Beauty and the Beast

Beauty and the Beast

*

New Beginnings

*

Severus shook his head with a determined expression. No, he would not accept this.

"Be sensible, Severus," Remus pleaded. "It is clear that you wouldn't be safe anymore in the Slytherin dormitories. There are many out there who would be more than willing to hurt you, and with you weak and unable to call for help, they wouldn't hesitate a moment."

The darkhaired teen flinched at this hint towards the torture he'd had to endure, but his expression still didn't waver a bit. He just glared at his friend and the Headmaster, looking grim.

"Very well." Dumbledore nodded solemnly. "So you wish to remain in Slytherin. However, I have to note that your determination to be loyal to your House despite the danger that lies in doing so is more a Gryffindor trait than anything else." He ignored Severus's even more furious glare and continued, "Therefore, I think we should have you re-Sorted, just in case."

Now, Severus looked horrified. He shook his head furiously, making it clear what he thought.

"Come on," Remus tried to coax him. "Slytherin is two thousand points on the negative side. Gryffindor is leading the House Cup. Wouldn't it be only sensible to join our forces?"

Severus glared at him, opening his mouth to say something, but then sighed frustratedly as no sound came out. Then he sank back to the hospital bed, looking gloomy.

Remus bit his lip. It was horrible to see Severus this way. His sarcastic words and silky voice were such an important part of what made Severus, well, Severus. What would become of him now that he'd lost those? The werewolf couldn't even begin to imagine that.

The Slytherin looked so defeated, sad and angry at the same time. It was so... un-Severus.

Just then, Peter poked his head in. "Errr... Excuse me, but I thought Snape would like these." He extended a quill and a piece of parchment. "My aunt always writes if there isn't anybody around who knows sign language. Professor Flitwick helped me with the charm, it should --"

He never got further, as Severus had already shot up from the bed and snatched the parchment and quill. He wrote furiously for a moment, then looked satisfied. Before he could show the text to Remus, however, the parchment spoke. With Severus's voice.

"If I truly wanted to be re-Sorted because of the House Cup," drawled the familiar voice, "wouldn't it make me even more a Slytherin?" Then, the voice died off.

Everybody looked at Peter, who grinned. "I said it was a charmed quill," he said. "It's slower than sign language, but it's good when you want to make sure you're understood."

For a moment, Severus still stared at him. Then he wrote something. "Thank you," they heard.

Peter just grinned, winked a bit, and left.

*

In the end, Severus didn't accept to be re-Sorted. However, Dumbledore simply put the Sorting Hat onto his head. The Hat shouted almost immediately, "GRYFFINDOR!" Of course, Severus tried to protest, but Dumbledore told him that a student could only be re-Sorted once.

So, Severus spent the next week in the Marauders' dormitory, recovering and adjusting to his new life. He studied sign language from books, and proved to be a very fast learner. After lessons, Peter was more than glad to teach him, as this freed him of homework.

So, a week later Remus walked into his dorm to find both Peter and Severus sitting on the latter's bed, seemingly deep in conversation. At least that was what the werewolf figured, as both were moving their hands, making gestures that seemed meaningless but obviously weren't.

"Am I interrupting something?" he asked amusedly. Instantly Severus turned towards him and said something in sign language. "Sorry, I don't understand," Remus said.

Peter laughed. "He just called you Wolfboy," he said with a grin. "A truly fast learner, he is."

"So that's what you're teaching him?" asked Remus with a grin. "Bad, bad Wormtail."

Now, Severus raised a questioning eyebrow, then saying quickly something with his hands that Remus couldn't understand at all. Peter, however, seemed to understand very well, because he replied to Severus in sign language. Then, he turned towards Remus with a questioning look.

"He knows about everything else," he said. "Do you think I can tell him about that?"

Remus considered this for a moment. Then he said, "Go ahead. It's not like it can hurt anyone."

Instead of saying anything, aloud or in sign language, however, Peter simply frowned in concentration. A moment later, there was a plumpy rat in his place, looking up at Severus with innocent eyes. The ex-Slytherin made a snapping sound with his tongue, then took the rat into his hands. Lifting the Animagus to eye level with himself, he watched it for some time, then suddenly smirked and put Wormtail back to the bed to get his hands free. Waving furiously for some time and watching with close care the rat's tiny paws, he seemed to be having a silent conversation with the animal-formed boy.

At last, Peter transformed back, laughing. "He may be a Gryffindor now, but he's a truly nasty thing," he said to Remus, nodding towards Severus, who pretended to be offended. "Just a moment ago he was trying to convince me to swim a bit in the stew in the Slytherin table tonight. As I'm not so fond on being hexed, though, I politely refused."

"Speaking of meals," Remus said then, directing his words at Severus, "Dumbledore told me to ask you to attend the supper tonight. You'll be starting the lessons again tomorrow, after all, and he kind of figured it would be better to tell everybody about your condition in advance."

At this, Severus scowled. However, he did nothing to express his disagreement, which surprised Remus. This far the ex-Slytherin had been very reluctant to even acknowledge the possibility that he might ever return to the school, convinced that everybody would just taunt him. Even the continuous declarations that the Marauders would look out for him hadn't helped.

Anyway, that night, there were five boys from the Marauders' dormitory to attend the supper. Every pair of eyes in the Great Hall flew wide as everybody saw Snape walking seemingly calmly to the Gryffindor table, sitting down between Remus and Peter. A few Gryffindors started to speak up to protest, but a few glares from the Marauders silenced them.

As everybody had quietened down a bit -- which wasn't much, though -- Dumbledore stood up. "I have an announcement to make," he said. "As you notice, some rearrangements have been made to the seatings. The reason for this is the fact that Mr Severus Snape has been re-Sorted and placed into Gryffindor." He held up a hand to silence the uproar of voices that shot up at this announcement. "Another thing still. Mr Snape has due to an unfortunate accident lost his voice completely. He will be communicating through writing or sign language, in which case Mr Peter Pettigrew will translate for the others. I hope that nobody will find it fitting to use this situation on their advantage, even less to tease Mr Snape about it. Rest assured that any misbehaviour will be punished harshly, and not even suspension is out of question."

With this, he sat, making everybody talk again. Most of the Gryffindor table was now turned towards the Marauders, most shooting questions at them. Only Severus remained quiet, staring down at his plate. Then he suddenly started to wave his hands, looking at Peter sharply.

"He says that it is none of your business as of how he got injured," Peter translated happily. "Also, he would truly appreciate it if you shut the hell up and let him eat in peace." This made most turn away and restrict their chatter a bit, although they kept giving them long glances.

"Did he really say that?" asked Sirius curiously. "If so, I truly wonder just how fast a learner he is -- and what kind of vocabulary you're teaching to him." At this, he grinned mischievously.

"Well, mostly he just said that wanted them to shut up," Peter replied, shrugging a bit. "Although I do admit that he put in a whole lot of not-so-nice words. I'm seemingly bad influence." They all grinned at this. Peter was probably the best influence of the four.

Severus snorted a bit, then again said something. This time, Peter just chuckled and refused to translate whatever it was the ex-Slytherin had just said.

Of course, being Marauders, the others were determined to find out sooner or later.

*