Padfoot: The slashy tale of a greasy haired man, and his man slave, Antonio, who likes to be behind Severus *quite often*.

By: Jade Dragon

Chapter One

The halls of the school were all silent in the wee hours of a Saturday morning. It was very early,

around one o’clock, and all were soothed in their beds by the gentle moonlight that cascaded in from the windows. All was quiet, or so it seemed. One person was up, roaming the halls like a predator. However, it was not Severus Snape’s usual obligation to stop students from furthering their snogging activities, that brought him into the third corridor.

A gentle laughter could be heard softly making its way through the cracks of an unused door.

Severus stopped there, looking at the door with caution and pain. He placed a pale hand upon it and twisted the knob, opening the door to reveal a beautiful young woman dancing in the middle of the dust-filled room.

He walked in and closed the door behind him, watching as the young woman took notice of him. The woman stood there, looking at him with silver eyes before her face lightened up

and she ran to the man before her.

“Severus!” she yelled, and gave him a loving hug.

Severus stood there with his arms wrapped around the woman. He smelled her long curly black

Hair, that gently tickled his pale hands that rested on the small of her back. He closed his black tunnel eyes

and tightened his grip, wanting nothing more than to stand here forever and hold her. Nevertheless, all things must end.

A bitter end for him.

“I missed you. What took you so long? I’ve been waiting here for ages.” she said in a rush and pulled back, gazing up at him with love.

He gave a sad smile before pulling his body away from hers, forgetting that there was no warmth that was to be lost.

“Been busy. You know how it is.” he replied softly, watching with sad recognition at her expression.

She gave an amused, teasing smile, “Aw, yes, the great Severus Snape of Slytherin must always practice his perfect and subtle art and exact science that is potions.” she said and gently laughed.

In normal terms, he would’ve scowled and start laughing with her. However, that was a long time ago, when he was happy and felt alive.

“What’s wrong, Severus? Where’s that scowl I love so much?” she said and came up to him, wrapping her arms around his waist.

Before he could reply, a secret passage from the far right in the back opened and out stood Albus Dumbledore, gazing with sadness at the Potions Master.

“It is not well that you do this Severus.”

Albus said as he quietly made his way over to the younger man. The sound of the woman’s sighs and Albus’s crimson robes

were the only music gracing the room as the two men looked at each other.

“I know that she is not real.” Severus said, tearing his gaze from the headmaster to the woman in his arms. She looked up at him with indignation and replied:

“Of course I’m real, silly. What ever gave you such a wild idea?” she said with a laughing tone and tore from his arms.

“Come on, let’s dance. We haven’t danced in such a long while,”

she said as she pulled on his hand, laughter dancing in her orbs of grey.

Albus found his way to the side of Severus and looked at the young woman as she began to dance around the dusty room, unaware of the older man’s presence.

“I know that she is just made of memories. That her skin holds no warmth and her laugh no light.”

Severus said as he walked slowly to the dancing woman. He stopped a few feet away from her and watched as she slowly disappeared. He turned around at Albus, his mentor and father figure, and said:

“But, Albus, I’m a lost, empty, lonely,

“shell; that’s been wallowing in self pity for nearly twenty years. I need Elizabeth. I simply need her.” he said and walked out of the room before the headmaster could see the tears forming.

Monday afternoon found Severus Snape sitting in his potions class, waiting for the last class, the murderous seventh years of Gryffindor and Slytherin. Last nights events took hold of his mind and he felt a burning and tear at his heart.

The pain was so great, that he didn’t feel, hear, or see, the presence of a student walking up to him. The name that belonged to him didn’t register as a concerned low voice, but barely a whisper, almost something unattainable.

“Professor? Professor Snape?” a soft, concerned, feminized voice drifted into his ears. Severus looked up at the girl that was talking to him and found it to be Hermione Granger.

For once, he was glad that the little know-it-all was standing in front of him as tears spilled down his eyes.

He was about to say something, anything, when she looked at him in a way that stopped him in his tracks.

He saw, in her cinnamon eyes, sorrow and understanding. It made him wonder if she was telepathic, or if the cause of pain was so easy to read on his face.

He watched as she turned around, stood with her back in front of his figure, and announced to the class that Professor Snape could not perform with teaching; therefore, class was dismissed.

Cheers, laughs and relief-filled sighs echoed their way out of the dungeons, leaving Severus and Hermione the only occupants.

Hermione turned around at her professor and only nodded to him before she went to her desk and started to gather her stuff in her bag. She walked to the door, aware of the coal eyes following her. She turned around, knowing that he would always wonder how she knew.

"Harry had that same look when he lost his godfather for the longest time.

“I’m sorry for whomever you lost, I truly am.

“But don’t ever beat yourself up for it. Things happen for a reason and we cannot control things that concern Death. I hope that you’ll start to feel better soon, sir. Hogwarts isn‘t the same without you to teach.”

Padfoot: Yeah, the air is fresher.

she said truthfully, turning back to the door and exiting, leaving a very confused Snape in the class to stare at the vacant spot that held her presence.

Down In the Great Hall, the moonlight shone through the magic ceiling as the students and staff ate to their fill. Hermione was watching Harry and Ron joke about something with her left eye as she kept the other on close observation on her professor.

She had never seen him like that, and she could only imagine what he lost.

