Ghosts (repost), Snape/OFC, 35/48
Oct. 6th, 2006 01:29 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
rmGhosts (repost), Snape/OFC, 35/48
Rating: G – hard-R; this chapter PG
Author’s Notes:
If you don’t know what this is, please read this.
Despite a recent tune-up, this was written in 2001 and is not compliant with the current state of the HP universe.
Your feedback and commentary are always welcome, even for a time capsule such as this.
You can find all chapters here.
If you’re looking for slash, het, poly, Book-6 compliant Slytherin backstory please visit the recently updated Fascilis Descensus Averno a WIP written with ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kalichan. It features Severus Snape, Lucius & Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix & Rodolphus Lestrange and Regulus Black and mostly takes place in 1979 – 1981 but has forays both significantly forward and back in time.
Disclaimer: It’s JKR’s world, I just mess about with it.
Severus stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in his kimono, trying to untangle his hair with his fingers.
"Oh come here," Allosia, now dressed in her robes, said with some disgust from her chair in the living room. He walked over to her, and she pointed at the floor in front of her, "Sit."
He looked at her oddly, but did.
"You do have a hairbrush here somewhere, yes?"
He nodded, but wasn't additionally helpful.
"Fine," she said, and held up her hand to summon it. He snorted when it smacked the back of her hand, hard. "Next time tell me what direction to expect it from."
She set the brush in her lap and started going through his hair with her fingers, just to see how bad it was. With each motion, she watched his shoulders get higher and tenser.
"What's wrong?" she asked, pressing down on them, trying to get him to relax.
"This makes me self-conscious."
"I can see that, Severus, why?"
He shrugged.
"Surely you remember I had hair far longer than yours and nearly as unruly for most of my life. There's no shame in it - you just can't use spells on it, it never ever gets all the tangles out."
He shrugged again.
"What?" she asked so softly, he wasn't even entirely sure she had spoken.
His voice immediately sounded too loud to him, but he was finding it so hard to speak at all, that modulating it seemed beyond him for a moment. "I know, what people think of me. I know, that they do not find me attractive, or at best, or perhaps worst, they say ‘interesting’. That means, ‘I'm ashamed to admire you’. But no matter there, people are as they are, and I've even less use for them than they have for me."
Allosia wondered how many times he had repeated that speech. "But?' she asked, prompting.
"It's not the notion of being ugly that bothers me," he said. "Rather, I don't think I'm ugly at all. But the very strong possibility that I'm wrong simply terrifies me. You fix my hair, and you confirm it. I will not have this face of mine, whatever it may be, betray my intellect."
"I'm fixing your hair, because I like having an excuse to touch you, Severus," she said, beginning to work the brush through the tangles.
"You do," he said. It wasn't a question, but there was faint surprise there.
"I do. I enjoy your face, I even enjoy this hair of yours when you can be bothered with it, despite my suspicions it's going to strangle you in your sleep one day."
His shoulders went up again.
"Relax," she said softly, undeterred from her task. "Tell me if I'm hurting you."
"No, it's fine," he said tensely.
"Good," she said. "You never go to anyone for it, do you?"
He shook his head.
"You should, it's something worth indulging in.'
"Don't you mean investing in."
"No, I do not. I mean, it's pleasant to have tasks like these done by others from time to time." She paused, continuing to work. "Don't you think?"
He made a non-committal noise.
They sat there in a quiet punctuated only by the noise of the brush through his hair, until Dumbledore's head appeared in the fireplace.
"Headmaster," said Severus with a start, moving to stand up, but Allosia put a hand on his shoulder in a command to stay.
"I'm sorry to disturb you two," said the head, "I was hoping you wouldn't mind me stopping by for a bit, I wanted to discuss some things about tonight's events."
"Certainly, Albus," said Allosia, earning her a sharp glance from Severus. She continued to brush his hair as Dumbledore popped into the room from the floo system with a few coughs and a small cloud of dust.
Severus made to stand again, but this time the headmaster stopped him. "There's no need, Severus," he said, taking the chair opposite them. "Having your hair dressed by someone beautiful who bears you affection before battle is an ancient and proud tradition. I would do nothing to stop it, especially here," he said warmly, smiling at them both.
