound advice, pray you take it. I’m in no mood.”
“Do you know what I can do to this school?” Heim asked suddenly, both surprised and bemused that Severus would dare to speak to him in such a way. He crossed the Headmaster’s office to stand before the desk. Snape seemed to retreat then, pulling himself to his full height, with those black eyes darting towards the portrait of Albus Dumbledore. He had heard of course, of Severus’ legendary devotion to the Headmaster and an almost inability to make decisions without someone else telling what to choose and why. Governor McNair had said to use that. Men like Snape were only as powerful as their Masters- and right now, his master was an ocean away. “Do you know what I can do to you?”
Snape arched a brow but his eyes remained on the portrait. He looked for a moment to be asking permission. “Oh? And tell me, Inquisitor, what can you do to me?”
“Understand.” Heim hissed, leaning forward, rolling his weight onto his knuckles. “This is not a personal matter for me. I have no interest in revenge. I paid my price in the wars.” The Headmaster made a motion, and Heim’s hand fell to his wand. “But can you imagine what I can I do? You are a Death Eater Headmaster, and tell me does that boy of yours still wear the Dark Mark like a symbol of pride? Does he still cast it up in the sky? I wonder how it must look- your boy and you. Lupin and his cub.” Matthias found himself smiling at Snape’s ill-concealed anger. “At best, you are making this school into a new Durmstrang and at worst, you both are hard at work raising our children to be another generation of Death Eaters and monsters. The press will pull you apart like warm bread and I confess, I am curious. Is your master proud of your accomplishments?”
Heim let the words hang in the air for a long time. The Headmaster was pulling at his leash, demanding a chance, however minute. It was times like this when Heim remembered how savage these creatures really were; men like Malfoy and Lupin, like Fenrir. They only looked human and only at first. If you stood in a room too long with them you began to see the cracks, their true nature shining through.
Foolish man, he thought staring up at Snape, do you think you can take anything more from me.
Snape’s eyes were angry and nothing more. It took several moments before Snape choose to respond and when he did, it was like watching a man slide into a mask. His entire persona seemed to become quiet. “I wonder if you see it.”
“See what?”
“What you’ve become.”
Now it was Heim’s turn to straighten to his full height, the Headmaster remained demur. He even bowed his head, refusing to meet his eyes. Heim felt suddenly as if he was being played. Looking into Snape’s expression was very much like staring into ink: nothing escaped or was revealed, the pacing from a moment before had vanished, and even the tone was low, respectful and perhaps even the slightest bit sarcastic as if to avoid suspicion. He couldn’t tell which person had been the real Headmaster. It was almost as if Snape had set up a perfect guise to lure Heim out and now once revealed, had sprung the trap.
He doubled back mentally. Snape was not that clever. He was striking at an easy wound because he was running scared. Creatures were predictable.
Weren’t they?
“Now you understand.” Severus returned, his tone soft. “Credit my interests to whatever source you like, but I have no intention of seeing this school or the students within it endangered. The investigation into how our wards were breached is already underway and I intend to make a full report to the Governors board, and I am sure the Aurors will make their report available to you as well.” There was a long pause. “And because you are High Inquisitor, I am obligated to inform you that I expect your full support should I decide to close the school.”
The feeling of being played increased. “Closing? You would close the school.”
“I will not see the students in this school endangered.” Snape said it softly, like a mantra. “And I am willing to do whatever is in my power to ensure that.” Another beat. “Including cutting my losses when I feel all other avenues have been exhausted and not a moment before. Are you satisfied?”
“I want to question your Deputy Headmaster myself…”
“That is your right. My staff is open to you.”
“…what do you gain from this?”
“My daughter is one of the champions threatened.”
“I think we both know how much you care about that girl.” Heim countered. “The child you attacked was your namesake, wasn’t he? Your new Head of House? Handy payoff.”
If his intention was to get a rise, Snape didn’t offer it. The Headmaster simply looked down, and seemed to marvel at the mess on his desk. “I will begin to make the arrangements for that contingency plan. You’ll have them on your desk by the morning and if I can be any more use to you,” a thin smile, all at once patronizing and humble, “do not hesitate to ask.”