As Snape and his Familiar raven-run through the passage, he senses something amiss: there is someone in the Headmaster's office. Loki nudges him and thinks, Da, I go, dey no see! He pushes Loki back and tells him no, but the little raven persists. Yea, I small, I do it...Snape clacks his bill softly at Loki and tells him, do not argue with me. If it is one of the Carrows, they will harm you, and I will have to...punish them severely. He extends a wing and pulls Loki close to him, and together they inch slowly toward the tiny passage door. He waits a second or two, then tells his little one to stay where he is, but Loki pulls at Snape's feathers, his heart pounding. No, Da, if Car-ows, wat I do?
He looks at his little Familiar and realizes they've never had The Talk. He preens Loki's neck feathers and tells him, if anything ever happens to me, you must go first to Kingsley Shacklebolt and tell him I said 'Darmok'. Then you go to Sanctuary and remain there. Loki blinks at him and sighs, and Snape asks him, do you remember Kingsley? The big man with the deep voice and the hat that you liked. Loki brightens and thinks, I go to Kingly Big-Hat and say darmok. Den go to happy place. He cuddles closer to Snape and tells him, Da, I no leave you, and the Dark wizard wishes whoever was in the office would just go, because this is much harder than he imagined it would be.
But it has to be done. Loki, Snape thinks to him, you must promise me you will do this, and you must if...if something happens to me. If you do not, the Snake Man will come--Loki hides himself under Snape's wing. No Snake Man! No Snake Man, Da! He feels Loki shiver and wishes he didn't have to do this. I vow, Da. I do, Loki thinks, and Snape decides to wait a while longer before venturing into the office, at least until his Familiar's heart stops pounding.
When he calms down, Snape gently withdraws his wing and inches even closer to the little door. He takes a deep breath and enters his office the only way he can now. Loki, remain here until I tell you otherwise, he thinks, then lets himself go. As Black Mist, he forces himself through the minute cracks between the edges of the door and the wall, then drifts up to the ceiling. Once inside the office, he drifts across the ceiling toward the entrance, unaware he's been seen by one of the less attentive portraits that just happens to be awake at the moment. Since they've spent most of the last few years asleep, they've no idea it's Snape.
They're quite alarmed, as one might expect.
Across the office, within sight of that long-past headmaster's portrait, is Phineas Nigellus Black, desperately attempting to attract their attention, without being noticed himself by the witch leaning against the desk.
He fails miserably.
"Phineas," the witch says, "is there a problem?" Oh...bloody hell. He frowns. "Yes, Minerva, I've an itch." She gives him a look of incredulity and says, "well, scratch it, if it's such a bother." He looks up at the ceiling and sees that the Black Mist is gone, then sighs deeply. "It is in an...inappropriate place," he says in that high, reedy voice of his, and Professor McGonagall puts her hand on her forehead. "Phineas, you're a portrait for Merlin's sake, if it's below your frame, I won't see it." Bloody hell, again. He steps out of sight for a moment, then back, and in that time Snape has solidified behind her, as if he's just walked through the door.
"Minerva?" Snape hopes he can pull this off without lying to her, but he has the feeling that he's missed something serious. She turns quickly and gives him a chilly look. "Headmaster," she says, and he knows she's really rankled, "while I realize your position is difficult and requires secrecy, and that what you do is of vital import, I would appreciate it if you would have a little more faith in me." He sits down behind the desk and honestly doesn't want to know what has happened to bring this on. "I needed to reach you last night, and I couldn't, because your Familiar was gone and using the owls is too risky." He doesn't even attempt the ruse he'd had in mind, not now.
He asks her what has happened, and she looks suddenly very tired. "Last night, the Carrows tortured Draco Malfoy for refusing to use the Cruciatus Curse on another student. He is in Madam Pomfrey's care now." He gestures for her to sit down and she takes the seat nearest him. "What student...?" She hesitates, then exhales slowly, the answer coming out with her breath. "Ginny Weasley." Snape sits as if frozen in place. "Miss Parkinson attempted to hex Miss Weasley, and Miss Weasley defended herself. The Carrows took offence, of course, and ordered the Malfoy boy to Crucio her. He refused, so they used the curse on him." She rubs her eyes and says, "It is my opinion they intended to do so unto his death."
He finds himself unable to speak for a moment, then asks once he finds his voice again, "what prevented them?" McGonagall seems about to laugh for a second or two, her brows arched and lips pursed in a restrained smile. "Peeves." Snape is gobsmacked. She nods and tells him that for all his apparent malice toward the students and most of the staff, Peeves clearly despises the Death Eaters. "He threatened to tell you what they were doing. They stopped immediately and told him he was nothing more than a minor irritation. But surely as I sit here, Severus, they were afraid. They forbade anyone to assist Mr. Malfoy, and promptly left the Great Hall. Whatever you have done to make them reluctant to incur your displeasure, I commend you for it."
If it was at dinnertime, the Great Hall would have been filled with all the students still in attendance, as well as the remaining staff. They saw fit to torture a student before the whole school...and were put down by the suggestion that he might be displeased. He's about to make a snarky comment, but then the full weight of at least that part of it settles on him.
