snape and skull

25

The Fifth Marauder
I

t was a few moments before Hagrid could make sense of what the terrified Neville and Ron were saying. "What do ya mean, there was a vampire drinking unicorn blood?" Fang began to bark loudly. "Fang, quiet!" the big man snapped and the dog ceased, whimpering.
"

We . . . we were following Fang . . . an' he led us right to the unicorn . . ." panted Ron. "And then . . . and then . . . the vampire came . . ."
"It turned and looked at us!" Neville added, his eyes huge in his moon round face. "I was . . . never so scared in my life, Hagrid! I . . . I couldn't move! Then Harry yelled run . . . and I did . . . I ran and ran . . ."
"Fang dragged me outta there," Ron added. He mopped sweat from his brow.
Hermione was peering about the trees anxiously. After hearing what the two boys had encountered, she was more afraid than ever. She resolved to never be caught out of bed again if this was the standard punishment McGonagall gave out! Abruptly, she realized something the others had forgotten in their mad dash to find Hagrid. "Um . . . where's Harry?"
Everyone gaped at each other as they suddenly realized Harry was not among them.
"He . . . err . . . I thought he was right behind me," Neville stuttered in alarm.
"What if he got lost?" Hermione gasped. "What if he's still out there and the vampire's hunting him?"
"All o' yeh, follow me. I'm going ta lead ya out of the forest and onto the school grounds. Then yeh go back an' tell Professor McGonagall that Harry's missing." Hagrid instructed. "I'll go back an' search for Harry with Fang. Let's move!"
"What about Professor Snape?" Draco queried as he ran quickly after the gamekeeper. "He needs to know too, he's Harry's guardian."
"Uh, yeah, righ'," Hagrid sighed. "He oughta know . . . even if he's gonna skin me an' hang me out t'dry."
"It wasn't your fault, Hagrid," Neville consoled the big man. "Nobody ever expected a vampire to be in there."
"Or that Harry wouldn't have sense enough to run away from it," Draco added, snorting. "Gryffindors! You show your bravery at the stupidest times."
"Harry's not stupid!" Ron snapped. "He probably was trying to distract it so Nev and I could get away."
Draco made a dismissive gesture. "Whatever, Weasley."
"Hush yer quarreling now," Hagrid ordered bluntly. "Got enough trouble brewin' without yeh adding to it."
The two subsided after that reprimand, and hurried in Hagrid's wake down the path leading out of the forest. Their hearts were cold in their chest wondering what had happened to their friend.

