The Book of the Dead: Chapter 1-10

Guardian Angel

Severus rapped on the door, yanked it open, and strode inside without asking or waiting for permission.

Minerva sat at the huge claw-footed desk, a cup of tea near her right hand, her glasses perched disapprovingly near the tip of her nose. The fingers of her left hand were drumming an agitated rhythm near the upper left-hand corner of the Daily Prophet.

“Not happy with the British candidate for one of the highest offices the wizarding world has to offer?” he sneered.

Minerva’s lips thinned. She jerked off her glasses and rubbed her forehead in frustrated circles.

“I hear everyone at the Ministry rejoiced when Fudge turned his back on British bureaucracy,” Snape went on mercilessly.

“No doubt about that, Severus, no doubt at all. And it is disconcerting to say the least to see Fudge rise like that on the European level.” The headmistress sniffed lightly. “I must say, I am a little surprised that he has the means for a campaign of that scale.”

“Perhaps he … fudged a bit?” Severus raised an eyebrow. “Whatever he’s up to, I promise you that all of us will be even more surprised if he wins and that educational reform he’s been going on about is implemented,” Severus added sourly and sat down in one of the visitors’ chairs.

The headmistress shuddered. Then she fixed him with her penetrating gaze. He felt the same need to squirm under her intense scrutiny that he had experienced as a first year and scowled at her. “May I surprise you even more and say that I haven’t come to argue European politics with you?” he started, uncomfortably aware of how bitter he sounded.

Minerva held up her hand to stop him. “Severus,” she said. “I do hope you know that it is not your fault that Andromeda signed that treaty?”

His scowl deepened. “I am aware that the whole Wizengamot voted in favour of the treaty,” he replied curtly.

Minerva sighed. “Severus, while it is true that the conditions of the Vatican for opening renegotiations of the Pacta and their cooperation concerning that rescue mission influenced the decision, the British signature of the EMU treaties hinged on more than those particular factors.”

“And now Pius Thicknesse is in charge of those renegotiations!” Severus exploded, his angry words belying his earlier statement that he was not interested in talking politics.

“Yes,” Minerva agreed wearily. “I know … Now, why did you want to talk to me, if it wasn’t about wizarding politics? ”

“I wanted to discuss the wards of the school with you, ” Severus announced. “We should revise them and replace some. ”

Minerva frowned. Now he had her complete attention. “What do you have in mind and why?”

“Two things,” Severus said. “I want to add a layer of Necromantic wards with Alina’s and Harry’s help. And I want Abbé Nihel to bless every godforsaken inch of the school.”

♦♦♦◊♦♦♦

“Barret, shut up,” Alina’s quill wrote in letters that were angular with anger. “Just stop it.”

But one look at Crudass’ mutinous expression told her that he wasn’t willing to let this go. Ever since she’d come to one of the Army meetings holding hands with Cato, Crudass had been a pain in the arse. Or, as Cato put it, illustrating perfectly just how he had acquired his nickname. Alina knew why, but that didn’t help. So her Gryffindor mate was jealous of her Ravenclaw boyfriend. What the hell was she supposed to do about that? She couldn’t stop liking Cato just to please Barret, after all!

“He’s right, though,” Prue piped up, her silvery quill adding girly flourishes to her parchment. She flushed with shame and couldn’t meet Alina’s eyes. But her quill continued to spell out for Alina what she wanted to say anyway.

“Professor Snape is scary.”

Cato laughed at that. “And it took you all of four years to realise that?”

Usually as modest as he was smart, sometimes even Cato’s patience wore thin. Alina snorted silently.

what’s got u so scared all of a sudden? she inquired.

Crudass, Prue, Alyah, and Percely exchanged covert glances. Slowly this behaviour was beginning to seriously get on Alina’s nerves. They were supposed to be knights, not wimps who were scared of a perfectly nice teacher. Turning her eyes to the ceiling of the Room of Requirement, Alina waited until the four of them had finally jostled Percely to the front. At that she really, really, really wanted to huff noisily. Hiding behind a fifth year Hufflepuff. Oh yeah, those were knights indeed.

Percely flicked his wand and his parchment unrolled right next to his face. His quill was frayed at the end, as if he was sucking on it. Alina wrinkled her nose.

so what’s so scary ’bout him?? she gestured impatiently at Percely’s parchment. She could never read his lips. He mumbled.

“He has no shadow anymore.”

yeah … and your point is?

The others just stared at her.

Alina felt an irresistible urge to smack her head against the nearest hard surface. She buried her face in her hands, while her quill started writing again.

Also, he HAS a shadow. The quill hesitated. It’s just … detachable.

She glimpsed Cato’s lips – quivering with suppressed laughter. Professor Snape’s shadow was a much discussed topic between the two of them.

“Detachable?” Judging from how Prue rounded her lips and the way Crudass flinched, her friend’s voice had just soared one or two octaves upwards. Sometimes being deaf is a blessing and not a curse, Alina thought. Her quill fluffed its feather huffily at the others, before it started writing again.

he’s been that way since he came back i think

“That’s unnatural,” the quill of Barret Cruddace scratched on his parchement. “And dangerous.”

“I wonder where his shadow is.” Prue shivered.

Alina wanted to groan, but no sound emerged from her mouth. Her parchment dropped and spread out on the ground – her way of whispering.

his shadow is with hermione, you idiots

he’s watching over her