Everyone at Hogwarts now knows that the Carrows are afraid of him.
Heh.
"Severus?" He looks at McGonagall directly and says simply, "they believe I murdered the boy's father." She gasps and sits back as if repulsed, then relaxes. They believe, he said. Snape knows he can't keep her in the dark anymore. It's just not fair, and it's no longer safe...
"Minerva," he says after casting Muffliato, "look up." She looks at where Snape's pointing and watches one of the stones near the ceiling open, exposing an opening just wide enough for a medium-sized bird. "Loki," he says softly, and the little raven literally jumps out of the passage and into his hands. All the little bird wants is to be near him...Snape waits patiently until Loki's nestled himself in his curtain of black mane. The little one is asleep in moments. "That passage leads out of the castle and can be utilized in total secrecy. Unless I am forced to do otherwise, that is how I come and go. I apologize for my Familiar's absence last night, but it was necessary for him to be with me."
She looks back at Snape and says, "if you're using that, then--" he nods and tells her that it was necessary to become an Animagus, and that he is not registered, because, "if I were, no raven in Britain would be safe, under the circumstances." He doesn't allow himself to contemplate the depths the Ministry might sink to...so instead, taking a deep breath, he says, "Lucius Malfoy has defected and is at this time in a safe location. To make his defection possible, and to insure his safety, it was necessary to make it appear that I killed him."
McGonagall knows that was no easy feat, and she would congratulate him on it, but there is something pressing on her. "So, the boy believes his father died by your wand?" Snape tells her yes, and that he doesn't know when it will be safe to tell him otherwise. "Draco is a frightened young man, confused and now more alone than he has ever been in his life. All I can do is help him find the right path as best I can without him knowing." She nods and asks him, "is Lucius in the same place your Elsbet is?" Snape tells her yes, and she smiles faintly. "Then your trust in him must be absolute." He says, "it is. And when the time is right, Minerva, I will take you there."
She rises then, a wry smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye; she looks down at him and says, "I certainly hope you won't have to kill me first." He can't help but chuckle very softly; he can't even begin to tell her he would never be able to pull off an act like that. She leaves him then as silently as a cat padding after a mouse, and after some careful consideration he decides his best course of action is a few hours of sleep. As he reaches the entrance he turns back toward the portraits; he's not going to give any of them a chance for discussion, he's far too tired for that, but he has to get one thing in.
"Phineas, I had no idea you had a sense of humor." The crusty old headmaster smirks and says, "I didn't when I was alive, and I still don't. I couldn't very well tell her I was having a fit, now could I? Portraits don't have fits." Snape gives him a dubious look and replies, "they don't have itches, either." He slips out quickly before Phineas Nigellus gets in another word and moves swiftly to his chambers, in a considerably better mood than when he arrived.
He looks at his little Familiar and realizes they've never had The Talk. He preens Loki's neck feathers and tells him, if anything ever happens to me, you must go first to Kingsley Shacklebolt and tell him I said 'Darmok'. Then you go to Sanctuary and remain there. Loki blinks at him and sighs, and Snape asks him, do you remember Kingsley? The big man with the deep voice and the hat that you liked. Loki brightens and thinks, I go to Kingly Big-Hat and say darmok. Den go to happy place. He cuddles closer to Snape and tells him, Da, I no leave you, and the Dark wizard wishes whoever was in the office would just go, because this is much harder than he imagined it would be.
But it has to be done. Loki, Snape thinks to him, you must promise me you will do this, and you must if...if something happens to me. If you do not, the Snake Man will come--Loki hides himself under Snape's wing. No Snake Man! No Snake Man, Da! He feels Loki shiver and wishes he didn't have to do this. I vow, Da. I do, Loki thinks, and Snape decides to wait a while longer before venturing into the office, at least until his Familiar's heart stops pounding.
When he calms down, Snape gently withdraws his wing and inches even closer to the little door. He takes a deep breath and enters his office the only way he can now. Loki, remain here until I tell you otherwise, he thinks, then lets himself go. As Black Mist, he forces himself through the minute cracks between the edges of the door and the wall, then drifts up to the ceiling. Once inside the office, he drifts across the ceiling toward the entrance, unaware he's been seen by one of the less attentive portraits that just happens to be awake at the moment. Since they've spent most of the last few years asleep, they've no idea it's Snape.
They're quite alarmed, as one might expect.
Across the office, within sight of that long-past headmaster's portrait, is Phineas Nigellus Black, desperately attempting to attract their attention, without being noticed himself by the witch leaning against the desk.
He fails miserably.
"Phineas," the witch says, "is there a problem?" Oh...bloody hell. He frowns. "Yes, Minerva, I've an itch." She gives him a look of incredulity and says, "well, scratch it, if it's such a bother." He looks up at the ceiling and sees that the Black Mist is gone, then sighs deeply. "It is in an...inappropriate place," he says in that high, reedy voice of his, and Professor McGonagall puts her hand on her forehead. "Phineas, you're a portrait for Merlin's sake, if it's below your frame, I won't see it." Bloody hell, again. He steps out of sight for a moment, then back, and in that time Snape has solidified behind her, as if he's just walked through the door.