Allosia smiled, and mouthed, "Thank you" at the older man, while Severus glanced away, before saying, "As you wish, Albus," somewhat uncomfortably.
"What I wanted to discuss is what arrangements we may need to make as regards young Malfoy," said the headmaster.
"He will be looked after. My main concern is that you come up with something to tell Pomfrey as it is somewhat likely the boy will need her attentions over the next week or so. I'd be happy to deal with it myself, but you know that woman doesn't believe a damn thing I say and I'm somewhat uninterested in him thinking I have some sort of new respect for him thanks to his initiation." The final word came out very bitter. "He needs to feel anything but empowered by this."
"Yes, yes, I quite agree. When are you leaving us this evening?"
"Six, I'm taking the carriage, if that's acceptable."
"That's fine; I think it wise."
"I've asked Allosia to be here this evening, by the way, so if she is needed for anything, or you need to talk to her--" Severus trailed off and Dumbledore looked from him to her sadly.
"What?" she said harshly, "In case you get yourself killed?"
"I'll be fine," Severus said sullenly.
"That he will," Albus said with some more assurance, "although I'm quite glad you'll be here to look after him."
"If I may ask, since Severus has his own interpretations of these things, to what degree is," she paused, "this, common knowledge?"
"Well," he said chuckling, "Minerva is still upset about that little flying incident by her window."
Severus groaned.
"And," the older man continued, "Madam Hooch has always had a keen eye for your ability to cause trouble,"
Severus snorted and Allosia tried not to laugh, his threat of Obliviate still hanging over her..
"But beyond that," Dumbledore concluded, "other than the suspicions of our dear students who are generally more curious about anything not occurring in a classroom, I think your secret is safe with me. It helps of course, that most everyone in the school is afraid of at least one of you."
Allosia laughed out loud, and Severus rolled his eyes.
"So in otherwords," he said, "everyone knows."
"You see what I mean, Albus?" Allosia said in a conspirational whisper.
The headmaster chuckled and stood. "I have many things to attend to today, and so will be off. Severus, your report can wait until morning if there is nothing that needs immediate action."
"Thank you, sir, but that won't be -- "
"It will be quite necessary, Severus. You are not the only one with a life around here."
And with a wink, he threw a pinch of powder into the floo, declared his office as his destination, and was gone.
Rating: G – hard-R; this chapter PG
Author’s Notes:
kalichan. It features Severus Snape, Lucius & Narcissa Malfoy, Bellatrix & Rodolphus Lestrange and Regulus Black and mostly takes place in 1979 – 1981 but has forays both significantly forward and back in time. Disclaimer: It’s JKR’s world, I just mess about with it.
Severus stepped out of the bathroom, wrapped in his kimono, trying to untangle his hair with his fingers.
"Oh come here," Allosia, now dressed in her robes, said with some disgust from her chair in the living room. He walked over to her, and she pointed at the floor in front of her, "Sit."
He looked at her oddly, but did.
"You do have a hairbrush here somewhere, yes?"
He nodded, but wasn't additionally helpful.
"Fine," she said, and held up her hand to summon it. He snorted when it smacked the back of her hand, hard. "Next time tell me what direction to expect it from."
She set the brush in her lap and started going through his hair with her fingers, just to see how bad it was. With each motion, she watched his shoulders get higher and tenser.
"What's wrong?" she asked, pressing down on them, trying to get him to relax.
"This makes me self-conscious."
"I can see that, Severus, why?"
He shrugged.
"Surely you remember I had hair far longer than yours and nearly as unruly for most of my life. There's no shame in it - you just can't use spells on it, it never ever gets all the tangles out."
He shrugged again.
"What?" she asked so softly, he wasn't even entirely sure she had spoken.
His voice immediately sounded too loud to him, but he was finding it so hard to speak at all, that modulating it seemed beyond him for a moment. "I know, what people think of me. I know, that they do not find me attractive, or at best, or perhaps worst, they say ‘interesting’. That means, ‘I'm ashamed to admire you’. But no matter there, people are as they are, and I've even less use for them than they have for me."
Allosia wondered how many times he had repeated that speech. "But?' she asked, prompting.
