Before Harry Met Sevy

Chapter 27: Unexpected Lessons
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When Severus woke the following morning, he felt as if he'd had no rest at all. The nagging feeling that something had happened to Sabine had spilled over into his dreams, plaguing them with nightmarish images of death. It did not help matters that Pandora's fall continued to replay in his mind. Was there something he could have done, some way to prevent her from falling? If he'd been thinking more clearly, he may have been able to levitate her back up - but it had all happened so quickly.

With a sigh, he threw back the covers and stretched in an effort to drive away the weariness. Knowing that the day would again be filled with whispers and students avoiding him, he had half a mind to simply stay put and skive off classes. His conscience, however, would have none of it. No doubt Lily would think something terrible had happened if he didn't show up for Transfiguration.

He pulled back his curtains and found - much to his surprise - the other tenants of his dorm room gathered on the bed opposite of him.

"Don't you have something better to do than stare at me?" he questioned as he grabbed his bathrobe.

"What really happened, Severus?" Callum asked, his eyes burning with curiosity.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He kept his tone as neutral as possible, hoping the boys didn't notice his lack of sleep.

"Dumbledore's ordered everyone to their common rooms," Geoffrey announced with a smirk. " Severus' mind reeled. What was going on now?

"I heard a prefect saying someone else was killed," Nikolas offered. "And they think Severus here is involved, like with Pemberton."

"I didn't do anything!" he raged, reaching for his wand. Before he could act, the door to the dormitory swung open, admitting their Head of House. Melison stared at the group of boys huddled together, and then focused his attention on Severus.

"Professor Dumbledore would like to speak with you, Severus." The second year grasped his wand, then walked to where his professor stood, his eyes never leaving his dorm mates. He could feel Melison's eyes on him as he stood there, but his professor made no effort to leave. After a moment, Severus looked up at him to see that he was smirking.

"Getting dressed might be more appropriate," he noted, referring to the bathrobe the boy still wore. Severus blushed slightly as he removed his clothes from his trunk. "I will wait in the common room. Don't hang about, Severus."

As his Head of House left, Severus began to change into his robes, ignoring the sneers from the other boys. Before they had a chance to say a word, he rushed through the door and to the common room where Melison waited. Severus caught a glimpse of his friends sitting together in a corner - each of them watching him. He followed Melison out the door, shooting a questioning look towards Lucius, who shook his head slightly and shrugged. Apparently, he had no idea what was going on, either.

Severus followed Melison through the corridors, his heart pounding when they continued past the Potions Master's classroom. He was obviously being taken to Dumbledore's office, but why? His mind went over the previous day, and he realized that Melison had most likely reported to Dumbledore what he'd seen with the Legillimency spell. Anger welled up inside the boy as he glared at the back of his Head of House.

He shouldn't be allowed to pass on what he sees. Even as the thought came into his mind, he knew it wouldn't change anything. Seeing her fall meant nothing - he would simply offer the information before they had a chance to tell him they already knew, and perhaps then they'd let him be, and things could go back to normal.

By the time he'd reached this decision, they'd come to a stone gargoyle just down the corridor from the hospital wing. He found it strange that he had never before taken notice of the statue - and he'd been to the hospital ward a number of times.

"Licorice snaps," Melison addressed the gargoyle. Within moments, the statue began to move, revealing a spiral staircase. Melison motioned for Severus to precede him, and the boy obliged.

At the top of the stairs, Melison reached over Severus' shoulder to knock on the door. A muffled "Enter," was called, and with a nervous feeling in the pit of his stomach, Severus opened the door and stepped into the Headmaster's office.

Dumbledore stood by one of the windows, a copy of The Daily Prophet on his desk nearby. The headmaster turned upon hearing his visitors enter, though he bore no smile of welcome.

"Severus, thank you for coming so quickly. I suppose you are wondering why I asked for you?"

"Yes, sir, I was," Severus replied with growing unease.

"I wanted to ask you again what you know about Pandora Pemberton's death."

"I've already told you what I know, Professor."

"Have you? Severus, neither Professor Melison nor I believe you were the cause of this tragedy, but we all know that you aren't being entirely honest. We need to know every detail - from the time Mr. Malfoy directed you to follow Miss Pemberton."

"What's happened, sir? Why is everyone confined to their houses?"

"There has been a murder, Severus, and only by knowing the truth of Miss Pemberton's death can we determine the reason."

"Nobody pushed her!" he exclaimed before thinking. "She wasn't murdered!"

"So you do admit to being there?" Dumbledore's voice held no hint of surprise, and Severus gritted his teeth.

"I was mailing a letter to my uncle," he said quietly. "That's all."

"I see." Dumbledore crossed the room to stand in front of Severus, and his glance fell on the newspaper lying on his desk. "Why did you feel the need to keep that from us?"

"Because I thought something like this would happen. You all think I had something to do with it, just because I was the only one there!"

"Are you quite sure you and Miss Pemberton were alone?" Melison asked, speaking for the first time since they'd left the dormitory.

"Yes. There was nobody else there."

"Did you notice anything strange about the Owlery while you were there?" Dumbledore pressed.

"No, sir. I just mailed my letter, and she asked -" he paused as he realized he had already given too much information.