"Minerva?" Snape hopes he can pull this off without lying to her, but he has the feeling that he's missed something serious. She turns quickly and gives him a chilly look. "Headmaster," she says, and he knows she's really rankled, "while I realize your position is difficult and requires secrecy, and that what you do is of vital import, I would appreciate it if you would have a little more faith in me." He sits down behind the desk and honestly doesn't want to know what has happened to bring this on. "I needed to reach you last night, and I couldn't, because your Familiar was gone and using the owls is too risky." He doesn't even attempt the ruse he'd had in mind, not now.
He asks her what has happened, and she looks suddenly very tired. "Last night, the Carrows tortured Draco Malfoy for refusing to use the Cruciatus Curse on another student. He is in Madam Pomfrey's care now." He gestures for her to sit down and she takes the seat nearest him. "What student...?" She hesitates, then exhales slowly, the answer coming out with her breath. "Ginny Weasley." Snape sits as if frozen in place. "Miss Parkinson attempted to hex Miss Weasley, and Miss Weasley defended herself. The Carrows took offence, of course, and ordered the Malfoy boy to Crucio her. He refused, so they used the curse on him." She rubs her eyes and says, "It is my opinion they intended to do so unto his death."
He finds himself unable to speak for a moment, then asks once he finds his voice again, "what prevented them?" McGonagall seems about to laugh for a second or two, her brows arched and lips pursed in a restrained smile. "Peeves." Snape is gobsmacked. She nods and tells him that for all his apparent malice toward the students and most of the staff, Peeves clearly despises the Death Eaters. "He threatened to tell you what they were doing. They stopped immediately and told him he was nothing more than a minor irritation. But surely as I sit here, Severus, they were afraid. They forbade anyone to assist Mr. Malfoy, and promptly left the Great Hall. Whatever you have done to make them reluctant to incur your displeasure, I commend you for it."
If it was at dinnertime, the Great Hall would have been filled with all the students still in attendance, as well as the remaining staff. They saw fit to torture a student before the whole school...and were put down by the suggestion that he might be displeased. He's about to make a snarky comment, but then the full weight of at least that part of it settles on him.
Everyone at Hogwarts now knows that the Carrows are afraid of him.
Heh.
"Severus?" He looks at McGonagall directly and says simply, "they believe I murdered the boy's father." She gasps and sits back as if repulsed, then relaxes. They believe, he said. Snape knows he can't keep her in the dark anymore. It's just not fair, and it's no longer safe...
"Minerva," he says after casting Muffliato, "look up." She looks at where Snape's pointing and watches one of the stones near the ceiling open, exposing an opening just wide enough for a medium-sized bird. "Loki," he says softly, and the little raven literally jumps out of the passage and into his hands. All the little bird wants is to be near him...Snape waits patiently until Loki's nestled himself in his curtain of black mane. The little one is asleep in moments. "That passage leads out of the castle and can be utilized in total secrecy. Unless I am forced to do otherwise, that is how I come and go. I apologize for my Familiar's absence last night, but it was necessary for him to be with me."
She looks back at Snape and says, "if you're using that, then--" he nods and tells her that it was necessary to become an Animagus, and that he is not registered, because, "if I were, no raven in Britain would be safe, under the circumstances." He doesn't allow himself to contemplate the depths the Ministry might sink to...so instead, taking a deep breath, he says, "Lucius Malfoy has defected and is at this time in a safe location. To make his defection possible, and to insure his safety, it was necessary to make it appear that I killed him."
McGonagall knows that was no easy feat, and she would congratulate him on it, but there is something pressing on her. "So, the boy believes his father died by your wand?" Snape tells her yes, and that he doesn't know when it will be safe to tell him otherwise. "Draco is a frightened young man, confused and now more alone than he has ever been in his life. All I can do is help him find the right path as best I can without him knowing." She nods and asks him, "is Lucius in the same place your Elsbet is?" Snape tells her yes, and she smiles faintly. "Then your trust in him must be absolute." He says, "it is. And when the time is right, Minerva, I will take you there."
She rises then, a wry smile on her lips and a twinkle in her eye; she looks down at him and says, "I certainly hope you won't have to kill me first." He can't help but chuckle very softly; he can't even begin to tell her he would never be able to pull off an act like that. She leaves him then as silently as a cat padding after a mouse, and after some careful consideration he decides his best course of action is a few hours of sleep. As he reaches the entrance he turns back toward the portraits; he's not going to give any of them a chance for discussion, he's far too tired for that, but he has to get one thing in.
"Phineas, I had no idea you had a sense of humor." The crusty old headmaster smirks and says, "I didn't when I was alive, and I still don't. I couldn't very well tell her I was having a fit, now could I? Portraits don't have fits." Snape gives him a dubious look and replies, "they don't have itches, either." He slips out quickly before Phineas Nigellus gets in another word and moves swiftly to his chambers, in a considerably better mood than when he arrived.