Dreaming in Color

Chapter 3

"Wait," Lauren cut in just as Dumbledore started heading towards the shelf to retrieve the Sorting Hat. "How am I to pay for school supplies? I don't have any money." She intentionally left out the fact that even if Dumbledore were somehow able to access her account from her world, there would barely be enough money in there to pay for a quarter of the supplies. She was as broke as they came.

"The school has special funding for students in need," Dumbledore assured.

Lauren nodded, though she chewed worriedly at her bottom lip. Even with the cost of school supplies covered, there was still the fact that she was going to need clothes, especially now that she was in the 'growing stages' of her life.

Bloody hell! This is a nightmare.

Dumbledore, as though reading her mind, added delicately, "And the Ministry has provisions set aside for children in similar situations such as yourself."

"You mean they have a secret fund for people that just happen to magically drop into a fictional world and find themselves children once again?" she asked sarcastically.

"Not quite," the Headmaster muttered good-naturedly, seemingly unaffected by her surly disposition. Though, being in the presence of Severus Snape on a daily basis, the old man had probably become immune to the withering insults that were eloquently veiled by a dark, silky voice. There was no denying the fact that Snape was highly intelligent and could cut people down with a few well-chosen words – a talent that he used to his full advantage. But this certain skillset was annoyingly ineffective when it came to the Headmaster, it would seem.

"Has there ever been a situation like this before?" she enquired.

Dumbledore actually pondered the question for a few moments before throwing a questioning look in Severus' direction. The Potion Master simply shook his head slowly from side to side; he had never heard of such a thing happening before either.

Lauren sighed and extended her hand, waiting for Dumbledore to pass her the Hat. "Lead me to my doom," she sighed unenthusiastically.

He gave her a crooked smile before plopping the tattered hat in her outstretched hand, the material surprisingly soft and supple to the touch, contrary to its outer appearance.

"I think you and Miss Ward are going to get along splendidly," he declared, his statement directed at Severus. "You both share a rather pessimistic outlook."

Professor Snape levelled him with a dark scowl. "Life lessons have been...enlightening and have thus taught me to be cynical. Miss Ward, I am sure, has been gifted with similar experiences."

The hat was half-way to her head when Lauren paused, reflecting on the difficulties Severus Snape had endured throughout his life. From an ambiguous hints of an abusive home life and the relentless and vindictive bullying suffered at the hands of the Marauders at school - which Dumbledore had done nothing to put a stop to it – to the disastrous events concerning Lily Evans...It was hardly surprising that Severus had taken on such a despised outlook on life.

Which lead her to her next line of thought. Was it possible that Snape had lost his will to live a long time ago, possibly the same night that Lily was murdered at the hands of his Master, Voldemort?

It was quite plausible. Lauren had suspected, from what she had read in the books and seen in the movies, that Severus had no expectations of surviving war and had resigned himself to his fate. She had always wondered why he had not fought back when Nagini had attacked him. Her conclusion had been that he had wanted to die that night.

Or will want to die. That horrible event has still yet to happen.

Which begged the next question: how had he drawn similar conclusions from her when he barely knew her? Had he read her thoughts and memories without her knowledge? Or did it take a kindred spirit to recognize the signs that others would easily overlook.