Innocence

-Chapter Four-

Severus crossed the room and opened the window to admit a rather large, red-brown owl carrying a single letter. It alighted immediately on the windowsill of the now open window and paused a moment. It ruffled its feathers, as if it was shivering.Stiffly, it straightened up and held out its leg so that Severus could untie the letter on its leg. As the potions master took the letter, a sudden change came over him. He did not open it, but suddenly looked rather nervous. He was glued to the spot, and did not move.

The owl gave him a rather pointed look and Severus straightened up and left the room in search of his letter opener. He finally found it in the 4th drawer of his desk, underneath some previous letters that looked almost exactly like the one he was holding now. His letter opener was in the shape of a gold dagger with curved leafy vines of an emerald color criss-crossing the hilt. He set the letter down on the desk, and set the letter opener next to it. The letter opener promptly sprang to life, stabbing playfully at the letter, which remained stationary and unharmed by it. It seemed to be practicing fencing with the letter now, until Severus cleared his throat. "I have not got all day."

The emerald leaves of the vines on the letter opener rustled irritatedly, then it made a clean sweep and cut the letter open. Severus then put the letter opener back in the drawer, and went back to the owl, who was now sleeping contentedly on the top of his fireplace mantle. Severus quickly opened and scan the letter, then got out a fresh piece of parchment and a black quill, and started to compose a reply. The owl cocked open one eye from the mantelpiece, then decided it wasn't worth it and closed it again.

Severus wrote:

I am saddened by your decision, but not surprised. I will, of course, try again next year. Thank you for your trouble.

Severus Snape, potions master

He folded up his reply and walked over to the owl, who extended its leg without looking up. He hastily tied it on, then left the room with the letter the owl had delivered. The owl raised itself up, and flew out of the still-open window into the bright morning sky.

Snape walked through his dining room and entered kitchen, oblivious to the mute clock, which just stared at him rather insolently. He picked up his black cloak from the counter on which he had left it the last time he had entered his flat. He took off his housecoat and put on the cloak over his black robes instead.

Gradually, he went around the house, collecting various items which he put into a bag. His footsteps were virtually silent, and if you had not seen him, you would not have heard him. It was one of his few souvenirs of the war that he did not regret, but even as he walked around his flat, Severus shuddered at the absolute silence and remembered a day when such stillness would've had ominious meanings. That time had long passed, but it was still on his mind, plaguing his thoughts.

When Severus finally stopped walking his flat, he had a small bag full of bits of parchment, a quill, a blue flask filled with a rather smoky liquid that seemed to swirl in its bottle, and another empty bottle, bigger this time, and the color of something slimy and yellow. Carefully, Severus closed the bag, tied it to his waist, and apparated.