Birds of a Feather
Chapter 5: News from Home
Summary: After the Shrieking Shack, Severus and Fawkes travel together.
The usual disclaimer applies. See Chapter 1.
Technically, his student years at Hogwarts had been the best years of Severus' life, but given the way his life had gone, that wasn't saying much. He had enjoyed his studies, of course, and there had been the wonderful moments when Lily had still been his friend, but that had ended in disaster.
Everything had changed after the 'prank' in the Shrieking Shack. That was when he'd realized that his life meant nothing to any of them. Even Lily didn't seem to really care. That was when the balance had tipped and he'd started heading down the path to the Dark Lord.
Thinking back on it, Severus realized what he should have done that night so long ago: he should have shoved James Potter aside and bared his throat to the werewolf. He'd have died with his throat ripped out, in a pool of his own blood, but would that have been so much worse than what Nagini had done to him? It would have gotten Potter and his pals kicked out of Hogwarts, right along with dear old Albus Dumbledore. Severus would have been dead, of course, but Lily might still be alive. She might even be married to someone decent. And the Dark Lord? Well, he would have been someone else's problem.
His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the First Mate, a young man called Katfish.
"Hey, Slade," Kat said, thumping him on the shoulder, "come on down to the mess and have some tea. We picked up some really primo tea when we stopped in Mumbai."
Severus considered hexing the fellow, but decided it would be unwise under the circumstances. Anyway, perhaps some tea wouldn't be such a bad thing. Glumly, he followed Kat to the mess.
~~~~~
Kat was right; the tea was indeed excellent. Severus was savoring his second cup when an owl flew in through a porthole, dumped a package in front of him, and flew out again. They must be somewhere near the British Isles, he realized. There are limits to how far an owl can fly across open water. Seabirds might agree to take mail occasionally, but for the most part, transoceanic messages had to go by portkey or, for low-priority deliveries, by ship. Knight Boats usually carried more mail and freight than passengers.
Who could be sending him something? It looked like a letter and a newspaper, wrapped up together. Someone must suspect that he'd survived! It was probably a death threat, or an attempt at blackmail. He'd better not open it in front of the crew. Casually, he put it aside and took another sip of his tea.
"Hey, that looks like The Quibbler," Seabiscuit said. "Can I have it when you're done? The Quibbler has the Confounding Cryptogram puzzle." The cook loved puzzles, and the Confounding Cryptogram was one of his favorites.
"When I'm finished," Severus replied. Why in the world would a blackmailer be sending him The Quibbler? He slid the note and the newspaper into one of his magic pockets, finished his tea, and set out to find a private place to read.
~~~~~
"Birdie num-nums!" Seabiscuit said, proffering a tray of sweets. Fawkes accepted the offering, of course. It brought back memories of ancient Egypt, where the priests used to bring him dates and honey cakes. They considered him sacred to the sun. Sometimes they would sing to him. He hoped the cook wouldn't sing.
Fawkes knew exactly what the man was up to. He wanted to collect droppings, and the more he fed the phoenix, the more droppings there would be. Phoenix droppings were not as valuable as phoenix tears, but they were still worth a bundle on the potions market. Albus had always used the money for the Hogwarts library fund. The cook had been buying top-quality groceries, exotic teas, and fine wines for the mess, and then giving the remainder of the profit to Severus. There was no harm in that, Fawkes supposed, as he sampled another sweet.
~~~~~
Severus slipped into the cargo hold, chased out the ship's kneazle, cast some privacy wards, and sat down on a crate. By the light of his wand, he could see that the envelope was addressed in a neat, feminine hand that looked vaguely familiar.
He cast the spells to see if it was poisoned or cursed, before he opened it cautiously and read: "Dear Professor Snape …hope this finds you well … want to thank you so much … appreciate everything you've done … won't mention this to anyone …" Good! "… if there's anything we can do ... Hermione and Luna."
Granger and Lovegood? Well, that explained The Quibbler.
As idiotic as The Quibbler was on most topics, its news was sometimes more reliable than anything in The Prophet. The front page proclaimed Voldemort's defeat in huge letters, and beneath that was a list of the dead, surrounded by a thick black border. The list was so long that it continued onto page 2. The names were in alphabetical order, with no regard to which side the deceased had been on. Severus was on the list. So was Tom Riddle, under 'R' on page 2. Riddle was also listed under 'V' for 'Voldemort', although not under 'Y' for 'You-Know-Who.'
Potter wasn't on the list! Severus scanned the P's twice, to make sure. Against all odds, the boy must have survived, although he couldn't imagine how, and the Dark Lord had perished anyway. Severus felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He was relieved to see that there were no Malfoys on the list, either, and none of the Hogwarts professors. But Nymphadora was there, and Lupin … a Weasely ... Bellatrix …Crabbe … Creevey … Severus knew most of the dead, one way or another, except for a few of the house-elves and other non-humans. His colleagues. His enemies. His students. He felt sick to his stomach.
Severus stared at the list for a long time, lost in thought. When he finally looked up, Fawkes was perched on a crate across from him. It made him think of that poet Poe, and the raven that had haunted him.
"How did you get in here?" he muttered, scowling at the phoenix.
Fawkes cocked his head, looked at Severus with one golden eye, and then he began to sing.
[A/N: Next time: Song of the Phoenix.]