Page~*~*~*~Break
S

nape's quarters:
Skullduggery awoke feeling a strange sort of magic quivering through him. He fluffed his feathers and shook himself, gliding from his perch in Severus' bedroom over to the cherrywood four-poster where the professor slept. The posts were intricately carved with vines and magical plants and the headboard bore a raven in flight, which Severus had added after bonding with his familiar. The bed was large enough to hold three, a fact that had always amused the raven, and he often teased the solitary Potions Master about having a bed large enough for a wife and kids, if he ever allowed himself to get close enough to a woman to fall in love. "You're not exactly a dried up old man, Sev," Skull usually pointed out. "You still have plenty of years of loving in you, if only you'd quit hiding down here surrounding yourself with cauldron fumes and dried newt's tongues. That sort of thing might put a woman off."
"Then she's not the woman for me, Skullduggery," came the sharp response. "Now quit playing matchmaker bird. You're hardly one to talk. Where's your mate?"
"Out there somewhere," Skullduggery said flippantly. "We shall meet when it's time."
"And the same goes for me," snorted Severus, turning the raven's words back upon him neatly.
Skull fluttered to land on the pillow next to Severus' head. The professor slept peacefully for once, without tossing and turning or muttering and moaning in his sleep, his emerald comforter wrapped closely about his lean frame. The stuffed ashwinder rested beside Snape's head, upon the pillow Skullduggery perched on. They were thick ones, plump with griffindown. "I hate to wake him," the raven said conversationally to the plush snake. "But he'd pluck me and boil me in a cauldron if I left him without letting him know I'm going to be gone for a day or two. Pity, for this is the first decent sleep he's had in a week, after all the kid's put him through." The raven heaved a gusty sigh, then trilled softly, "Sev, wake up! Severus!"
Severus coughed and turned over, his hair spread out across the pillow, one hand beneath it.
"Severus, wake up! I have something important to tell you!" his familiar warbled.
Abruptly, the Potion Master sat up, his wand flying into his hand. He rolled over, wand lifted, ready to hex whoever had broken his sleep so rudely.
Skullduggery hopped backwards, crooning, "Easy, Sev. It's just me."
"Skullduggery? Why are you disturbing me? I need a few hours of sleep before I start brewing my second batch of potions tonight," Severus grumbled.
"I wouldn't have unless it was very important," the raven said, looking rather apologetic.
"Go on." Severus sighed, concealing a yawn. He lowered his wand, placing it next to him.
"I've been summoned."
"Summoned? By whom?"
"Thunderbird. He's called me to fulfill my debt," answered Skull softly.
"Your debt?"
"Yes. I incurred a debt to him when I called on him for assistance with the storm spirits at the Quidditch match." Skullduggery explained. "He told me I would owe him a favor and now he's calling in my marker, Sev."
"Right now?"
"Yes. Thunderbird cares not for convenience. I must go, Sev."
"Where?"
"I don't know. Probably to America. It's where he makes his home."
"You're going to fly to America?" scowled Severus.
"No. I'll use the portal he provided." Skull replied, jerking his head towards the shimmering rainbow circle that now hung in the air, crackling with lambent magical energy.
"How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know. Not more than a day, I'd guess. But I wanted to tell you before I left. So you didn't have a nervous breakdown when you found me gone." Skull said impudently.
"Nervous breakdown?" Severus rolled his eyes. "That'll be the day. I'll finally get a rest from your tongue, Master Impudence!" Then he reached out to caress the raven. "Be careful, Skullduggery."
"Always, Sev," his familiar murmured, rubbing his beak along the Potion Master's cheek.
"Fly safe, you rogue."
"Quit worrying, Sev. You'll make your hair gray. As MacArthur said, I shall return." Skull squawked, then after a playful nip on the ear, the raven flew through the portal.
"Wretched bird!" swore his wizard, rubbing his ear absently. "One of these days, Skullduggery . . . a new featherduster will be hanging on the wall." He shook his finger at the portal just before it vanished.
Then, wide awake and unable to fall back to sleep, Severus rose, put on his slippers, and decided to make himself a cup of cocoa. He checked his watch and noticed that it was almost nine o'clock. Harry should be done with his detention right around now, and be coming home. He decided to wait up and see if the boy needed anything before bed, he wondered what Minerva had made the five miscreants do, as she had not decided how she was going to punish them when last he discussed the detention with her yesterday. Hopefully it was something sufficiently unpleasant and memorable.
He started the fire in the fireplace with a soft spoken "Incendio!", then set about making himself a pot of cocoa. He used the coffee pot to steam the milk gently, placing the pot upon the iron spider, which hung upon a hook over the flames. The spider was a cast iron apparatus that had eight legs like a spider and a flat platform on top for heating things such as pans and pots. Its legs rested in the embers of the fire and it hung upon a hook attached to a cast iron arm that could be moved back and forth into the fireplace.
