To Have a Home

The Weight Of The World

Chapter 4 - The Weight of the World

Previously in To Have A Home: "Hem Hem," the woman prompted in her sickly sweet, high pitched voice, causing Dumbledore to nod. "Severus, I'd like you to meet our new Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, Dolores Jane Umbridge." And at that moment, as if the woman's name was a trigger, the castle's warning signals went off. Harry was in danger.

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It took all of Severus's strength and restraint to not run in the opposite direction in order to continue his search for Harry. A peculiar expression crossed the headmaster's face before he turned to his newest employee.

"Dolores, I believe this concludes your tour of the school. You may return to the ministry and I shall be in contact before the students arrive tomorrow." Dumbledore informed her. He spoke in a strained tone that Severus had only heard once before in all of his years that he had known the older man.

It looked as if Umbridge was about to argue, but with an insistent look from Albus, she bit her tongue and apparated back to her office at the ministry. As soon as she left, Albus wasted no time in turning to Severus.

"Severus, what in Merlin's name is going on?" He asked in a somewhat angry tone. "Would you care to tell me why the school's alarm is going off?" He asked frantically, hoping that none of his faculty were injured or worse. It didn't cross his mind that a student, especially Harry Potter, would be the one in need of assistance, as they usually arrived on September 1st, and not a day sooner.

Severus took a deep breath and exercised his carefully practiced poker face, mastered after years of being Dumbledore's spy.

"I do not know, Headmaster. I am going to find out, and will send you a message if your presence is required. I am fully capable of handling this situation." He stated, holding back a sneer.

Albus stared at Severus with narrowed eyes for several moments before nodding.

"Alright, Severus. Please keep me informed." He sighed before starting to walk away, only to turn back for a moment and look Severus in the eyes. "And how many times do I have to tell you, Severus, please call me Albus." He stated, the twinkle in his eyes having returned in full force. With those parting words, Dumbledore turned and walked in the direction of his office. The moment he was alone, Severus ran down the halls, using the "Point Me" spell to aid himself in finding the runaway Gryffindor.

Another half hour of searching yielded no results, which caused additional panic to rise within the Slytherin. Suddenly, the man stopped in his tracks, an idea dawning on him as memories from long ago flooded his mind, pulling him into a flashback.

Fourteen year old Severus Snape stalked slowly down the abandoned corridor, his scrawny shoulders slumped as if he had the weight of the world upon them. The only thing tethering him to his miniscule amount of sanity and happiness had been taken from him mere hours ago. During breakfast that morning, an official owl from St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries had informed Severus of his mother's passing. In an instant, the young Snape's world had come crashing down around him.

He waited until midnight to sneak out of his dorm, not that any of his roommates would even sense the lack of his presence during the day. With his wand in hand, he exited the Slytherin common room and silently ventured up to the Astronomy Tower. The beauty of the clear night sky, with stars sprinkled throughout went unnoticed by the teen as he stepped up on the ledge of the large window. He took a moment to survey the landscape of what he considered his true home.

Severus knew that should he return to Spinners End at the conclusion of the school year, he would not be welcomed back with open arms, as he usually would be when his mother greeted him at King's Cross Station. With his mother now gone from this mortal plane, there was no buffer between him and his father's wrath. In his mind, he felt he had no other choice than to follow his mother into the afterlife. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and was about to jump, when a hand grasped the back of his robes and yanked him back, causing him to fall to the floor.