Summary: After the Shrieking Shack, Severus and Fawkes travel together.
The usual disclaimer applies. See Chapter 1.
Technically, his student years at Hogwarts had been the best years of Severus' life, but given the way his life had gone, that wasn't saying much. He had enjoyed his studies, of course, and there had been the wonderful moments when Lily had still been his friend, but that had ended in disaster.
Everything had changed after the 'prank' in the Shrieking Shack. That was when he'd realized that his life meant nothing to any of them. Even Lily didn't seem to really care. That was when the balance had tipped and he'd started heading down the path to the Dark Lord.
Thinking back on it, Severus realized what he should have done that night so long ago: he should have shoved James Potter aside and bared his throat to the werewolf. He'd have died with his throat ripped out, in a pool of his own blood, but would that have been so much worse than what Nagini had done to him? It would have gotten Potter and his pals kicked out of Hogwarts, right along with dear old Albus Dumbledore. Severus would have been dead, of course, but Lily might still be alive. She might even be married to someone decent. And the Dark Lord? Well, he would have been someone else's problem.
His gloomy thoughts were interrupted by the First Mate, a young man called Katfish.
"Hey, Slade," Kat said, thumping him on the shoulder, "come on down to the mess and have some tea. We picked up some really primo tea when we stopped in Mumbai."
Severus considered hexing the fellow, but decided it would be unwise under the circumstances. Anyway, perhaps some tea wouldn't be such a bad thing. Glumly, he followed Kat to the mess.
~~~~~
Kat was right; the tea was indeed excellent. Severus was savoring his second cup when an owl flew in through a porthole, dumped a package in front of him, and flew out again. They must be somewhere near the British Isles, he realized. There are limits to how far an owl can fly across open water. Seabirds might agree to take mail occasionally, but for the most part, transoceanic messages had to go by portkey or, for low-priority deliveries, by ship. Knight Boats usually carried more mail and freight than passengers.
Who could be sending him something? It looked like a letter and a newspaper, wrapped up together. Someone must suspect that he'd survived! It was probably a death threat, or an attempt at blackmail. He'd better not open it in front of the crew. Casually, he put it aside and took another sip of his tea.
"Hey, that looks like The Quibbler," Seabiscuit said. "Can I have it when you're done? The Quibbler has the Confounding Cryptogram puzzle." The cook loved puzzles, and the Confounding Cryptogram was one of his favorites.
"When I'm finished," Severus replied. Why in the world would a blackmailer be sending him The Quibbler? He slid the note and the newspaper into one of his magic pockets, finished his tea, and set out to find a private place to read.
~~~~~
"Birdie num-nums!" Seabiscuit said, proffering a tray of sweets. Fawkes accepted the offering, of course. It brought back memories of ancient Egypt, where the priests used to bring him dates and honey cakes. They considered him sacred to the sun. Sometimes they would sing to him. He hoped the cook wouldn't sing.
Fawkes knew exactly what the man was up to. He wanted to collect droppings, and the more he fed the phoenix, the more droppings there would be. Phoenix droppings were not as valuable as phoenix tears, but they were still worth a bundle on the potions market. Albus had always used the money for the Hogwarts library fund. The cook had been buying top-quality groceries, exotic teas, and fine wines for the mess, and then giving the remainder of the profit to Severus. There was no harm in that, Fawkes supposed, as he sampled another sweet.
~~~~~
Severus slipped into the cargo hold, chased out the ship's kneazle, cast some privacy wards, and sat down on a crate. By the light of his wand, he could see that the envelope was addressed in a neat, feminine hand that looked vaguely familiar.
He cast the spells to see if it was poisoned or cursed, before he opened it cautiously and read: "Dear Professor Snape …hope this finds you well … want to thank you so much … appreciate everything you've done … won't mention this to anyone …" Good! "… if there's anything we can do ... Hermione and Luna."
Granger and Lovegood? Well, that explained The Quibbler.
As idiotic as The Quibbler was on most topics, its news was sometimes more reliable than anything in The Prophet. The front page proclaimed Voldemort's defeat in huge letters, and beneath that was a list of the dead, surrounded by a thick black border. The list was so long that it continued onto page 2. The names were in alphabetical order, with no regard to which side the deceased had been on. Severus was on the list. So was Tom Riddle, under 'R' on page 2. Riddle was also listed under 'V' for 'Voldemort', although not under 'Y' for 'You-Know-Who.'
Potter wasn't on the list! Severus scanned the P's twice, to make sure. Against all odds, the boy must have survived, although he couldn't imagine how, and the Dark Lord had perished anyway. Severus felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He was relieved to see that there were no Malfoys on the list, either, and none of the Hogwarts professors. But Nymphadora was there, and Lupin … a Weasely ... Bellatrix …Crabbe … Creevey … Severus knew most of the dead, one way or another, except for a few of the house-elves and other non-humans. His colleagues. His enemies. His students. He felt sick to his stomach.
Severus stared at the list for a long time, lost in thought. When he finally looked up, Fawkes was perched on a crate across from him. It made him think of that poet Poe, and the raven that had haunted him.
"How did you get in here?" he muttered, scowling at the phoenix.
Fawkes cocked his head, looked at Severus with one golden eye, and then he began to sing.
[A/N: Next time: Song of the Phoenix.]