Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

*

Nobody to Trust

*

Severus didn't look up as he heard somebody entering the room. If he'd been able to, he would have said, "Go away." As he wasn't, however, he just pointed at the door. He didn't want to face anybody right now.

"No, I don't think I'll leave," said an all too familiar voice. Severus looked up in shock.

His father was looking at him with malice in his eyes. "Your professors contacted me," he said. "I'm disappointed, Severus. I thought you knew what I think about failures... such as you."

The boy just shook his head franticly. No, he wasn't a failure. He could still do magic! However, his father just smirked and started to approach.

Severus tried to get out of the bed in panic. However, his father whispered a quick spell, and to his absolute horror Severus found himself magically bound to the bed. And his father was walking nearer to him, a threatening glint in the black eyes so similar to his.

"Don't worry, Son," his father said with an overly sweet tone. "It won't hurt at all..."

Severus saw as the older wizard grasped a pillow from his bed and raised it. Seeing the pillow coming nearer, he tried to get out of its way, but couldn't move. He couldn't even struggle as the thick, fluffy pillow was pressed against his face.

He might have tried to shout, but knew that it was useless. Just as well he knew that he couldn't move to cause any noise that might alert somebody to the place. He was completely unable to help himself as his own father now tried to smother him -- and was doing a fine job with it.

Severus tried to hold his breath, then tried to gasp some air, but that only resulted with the pillow being pressed even more tightly against his face. Then, slowly, he lost his grasp on consciousness as no more oxygen could find its way into his lungs and then his brain...

*

"Oh, I'm sorry, boys," Madam Pomfrey said as she saw the Marauders. "You can't go to see Severus right now. His father is talking with him, and he asked not to let anybody else in."

"Are you mad?" Remus blurted out. "Don't you know what happened to Severus's sister when they found out she was deaf?"

Now, Madam Pomfrey frowned. "Severus has no sister," she pointed out.

"Exactly," Remus spat. "He doesn't have a sister. Not anymore." With this, he rushed towards the door of the private hospital room Severus was in. The other Marauders followed close on his heels, bewildered expressions on their faces. Even James and Peter were in a hurry. They maybe didn't like Snape, but they didn't want him to die, either, especially not in his father's hands. That was a fate nobody could deserve.

When Remus threw the door to Severus's room open, however, they didn't see anything out of ordinary at first. The young Slytherin lay peacefully on the bed, seemingly asleep, and his father was seemingly just going to leave.

"What is it?" asked Mr Snape irritably, turning towards them with all the elegance of an aristocratic man who knew exactly what was his value. "Do keep it down, boys, please. Poor Severus was seemingly very tired; he just fell asleep. Please don't wake him, he needs his rest."

Remus, however, was already on his friend's side. The werewolf knew Severus well enough to know that the Slytherin would never fall asleep in his father's presence. He wouldn't dare to.

A quick check over his friend confirmed his fears. "Catch him!" he cried out at the other Marauders. "Severus is not breathing!" With that, he started to cast breathing charms as quickly as he could, hoping that at least one of them would help.

Mr Snape started to draw his wand, an alarmed look on his face. However, the Marauders were faster. "Expelliarmus!" James cried out, then caught the man's wand as it flew through the air. Sirius tackled him before he could do anything, and Peter ran to get Madam Pomfrey.

Mere minutes later the Headmaster had Mr Snape in a body bind, while Madam Pomfrey was quickly trying to make Severus breathe again. Remus was watching the young Slytherin worriedly, while the other Marauders hovered between Severus and his father, watching the former and glaring hatefully at the latter.

"The scans show that he's been smothered," Madam Pomfrey said strictly, glancing sharply at Mr Snape. "With a pillow, I'd assume. How do you explain that, Mr Snape?"

"I do not know what you're talking about," snapped the man. "Why would I ever want to kill my only son and heir? That wouldn't make any sense!"

"Because he's lost his ability to talk," Remus said quietly, his eyes never leaving Severus. "Because you don't think that anybody with a disability should be allowed to live."

"Shut up, brat," huffed Mr Snape, glaring at him. "This is none of your business!"

"Oh, but it is," said Peter sharply. "It's all of our business. I and James practically scraped his remains from the floor after he was attacked because he dared to help Remus and Sirius."

"You shouldn't have bothered," the darkhaired adult said coolly. "It's obvious that he isn't any good for anybody anymore, if he ever was. You would have done well to let him rot away in peace. Nobody probably would have missed him anyway."

"You're wrong." This time it was Sirius who spoke. "Remus would have missed him, and I would have missed him, too. The teachers would have been devastated if one of their best students had died. And James would have missed him, too -- he needs an opponent to live."

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Black Sheep," spat Mr Snape. "So, do shut up."

"Oh, I think I will," Sirius said cheerfully. "And in the meantime, I do think I'm going to go to call Aurors." He started to walk towards the door.

"Excellent thinking, Sirius, my boy," the Headmaster said approvingly. "Although it is rather sad that Aurors seem to visit rather frequently, they truly are needed." At this, the usual twinkle in his eyes died away and his gaze turned icy as he glanced at the man he was holding with his spells. "Most probably they haven't even left yet. Try to look for them here in the castle."

"Of course. James, could I have the Map?" At getting it, Sirius said, "Thanks. It seems that they truly are still here. Maybe I'll manage to convince them to take yet another lost sheep with them before they leave." And so, he grinned at Mr Snape, who scowled. Then, he was away.

*

Some time later, the Headmaster glanced at the Marauders with a serious expression. Mr Snape was in the Aurors' hands, as were the Slytherins who had attacked Severus. The now mute Slytherin would indeed still live, as Madam Pomfrey's had managed to make him breathe again. The mediwitch had assured them that there wouldn't be any permanent damage.

There wasn't a hint of the usual bumbling fool in Dumbledore now. Instead, he just looked at them with very serious blue eyes. "It seems that Severus cannot trust anybody," he said quietly. "Not even his own father or housemates. Also, it is rather obvious that he can't stay in his dormitory anymore, especially as he's unable to even call for help."

The four young Gryffindors are nodded. "Where will he be staying, then, sir?" asked Remus.

"I was just getting at it, my boy." Dumbledore looked at them one by one over his half-moon glasses. "You see, there is only one sixth year boys' dormitory in the school with only four occupants." At their looks of sudden realization, he smiled. "Exactly. Your dormitory. So, I would like to have young Severus move into the spare bed in your dormitory. Of course, this also makes it easier to Peter to teach him sign language, as you'll be sharing a dormitory."

Remus, Sirius, and Peter all nodded at this, although Peter's nod was rather hesitant. James, however, scowled. "But he's a Slytherin!" he argued. "He can't stay in the Gryffindor Tower!"

Dumbledore just shrugged. "Given his recent deeds, it is very probable that Severus would be a Gryffindor, should he be re-Sorted," he said. "And, considering that Slytherin is at the moment going at two thousand negative points, he just might accept to be re-Sorted."

"Severus Snape -- a Gryffindor?" A broad grin spread onto Sirius's face. "Oh, isn't this rich..."

The others could do little but agree.

*