Post by Deleted on Jul 9, 2014 17:21:38 GMT -8
The typical punishment for nearly killing a fellow student was expulsion, if not criminal persecution. Severus, however, was in the middle of a solid week of detentions and considered himself very lucky to have got off so lightly. It was perhaps because the faculty did not realize just how close a call it had been. Snape had hit Potter with his Sectumsempra curse, which had sliced through James' chest. He would have bled to death, if Severus had not come to his senses and performed the counter-curse to save him. Add to that, that Potter had badly burned Snape in turn, and the teachers seemed to think that this had been nothing more than their usual fighting. The two of them got into it so frequently that the school had given up trying to stop them dueling. But this had not been the usual scuffle. Potter had gone too far. He had wounded Severus too grievously by denouncing Lily as his whore. It had been utterly contemptible, and it had driven Snape to murderous intent. But there was mercy to redeemed him. Sev had Lily by his side. He had gone to her after the attack, and she had soothed his hurts and his fears. Thinking of her made the detentions, and memories of the event which had perpetrated them, much easier to bear.
In fact, if one were to notice, there had been a remarkable change in him over the last few days. He was calmer, slower to anger, less prone to caustic words at the expense of others. His soul felt lighter than ever before. Lily's love had elevated him above his troubles. She had freed his mind from its internal conflicts; she had illuminated his path through the darkness. Thanks to her influence, there were even physical differences about him. Sev had never been one to take care of his appearance, because until now, he had never had the motivation to do so. It did not matter how he presented himself. What counted was his cleverness and skill. He still believed that to be true, but he had discovered some vanity at long last. He wanted to look his best for Lily. Severus knew that he was an awkward, gangly thing; not half so handsome as most of his peers. It was all the more reason to do what he could, so that when she gazed on him, he was not quite so wretched by comparison to her beauty. The most notable change to him was his hair. It no longer lay lank and oily, but hung in sleek, silken sheets around his thin face. The other signs were more subtle (like a healthier flush to his skin), though even his clothing seemed to have been tended to with greater care than in the past. Mind, body and soul, Lily was transforming him into a superior version of himself.
Snape was now halfway through his detentions. He had been alone for the first three; spending them cleaning, sorting, and scrubbing. For tonight's work, however, he'd been sent down to the Potions room to prep some of the more unsavory ingredients for use in classes. Of course, it was hardly a punishment for Snape, who loved anything to do with potions – even the dirty work. He had been assigned to harvest various ingredients from a bucket full of dead bats. He concentrated seriously on the dissection, perfectly extracting the valuable organs from each specimen. Slughorn could always rely upon Severus to be careful with work like this, and many of his detentions over the years had consisted of preparing things for Potions lessons. It was a lot more satisfying work than scouring bedpans, and for that he was grateful to his Head of House. The only disconcerting thing this evening, was that there was a second bucket filled with dead animals – frogs in that case. Snape had only been assigned to handle the bats, which implied that he would be getting company this evening. Some other student must have been instructed to gut the amphibians. He could only hope that whomever it was would leave him to his own work in peace.
In fact, if one were to notice, there had been a remarkable change in him over the last few days. He was calmer, slower to anger, less prone to caustic words at the expense of others. His soul felt lighter than ever before. Lily's love had elevated him above his troubles. She had freed his mind from its internal conflicts; she had illuminated his path through the darkness. Thanks to her influence, there were even physical differences about him. Sev had never been one to take care of his appearance, because until now, he had never had the motivation to do so. It did not matter how he presented himself. What counted was his cleverness and skill. He still believed that to be true, but he had discovered some vanity at long last. He wanted to look his best for Lily. Severus knew that he was an awkward, gangly thing; not half so handsome as most of his peers. It was all the more reason to do what he could, so that when she gazed on him, he was not quite so wretched by comparison to her beauty. The most notable change to him was his hair. It no longer lay lank and oily, but hung in sleek, silken sheets around his thin face. The other signs were more subtle (like a healthier flush to his skin), though even his clothing seemed to have been tended to with greater care than in the past. Mind, body and soul, Lily was transforming him into a superior version of himself.
Snape was now halfway through his detentions. He had been alone for the first three; spending them cleaning, sorting, and scrubbing. For tonight's work, however, he'd been sent down to the Potions room to prep some of the more unsavory ingredients for use in classes. Of course, it was hardly a punishment for Snape, who loved anything to do with potions – even the dirty work. He had been assigned to harvest various ingredients from a bucket full of dead bats. He concentrated seriously on the dissection, perfectly extracting the valuable organs from each specimen. Slughorn could always rely upon Severus to be careful with work like this, and many of his detentions over the years had consisted of preparing things for Potions lessons. It was a lot more satisfying work than scouring bedpans, and for that he was grateful to his Head of House. The only disconcerting thing this evening, was that there was a second bucket filled with dead animals – frogs in that case. Snape had only been assigned to handle the bats, which implied that he would be getting company this evening. Some other student must have been instructed to gut the amphibians. He could only hope that whomever it was would leave him to his own work in peace.
TAG RABASTAN LAIUS LESTRANGE
