Melody Riddle and the Order of the Phoenix

Chapter 45: Inanities

 "Why...?" Severus began exasperatedly, staring his six former students down with such a ferocious snarl I tried to recall the last time he'd looked at Harry that way. "Why must I always be the one dealing with stupidity?"

Jessamyn stared back with an apologetic gaze, her hands clasped behind her back as she shared glances with Ash — who preferred to look at the wall than at Severus — and the man named Ben. Cassandra chose to pick at her fingernails with a concentrated frown while the frizzy-haired woman, Merula, looked at Severus with a gaze that seemed to scream 'defiance.' Seraphina, as herself now that we were meeting privately in Severus' office, merely smirked.

"Come now, Snape, what's the issue?" the sapphire blue-eyed witch asked airily.

"Why are they here? For what reason would you risk bringing them into the school when it's at its most vulnerable?"

"Key word, Snape. 'Vulnerable,'" Seraphina replied matter-of-factly. "I have my personal reasons, of course, but really it's beneficial for everyone. Who knows how many professors that Umbitch is going to sack for one reason or another? Don't you think it's safe to have backup plans? She could try to do it to you, or even to McGonagall for defying her as easily as she's been doing. Behind the scenes dealing with me, of course, she won't have the jurisdiction to fire these five if she wants to stay on Voldy's good side — so she'll believe, of course."

Severus covered his look of annoyance with his hand. Dragging the palm of his hand down his face, he grumbled, "You can try to make it sound safer for all involved, but you know better than to believe that Dumbledore can't find out their involvement with you. Just because I can't tell him doesn't mean he won't be able to find out using other means."

"I know that," Seraphina replied, rolling her eyes. "I'm no idiot. Sure, it may destroy how he sees Jessamyn here, but she's doing this because she's ready to take that risk."

He actually took a serious turn toward the blonde witch still standing awkwardly with her hands behind her. "Is that so?"

Jessamyn nodded, clearing her throat. "Yes."

"You are that eager to break his unwavering trust in you?"

Her gaze hardened, her hands sliding forward to her sides and clenching into fists. "Snape, I know that even you never like how easily he allows students — such as myself — to break rules and get into dangerous situations." Severus' own gaze froze at her words, and she continued after using her middle finger to push her glasses up the bridge of her nose at the center. "It may have allowed me to experience as much as I have in life, as well as saving countless lives... but he knew how to take care of all those things without a student doing the dirty work. Even now, I'm as sure as Seraphina that he knows how to handle all these problems without fruitless suffering but he lets it continue so Harry Potter eventually cracks and rushes into the situation blindly. I know better than anyone that if this continues, someone is going to die that shouldn't have to."

I watched in quiet dismay as everyone froze after her last sentence left her lips, and the words seemingly pressed down on all their shoulders. As if the memory of someone that had died as Jessamyn suggested just suddenly swooped into the room to add weight to their bodies the same way guilt does to me. Is this part of that tragedy Seraphina mentioned before..?

Jessamyn sighed, turning her head away, "You remember them. Anyway, I've made my point... I'm going to go to bed. I told Hagrid I'd be up early in the morning to help him get ready for Monday's classes."

"Already?" Seraphina asked in surprise. "But your assistance was only just announced! How can he put you to work on a Sunday already?"

"Well, as you've already mentioned," Jessamyn replied, sheepishly scratching the back of her head, "some professors are liable to be sacked. Hagrid told me during dinner that Umbridge has been breathing down his neck in particular. I want to see what he's already covered so I can help plan from there."