Salvation | Severus Snape

Part I (Prologue)

A secreted wooden door on the ground floor of the castle steadily opened as footsteps echoing from outside reached the ears of the inhabitant. It was not her expected visitor, but a passerby. She gazed at the black cape that billowed after the man who strode by, captivated yet woeful, for she had a feeling that fate would not want her to cross paths with him. Her heart longed to reach out to him, call out his name and break him free. But she held too much shame to act, confirming why she hadn't been a Gryffindor like her pompous brother.

She would not admit to herself that it was truly fear of rejection holding her back, not fate, not her condition, nor any other excuses she insisted on. It had been over fifteen years that she'd known him, yet she still had not gained the courage to even show her face. How pathetic. The door clicked shut behind her, and she rested her head on it, closing her eyes. She did not have time to dwell on her sadness for much longer.

Three knocks at her door signified the headmaster's arrival. As he sat down on her couch, she offered him a cup of tea, to which he accepted with gratitude.

"Why did you request to see me, Albus?" inquired the woman, seating herself across from the silver-bearded man.

He smiled behind his half-moon spectacles and replied, "I just thought to check up on you. Are you well? How are the students doing?"

"Not too bad, although certain students are stressing out from some of their classes, in particular, Potions," she sighed, "Neville Longbottom cannot get over his fear of Professor Snape. It's driving him insane. Even his boggart turned into that man, did you hear?"

"Indeed, I have. Severus is quite the intimidator," remarked Albus Dumbledore, no surprise in his twinkling eyes. "I'll have to see him about his disciplinary methods — although there is no guarantee that he will become less harsh." She set her plastic cup down and stared at his face, searching for any sign of emotion. However, as always, he simply had a placid expression along with a knowing smile.

"Albus, if you know how he treats his students, why haven't you reprimanded him about it already? Surely, you would care about their safety and mental wellbeing," she prodded at him curiously.

He merely smiled at her again and said, "I trust Severus, and do not believe he desires to harm his students. " For what reason, he did not confide in her, but she secretly had an idea of what he meant. She had been observing the mannerisms and appearances of the other staff of Hogwarts, and had picked up many things about Severus Snape as well.

A screech and hurried flaps interrupted both their thoughts. A dark barn owl glided into her window, carrying a letter, stamped with a large seal of two black wings enclosed around a circle, a large 'M' inside. She carefully opened the letter and bit her lip as she began to read. Albus watched closely as her eyes skimmed down the letter. Soon, her hands were trembling as she placed the folded parchment on her table.

"What's the matter?" asked Albus with a concerned frown, saddened to see the woman's hazel eyes glazed with tears.

She placed her hand over her forehead, trying to calm the intense battle of her thoughts inside. There was the fear of rejection and loneliness which had overruled her for half her life. On the other hand, the fear of regret and suffering was growing much stronger, and she felt her heart could burst if she didn't do something about the longing that resided inside it. Finally, after a prolonged silence, she decided that the latter was truer, and time was of essence — she had stayed in the shadows for too long, and this was her only chance to fight against her fate.

"Albus, I need a favour from you."