"I don't think you are that much like Tiberius."
"I did not ask your opinion on the matter," Severus growled as he carefully collected Dierna's now worthless robes. He thought it a fine penance as some of the liquid on them dripped onto his hands, burning slightly before he rinsed it off. He deserved pain for all the pain that he caused.
"I think you forget that I knew Tiberius well. Not quite as well as I know you, my boy, but well enough to offer an educated opinion on the matter. There is one difference, one very large difference between you and Tiberius that has convinced me that you are not the type of man that he was."
"I know, I became a Death Eater, so I can lay the blame for all of the acts that I regret at the Dark Lord's feet, my father has only his own desire for pleasure and power to blame," Severus said, bitterly sarcastic, clearly insinuating that they were one and the same.
"You are a damn fool Severus, I hope you realize that. The difference that I was referring to is that I have never seen a bruise or a welt or a burn mark on your wife or any of your children that you were responsible for. I wonder if you can even count the number of scars that Tiberius left you with. And not just the visible ones, also the ones that are ingrained in your mind."
"You do not know what you are talking about," Severus hissed, growing increasingly angry and frustrated with the way that Eric was prying into matters that did not concern him. He had no right! These were matters that he knew nothing about, matters that were best left alone, matters that would resolve themselves, despite all the circumstances.
"Whatever happened here, whatever made your daughter storm out, go talk to her... she is a sensible girl, she will listen."
"If she has something to say to me, she knows where to find me."
"That is not what I said and it is most certainly not what I meant! I'd wager that you are the one who needs to do most of the talking." And most of the apologizing.
Severus was saved the trouble of replying angrily as a black candle sitting on his desk suddenly lit itself with a hiss, burning with a bright green flame.
"A type of spying device..." Eric observed wisely as he rose to his feet with the aid of his cane.
"Stay here Eric, I do not need you for this."
"What exactly is it that you do not need me for?"
"I am just going to check on my students."
"Then I shall wait here."
Severus paused at the door, "you'd best leave. If the tripartite was involved this may take awhile."
"Very well, I shall be back tomorrow, I have something that we must discuss.” Eric smiled his distorted, misshapen grin, "not at all like Tiberius," he muttered quietly, "not at all..."
Severus wasn't sure if he was pleased by the disturbance or if it had only angered him further. He decided that he would pick between the two once he had found out the nature of the disturbance. And if the Bulstrode triplets had been behind it.
Severus’ eyes narrowed as he stepped into the Common Room. Nothing was out of place. No one was doing anything they weren’t supposed to. In fact, every single one of his Slytherins was sitting quietly, either at the large work tables or on the sofas and plush chairs doing their school work. He pulled out his pocket watch, his eyebrows rose as he noted the time. “I believe that the whole lot of you was supposed to be in bed quite some time ago. And unless you all have homework that you have last for the last possible moment, the only ones of you with any hope of an excuse are the sixth and seventh years. Who would like to start explaining?”
Kay tucked her bottom lip between her teeth as she shot Mark a nervous glance. Even though Professor Snape never sounded pleased with him, it was usually all a front that they could see through. She could recognize the ire beneath his words tonight, and she knew that Mark heard it too.
“I am waiting. If someone does not start explaining soon I shall punish the lot of you,” Severus could feel his irritation returning full force. He knew it was unfair to take out the frustration of what had been an incredibly long and trying night on his Slytherins. But the fact that most of them were breaking one of the House rules seemed to be a viable excuse should he need one for losing his temper.
He noticed the anxious looks passing between the students and felt his fury returning in full force. He had put up with far too much already tonight. He was never lenient with his Slytherins, and this certainly wasn’t going to be the time he changed that, “one hundred lines from each of you for each increment of ten seconds that I have to wait for someone to start explaining.”
“We did create…”
“The disturbance to get you in here…”
“Sir.”
Severus looked from Marcus to Agrippa to Posthumous, he wasn’t surprised. “I will deal with you momentarily. You can wait for me in my office.”
“Wait, sir, please, it wasn’t all their fault,” Kay quickly spoke up. As much as the terrible trio annoyed her at times, but it wasn’t fair for them to take most of the blame when Snape was in such a foul mood. Especially if he was going to deal with them in his office. That was never good. The triplets were in and out of trouble so often that all but the worst infractions were dealt with wherever Snape happened to catch them.
“Would you like to join them Miss Parkinson?”
“Well… they did rig your detector to go off on their own…” she didn’t want to link herself too closely to the triplets. “But that’s only because they volunteered to first. We wanted to talk to you…” she trailed off. She didn’t like the look she was getting, it was the one that was usually followed by someone getting thoroughly chewed out.
“You are all on restriction. You do not leave this Common Room except for meals and classes or to go to the library.” Snape turned on his heel, intent on finding someplace where he could be uninterrupted for the rest of the night.
“Please sir,” Kay pushed on, even as Mark tried to shush her, “Mark got a letter from his parents, they’re demanding that he leave school.”
“Kay, let it be,” Mark hissed at his girlfriend, as he glared at her and pulled his arm from her grasp.
Severus sighed, this was the last topic that he wanted to tackle tonight. He wasn’t capable of dealing with it, not now. He turned back to look at his students, who were all looking up at him expectantly. He didn’t know what to say to them.
“I’m not going, sir,” Mark said, but he was glaring at the ground as he said it.
“I will not let them force you, Mr. McKean,” Severus promised him, “I want all of you in bed now.” His tone brooked no room for argument, the students all scurried for their rooms. “Mr. McKean,” he called the Head Boy back, “if you need to talk…”
Mark nodded, “I know where to find you sir, and I know that tonight’s not a good time.” He thrust his hands into his pockets as he stared moodily past Snape at the chipped stones of the grey dungeon wall.
“You are better than them.”
“You’ve been more of a parent for me than they ever have been.” Mark said darkly.
“I have never tried to take their place.”
“I don’t think you can consider it taking their place if there wasn’t any established position for you to usurp. You filled a gap that they never cared to fill.”
“How old are you Mr. McKean?”
Mark looked confused, he knew that Snape knew the answer to that question, “seventeen, sir.”
“When the weight of the world gets to be too much for you to hold up on your own, I have a bottle of firewhiskey that you are welcome to, provided I am there, of course.”
Mark smiled weakly, “thank you sir, I shall keep that in mind.”
“Bed. Now.”
“Yes sir.”
~~~~~~~~~~~~
