Severus Snape and the Unbelievable Postwar Outcome

~ 2 ~

Severus should have known.

He should have known he couldn't come back to the scene of many of his crimes without Fate sicking up in his face.

The first bloody Saturday after Easter hols, disaster befell the school.

A rather large gap at the Gryffindor table at breakfast alerted the staff (or rather, Professor Longbottom) that something was amiss.

It turned out that an entire gaggle of the older Gryffindors had vanished. (Not Vanished, thankfully. At least, not as far as anyone yet knew.) They were just ... not there. Not a single person, neither staff nor student, had seen them since the end of dinner the previous day. Why none of the other Gryffindors had seen fit to notice and inform their head of house of their housemates' absence, Severus couldn't fathom. Then again, who could fathom the mind of a Gryffindor?

But there it was, and the remaining students had to be questioned and the school and grounds searched. Minerva insisted they search in pairs in case any Dark mischief was afoot. When Finch-Fletchley moved towards Severus, Snape said, without thinking about it, "Professor Longbottom, you're with me. We'll do the so-called secret passages and tunnels."

"Right-o."

Severus suppressed a smirk when Sybill Trelawney grasped Justin's arm, saying, "Professor Finch-Fletchley, the Inner Eye tells me you and I will find the missing children near the kitchens."

It took Neville and Severus almost two hours to search all the passageways running to, from, and under the castle.

They emerged from the tunnel leading from the Shrieking Shack, Severus feeling like an idiot when he was nearly taken out by a branch from the Whomping Willow. The whoosh of it passed just over his head as he threw himself to the ground.

"There, now, Willow. No call for that. It's just me, Neville, and a friend."

Severus looked up, and to his astonishment, the tree had calmed, its branches now rustling softly in the breeze rather than swashing about with lethal force.

"What," he said, picking himself up and dusting the soil from his trousers, "was that?"

Neville gave a sheepish shrug. "The Willow and I are sort of friends."

"How can you be friends with a tree?"

"We understand one another, like. She doesn't whomp people, and I prune her and keep the Bundimums under control. I bring her a Quaffle to bat around once in a while, for exercise. Right now she's a little agitated, though, so ..."

They moved out of the Willow's range to confer.

Neville turned a furrowed brow to Severus.

"Not a sign of them. Nothing. Nada. Niente. Where could they have got to? They wouldn't have left the grounds without permission."

"In my experience," Severus said, "Gryffindors are of the 'ask for forgiveness instead of permission' bent." His tone was milder than was his wont, in keeping with the concerning situation.

Neville smiled. "True enough. But we've got smarter since you were last on staff. Minerva had Filius set Alarums on all of the passages students could use to get off the grounds. They haven't been triggered."

"About time," Severus said. He looked up at the castle. "We'd best tell the headmistress we've come up empty.".

"On it." Neville pulled his wand. "Expecto Patronum!"

From his wand-tip leapt a silver beast with a squat, seal-like body, short legs with webbed feet, and a broad, flat bill. It shot off and disappeared through the wall.