The Potions Master and the Insufferable Know It All
I got bored, so I started writing a fanfic I've been kicking around! Here is the first part of the prologue! Severus gets an unexpected guest in the night!
The Potions Master and the Insufferable Know It All
Prologue
It was Christmas. Again. Severus often wondered why this time of year insisted upon darkening his doorway every winter. He did not like the cold, the snow, those infernal trees, or that ghastly music the Wizarding Wireless insisted inflicting upon its listeners. Most of all, he hated being treated like he was some kind of charitable organization. True, he had money enough, and was not above occasionally doling out tuppence here and there, but he felt that he had suffered enough for what he had and was not about to part with it. At the best of times, he was a sarcastic bastard. At Christmas time, he could have made Ebenezer Scrooge weep like a school girl.
He was in just such a foul mood late one December night when the knock came upon his door. The house elves had all retired for the night, and so he was stuck with the task of getting the door. He made his way down to the first floor of the manor and opened the door so forcefully that he nearly wrenched it off of its hinges.
Standing outside was a trembling old woman, her clothes full of holes and her knees knocking about in the frigid wind.
Severus was unmoved. "What do you want at this time of night, woman?" he snapped.
She reached out to him with a supplicating hand. "Please sir, I'm so far from home, and it's so cold. May I stay the night? Or come inside and warm up?"
"No."
He was about to slam the door in her face when she spoke up desperately. "Please, sir! I could compensate you for your trouble!"
He paused. "How much are you willing to offer?"
She pulled a rumpled brown package from her cloak pocket and unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful rose. It was a deep burgundy, untouched by the bitter cold and in full bloom. "It is the last of the season, sir, and truly the loveliest my garden has ever produced. It is not much, but it is all I have to offer."
Severus snorted in contempt. "That is not going to cut it." He grabbed the door and made to slam it once again, when he was once more interrupted. However, her voice changed this time. It became that of a man. An angry, powerful man. Severus blinked. The woman had vanished. Before him stood a furious Albus Dumbledore.
"I see you have done nothing with the second chance I fought so hard to give you, Severus. Do my efforts on your behalf mean so little to you?"
Severus was horrified. "Headmaster, had I but known..." he spluttered, desperate to come up with an explanation for his cruelty.
Dumbledore held up a hand, wordlessly demanding silence. "Enough. I can see that your 'new lease on life' was a waste of my time. You were freed for a reason, Severus. I felt that you, more than any of us, deserved another chance at happiness. You have squandered that." He paused, his face becoming somber. He was clearly ruminating over some very difficult decision. At last, he released a very heavy sigh. "I'm afraid there is no choice. I will have to do it."
The Potions Master knew exactly what the older man was referring to, and the little colour in his pale cheeks quickly left them. "Albus. Please, no. I will change, I swear."
Dumbledore looked grave indeed. "No, Severus. It must be done. Until you learn how to love others and to fully appreciate the gift that has been given to you, you will have to suffer the punishment we previously discussed."
Severus attempted to make one final protest, but the words died on his lips as Albus waved his wand, and the world went black.
The Potions Master and the Insufferable Know It All
Prologue
It was Christmas. Again. Severus often wondered why this time of year insisted upon darkening his doorway every winter. He did not like the cold, the snow, those infernal trees, or that ghastly music the Wizarding Wireless insisted inflicting upon its listeners. Most of all, he hated being treated like he was some kind of charitable organization. True, he had money enough, and was not above occasionally doling out tuppence here and there, but he felt that he had suffered enough for what he had and was not about to part with it. At the best of times, he was a sarcastic bastard. At Christmas time, he could have made Ebenezer Scrooge weep like a school girl.
He was in just such a foul mood late one December night when the knock came upon his door. The house elves had all retired for the night, and so he was stuck with the task of getting the door. He made his way down to the first floor of the manor and opened the door so forcefully that he nearly wrenched it off of its hinges.
Standing outside was a trembling old woman, her clothes full of holes and her knees knocking about in the frigid wind.
Severus was unmoved. "What do you want at this time of night, woman?" he snapped.
She reached out to him with a supplicating hand. "Please sir, I'm so far from home, and it's so cold. May I stay the night? Or come inside and warm up?"
"No."
He was about to slam the door in her face when she spoke up desperately. "Please, sir! I could compensate you for your trouble!"
He paused. "How much are you willing to offer?"
She pulled a rumpled brown package from her cloak pocket and unwrapped it to reveal a beautiful rose. It was a deep burgundy, untouched by the bitter cold and in full bloom. "It is the last of the season, sir, and truly the loveliest my garden has ever produced. It is not much, but it is all I have to offer."
Severus snorted in contempt. "That is not going to cut it." He grabbed the door and made to slam it once again, when he was once more interrupted. However, her voice changed this time. It became that of a man. An angry, powerful man. Severus blinked. The woman had vanished. Before him stood a furious Albus Dumbledore.
"I see you have done nothing with the second chance I fought so hard to give you, Severus. Do my efforts on your behalf mean so little to you?"
Severus was horrified. "Headmaster, had I but known..." he spluttered, desperate to come up with an explanation for his cruelty.
Dumbledore held up a hand, wordlessly demanding silence. "Enough. I can see that your 'new lease on life' was a waste of my time. You were freed for a reason, Severus. I felt that you, more than any of us, deserved another chance at happiness. You have squandered that." He paused, his face becoming somber. He was clearly ruminating over some very difficult decision. At last, he released a very heavy sigh. "I'm afraid there is no choice. I will have to do it."
The Potions Master knew exactly what the older man was referring to, and the little colour in his pale cheeks quickly left them. "Albus. Please, no. I will change, I swear."
Dumbledore looked grave indeed. "No, Severus. It must be done. Until you learn how to love others and to fully appreciate the gift that has been given to you, you will have to suffer the punishment we previously discussed."
Severus attempted to make one final protest, but the words died on his lips as Albus waved his wand, and the world went black.