"It's not the notion of being ugly that bothers me," he said. "Rather, I don't think I'm ugly at all. But the very strong possibility that I'm wrong simply terrifies me. You fix my hair, and you confirm it. I will not have this face of mine, whatever it may be, betray my intellect."
"I'm fixing your hair, because I like having an excuse to touch you, Severus," she said, beginning to work the brush through the tangles.
"You do," he said. It wasn't a question, but there was faint surprise there.
"I do. I enjoy your face, I even enjoy this hair of yours when you can be bothered with it, despite my suspicions it's going to strangle you in your sleep one day."
His shoulders went up again.
"Relax," she said softly, undeterred from her task. "Tell me if I'm hurting you."
"No, it's fine," he said tensely.
"Good," she said. "You never go to anyone for it, do you?"
He shook his head.
"You should, it's something worth indulging in.'
"Don't you mean investing in."
"No, I do not. I mean, it's pleasant to have tasks like these done by others from time to time." She paused, continuing to work. "Don't you think?"
He made a non-committal noise.
They sat there in a quiet punctuated only by the noise of the brush through his hair, until Dumbledore's head appeared in the fireplace.
"Headmaster," said Severus with a start, moving to stand up, but Allosia put a hand on his shoulder in a command to stay.
"I'm sorry to disturb you two," said the head, "I was hoping you wouldn't mind me stopping by for a bit, I wanted to discuss some things about tonight's events."
"Certainly, Albus," said Allosia, earning her a sharp glance from Severus. She continued to brush his hair as Dumbledore popped into the room from the floo system with a few coughs and a small cloud of dust.
Severus made to stand again, but this time the headmaster stopped him. "There's no need, Severus," he said, taking the chair opposite them. "Having your hair dressed by someone beautiful who bears you affection before battle is an ancient and proud tradition. I would do nothing to stop it, especially here," he said warmly, smiling at them both.
Allosia smiled, and mouthed, "Thank you" at the older man, while Severus glanced away, before saying, "As you wish, Albus," somewhat uncomfortably.
"What I wanted to discuss is what arrangements we may need to make as regards young Malfoy," said the headmaster.
"He will be looked after. My main concern is that you come up with something to tell Pomfrey as it is somewhat likely the boy will need her attentions over the next week or so. I'd be happy to deal with it myself, but you know that woman doesn't believe a damn thing I say and I'm somewhat uninterested in him thinking I have some sort of new respect for him thanks to his initiation." The final word came out very bitter. "He needs to feel anything but empowered by this."
"Yes, yes, I quite agree. When are you leaving us this evening?"
"Six, I'm taking the carriage, if that's acceptable."
"That's fine; I think it wise."
"I've asked Allosia to be here this evening, by the way, so if she is needed for anything, or you need to talk to her--" Severus trailed off and Dumbledore looked from him to her sadly.
"What?" she said harshly, "In case you get yourself killed?"
"I'll be fine," Severus said sullenly.
"That he will," Albus said with some more assurance, "although I'm quite glad you'll be here to look after him."
"If I may ask, since Severus has his own interpretations of these things, to what degree is," she paused, "this, common knowledge?"
"Well," he said chuckling, "Minerva is still upset about that little flying incident by her window."
Severus groaned.
"And," the older man continued, "Madam Hooch has always had a keen eye for your ability to cause trouble,"
Severus snorted and Allosia tried not to laugh, his threat of Obliviate still hanging over her..
"But beyond that," Dumbledore concluded, "other than the suspicions of our dear students who are generally more curious about anything not occurring in a classroom, I think your secret is safe with me. It helps of course, that most everyone in the school is afraid of at least one of you."
Allosia laughed out loud, and Severus rolled his eyes.
"So in otherwords," he said, "everyone knows."
"You see what I mean, Albus?" Allosia said in a conspirational whisper.
The headmaster chuckled and stood. "I have many things to attend to today, and so will be off. Severus, your report can wait until morning if there is nothing that needs immediate action."
"Thank you, sir, but that won't be -- "
"It will be quite necessary, Severus. You are not the only one with a life around here."
And with a wink, he threw a pinch of powder into the floo, declared his office as his destination, and was gone.