‘It must’ve been something great.’ she thought, ‘For a man like him to break down like that.’ She saw that he was pushing his food around, not really seeing it at all. She hoped he wasn’t going to do anything stupid, like, for instance, kill himself.

With the thoughts of the many ways he could kill himself,

Hermione stopped eating and let her mouth hang open for the flies. It was only when Ron closed her jaw for her that she snapped back to reality.

“We have to help him,” she said as her right eye followed his black clad figure leave through the side door.

“Help who?” Harry and Ron asked, both looking at her with confusion and caution

looks.

“Snape.” she said and saw the door close and the boys look at each other with petrified looks.

Hermione could only think of how many times he had tried to kill himself.

She figured that with Voldemort’s threat to rise and then rise back to power kept him busy enough to forget his past of the person he lost. Now, with Voldemort gone, he didn’t have anything to distract him at all, and this was not good.

“Oh, come off it you two! We have to help him!” she said and watched as the two looked at her as if she was crazy.

“Oh come on! I’ll tell you on the way!” she said as she grabbed their hands and ran out of the Great Hall with them in tow.

The singing of the abandoned room

was hypnotic for the potions master as he closed the door behind him and watched his beloved dance before him, not realizing she was entertaining a single man audience, nor the curious other faces that were poking in through the glass on wall beside the door.

For Harry, Hermione and Ron, this was the best time to be out. Everyone was eating their dinners and being happy, so, he he, they could spy.

“Oh no.” groaned Hermione.

“What?” Ron said.

“Besides the fact that we just followed the greasy git that’s about to get shagged senseless.” Harry added with disgust and amusement.

“’Bout time, might improve his mood. Don’t you think so, Harry?” Ron said, before Hermione smacked both over the head.

“Honestly, you two! He isn’t about to get shagged senseless. This is a Memoiria idiot!”

she said with exasperation. At the look of confusion on the boys’ faces, she took a deep sigh and began to explain.

“The reason why Snape’s class was cancelled was because of this you dum-dums. A Memoiria is a form of torture that Wizards used before the three Unfogivables. It’s rarely heard of, only in Dark Magic books now,” she said, only receiving even more confusion filled faces.

“How is this torture?” Ron asked, receiving a ‘Yea?’ from Harry.

“Because, it takes what precious memories you have and restores them. For instance, if I were to cast the spell on Harry, we’d meet his parents. They used this spell in order for their victims to see something they lost.

They would think it’s real and go insane. Someone who voluntarily uses this upon himself is not completely in his mind.” she finished.

“We knew that.” Ron said, getting another smack from Hermione.

“Obviously, Snape loved that woman very much. He probably hasn’t been here until recently, because of Voldemort. But now, he has time to think, and now, he might try something stupid.” she said and watched as Snape moved.

The trio shrunk a little ways from the door, only to let out a relieved sigh as Snape pulled the laughing woman in his arms. They witnessed the first true smile of their teacher and were impressed.

He looked twenty years younger from the fifty years of torture look and not the evil git that he was known to be.

“I wonder what happened to her.” Ron said as he watched the changed man dance with the woman. “Don’t know. Don’t think I want to know.” Harry said, Ron nodding in agreement.

Hermione also nodded, “For him to punish himself like this- it must’ve been something horrible. One can only assume that he blames himself for it.,” she said and the two nodded.

“That is a correct assumption Ms. Granger.,” a sturdy voice said from behind them. The three wide-eyed teens turned around to see a sad eyed Albus in front of them.

“Severus does blame himself for Elizabeth’s death twenty years ago. They went here together, were to get married after they graduated.” he said, his old knowing and wise voice strong with sadness.

“I must ask you to not repeat what your eyes have captured tonight. For I fear that Severus will kill you while you sleep.” Albus said, getting three nods.

“What can we do for him, though?” Hermione said, receiving odd looks from her friends. Albus’s eyes twinkled.

“I believe that you are the first one that has witnessed his pain and has willingly volunteered. Severus is not an easy man to get along with, or like but, inside, he is just like any man out there,” the headmaster paused, choosing his words carefully,

“My dear, you could offer him your friendship, thought I’m not sure if it will be enough or even work.”

Albus stopped and bent his head slightly in thought. Then, the mischief twinkle that he was known for appeared in his eyes suddenly like a dancing flame.

“I know just the thing, Ms. Granger. I will meet you in my office after your classes to discuss it with you. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a genius to save.

“Off you go- unless,” he said, hanging back a bit before he twisted the knob, “you wish to die a painful death?”

With these words, Harry and Ron ran for cover of the Gryffindor common room.

“Sir, what do you have in mind?” Hermione asked as she started to back away slowly, getting ready to sprint after the desired answer.

Albus smiled and let his eyes fall to the ground; he raised them back up and said:

“To show him the meaning of life,” he said with a smile, “All of it.”

At the last statement, he chuckled as if he were an evil maniac student bent on revenge, making Hermione run down after her friends.

“Thank you, Ms. Granger, you are exactly what Severus needs to help with the pain. Teach him how to want to live again, teach him how to love again,”

he whispered as he turned back to the door, opening and stepping inside to save his disturbed colleague and friend.

-This Fanfic has been officially MSTed by Sirius ‘Padfoot’ Black-