Once the milk was sufficiently heated, Severus added several heaping teaspoons of dark cocoa powder and some sugar, though not enough to make it overly sweet, he liked his hot cocoa a little bitter, like dark chocolate. He stirred, sipped it, then set the pot upon a trivet and relaxed in his recliner.
Despite his cavalier dismissal of the raven, he found himself missing the insolent rascal, and picked up a periodical to read, figuring he only had about ten minutes before Harry returned from his detention, hopefully chastened enough not to risk his life foolishly again.
He had finished his first cup of cocoa and was contemplating having a second cup when there came a rather loud pounding upon his door. Scowling fiercely at whatever ill-mannered brat had dared to assault his door in such a fashion, Severus gestured and the door jerked open. "What is the meaning of this ruckus?" he demanded snarkily.
In tumbled Draco and Neville, both boys were red-faced and their robes were askew. They picked themselves up from the floor and stood, looking as if they were facing a viper in its lair.
"Professor, you've got to help us!" Neville began, his voice hoarse. "We . . . can't find Harry!"
"He's lost somewhere in the forest, sir," added Draco helpfully. "There was a vampire and it attacked Longbottom and Weasley, or something like that."
"No, it attacked the unicorn!" Neville corrected.
Severus held up a hand. "Silence! Come in here, sit down, and start at the beginning." He ordered sternly. "I can't make sense of your babbling, except for the fact that something has happened to Mr. Potter. I was under the assumption that you were all serving detention tonight under Professor McGonagall."
The two boys complied, scurrying over to sit on the sofa.
"Sir, Professor McGonagall assigned us detention in the forest with Hagrid, we were supposed to help him track down an injured unicorn and put it out of its misery if necessary . . ." Draco began. He recited what had happened up until the time they had separated, then Neville took over.
"Professor, we came back as fast as we could. Ron and Hermione went to tell Professor McGonagall what happened and Draco and I came here. Sir, you don't think the v-vampire would . . . hurt Harry? I mean, it already drank the unicorn blood . . . so it wouldn't be hungry, right?" Neville whimpered.
"Longbottom, what you saw was impossible," Snape began.
"Sir, I swear . . . it really happened!" protested the Gryffindor. "The vampire was drinking the unicorn blood, Harry and Ron both saw it too . . .! It was awful, I'm not imagining things, honest!"
Severus scowled. "Longbottom, listen to me. What you saw is not possible because no vampire would ever drink unicorn blood. It is anathema to them. A vampire would soon as drink unicorn blood as you would drink poison. The first touch of unicorn blood upon a vampire's lips would cause it to burn up, for its flesh cannot bear something so pure."
"But it looked like a vampire," Neville squeaked.
"I am sure it did, Longbottom. However, that is a mistake a novice often makes the first time they see a revenant." The Potions Master replied, feeling a cold chill suddenly sweep through him.
"What's a revenant?" asked Draco.
"It is a creature of darkness, a body that has been animated through magic and will, it often contains a spirit which has refused to cross over and seeks revenge upon the living. It seeks any means to preserve its unnatural life, and does not care that drinking a unicorn's blood dooms it to a cursed half-life." The Potions Master informed his students.
"W-when I saw it . . . I was so scared that I . . . couldn't move," Neville admitted, flushing. "I felt like it was sucking all the warmth out of me, sir, and I was frozen. I couldn't look away and I felt like my heart was going to burst right out of my chest!"
"It could have, Longbottom. A revenant's fear aura has been known to cause those who encounter it to drop dead from the shock. It is equal to a Dementor's. You were very lucky." He poured two cups of cocoa and handed them to Draco and Neville. "Here. Drink this down, it will counteract the aura. Then return to your dormitory."
"What about Harry?" Draco asked.
Snape's face tightened into a grim mask. "Do not worry, Mr. Malfoy. I shall find him." He forced himself to sound confident, though inwardly his heart was fluttering madly and his stomach was churning. Of all the times for Skullduggery to be gone! Revenants in the forest, and Harry missing. Snape felt his heart skip a beat at the danger his ward could be in. Granted, the revenant wouldn't be able to touch the boy thanks to the protective amulet Severus had crafted for him, but Harry was probably lost and terrified, all alone in the darkness. The professor silently cursed Minerva's choice of venue for detention. Of all the times to assign a detention out of the castle! And worse, it should have been supervised by more than one professor. What had she been thinking?
His scowl etched into his face, Severus turned and made his way to the door of his quarters. "Finish up your cocoa, you ought to be in bed by the time my mantle clock strikes the quarter hour. If not, you shall not like the consequences."
"Yes, sir," the two chorused.
Severus left, knowing full well they would not disobey him. He strode down the corridor, his robe billowing like the wings of a night haunt behind him. Once Harry was safe again, he was going to give Minerva a good piece of his mind for putting his ward in danger, even if it had been unintentional. For now his priority was finding Harry, he could rant and rave later about Gryffindor stupidity.