"Go on, son," Melison said encouragingly. Severus looked from the Headmaster to his Head of House, not wanting to complete his previous revelation. Silence settled over the room as he debated with himself how much to tell them. It was only upon realizing that the Slytherin group had been considering Pandora for membership - thereby casting doubt on why they'd try to hurt her - that he relented.

"She wanted to know why I had been following her," he admitted.

"And you told her the reason?" Dumbledore asked.

Severus shifted uncomfortably "No, sir."

"What was the reason, son?"

Severus looked up at Melison for a moment, then towards the window. "She and Minch were the last first years to be considered for the group. I was to find out more about her, to see if she would be a good addition."

"And what did you find?" Dumbledore asked.

"Nothing, except that she seemed to not have any friends. I was only watching her for a couple of days!" he protested.

"And you did not notice anything that seemed unusual? Either about Miss Pemberton or anyone she spoke to?"

"She didn't speak to anyone, Professor" he reiterated, starting to lose his patience. How many times was he going to have to repeat himself?

"Very well, Severus." Dumbledore looked a little disappointed, prompting the boy to speak again.

"It was an accident, sir."

"I sincerely hope that is the case," Dumbledore replied with a sigh. "However, I am afraid that it is still not clear. You see, Severus, there has been a new development." The Headmaster's hand reached over and picked The Daily Prophet up from where it lay, holding it out expectantly.

"Headmaster -" Melison said quickly, "is it wise to allow the boy to see this?"

"I am sure the news has already spread throughout your house, Professor Melison. It is better to let Severus know what he will be faced with upon his return." Severus glanced at his Head of House quizzically as he took the proffered newspaper from Dumbledore.

The headline jumped from the page: DOUBLE MURDER HAS MINISTRY BAFFLED

Directly beneath the headline was a photograph of a small house in a copse of trees, bathed in a strange green light. As the photo zoomed out, it was evident where the light emanated from. Directly above the little house was a skull comprised of thousands of brilliant green stars, a snake slithering through its open mouth. Confused as to why Dumbledore would show him this, he read the article:

Marcus and Gertrude Pemberton, both of Pevensey, were found murdered in their home late last evening. Aurors were dispatched to the couple's home after inhabitants of the village noticed a green skull rising above the treetops surrounding the Pemberton's cottage. When questioned, Minister of Magic Millicent Bagnolde had no comment, citing she had no further information.

Severus looked up from the paper, his eyes wide. "Pemberton?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Pandora's parents," Dumbledore affirmed.

"You see, son, why we are more concerned than ever," Melison put in.

"But a student couldn't have killed her parents - could they?"

"No, Severus. This," Dumbledore indicated the picture on the front page, "is not the work of a student."

"So why cancel classes, sir?"

"Do you not find it strange that Pandora's parents were killed days after her own death?"

Severus frowned as he thought over the headmaster's words. "Why would someone want to kill them and Pandora?" he finally asked. "It doesn't make sense!"

"I am afraid you will find that most things in life do not make sense, Severus." Dumbledore sighed as he stood. "Keep an eye out, won't you? If you do hear or see something that may be linked to the Pembertons' deaths - do not hesitate to come to either myself or Professor Melison." Severus nodded mutely, still processing this most recent news.

"Thank you, Severus. Professor Melison will take you back to your dormitory now."

Just as the journey to Dumbledore's office, the return trip was silent. It made Severus a bit uneasy, wondering what his Head of House was thinking. Melison, however, seemed not to be bothered by the lack of conversation, and merely nodded a farewell as Severus entered the common room.

Every pair of eyes turned from their papers to stare at him as he returned. In response, he straightened his back, trained his eyes to the corner where his friends were seated, and strode purposefully towards them.

"Well?" Narcissa hissed as he approached. "What did you say?"

"Nothing they didn't already know," he answered as he sank into an armchair.

"Which was?" Lucius' voice was crisp and low, and Severus turned towards him with his brow arched.

"That I was mailing a letter when she fell."

"Did they believe you?" Narcissa asked fervently.

"Why wouldn't they?" Lucius shot at her. "That was all he was doing."

"What did he tell you about her parents?" Evan asked, leaning forward.

"Nothing, just showed me the paper."

"Do they know who's behind it all?" Walden asked, his eyes burning with interest.

"I don't think so," the second year answered hesitantly. "But they're worried there's a connection."

"It would be best, Severus, if you were to lie low for a bit," Lucius cautioned.

"But I haven't -"

"Still, don't give them any more reason to suspect you're involved. If you remain inconspicuous, it's bound to blow over eventually." Severus opened his mouth to speak again, only to be stopped by Melison entering the common room. A hush fell over the students as they turned to their Head of House expectantly.

"Until it is deemed safe for you to leave, all of you are to remain here. Anyone caught attempting to sneak out will be severely reprimanded. Am I clear?" There was a murmur of assent as his eyes swept the room. "Prefects will come with me, please." Lucius stood with the other prefects who were making their way towards Melison.

"Looks like it won't matter if Severus lies low," Antonin mumbled. "They're not going to let any of us leave until they've figured it all out." Severus turned his eyes to the retreating forms of Melison and the prefects, a feeling of unease settling in his stomach.

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The mood in the Slytherin common room soured quickly after the prefects had been led away. Although an entire day without classes was nothing to sneeze at, many of the students felt uneasy about the reason behind it. From their vantage point in the corner, Severus and the others in his group heard the gamut of their classmates' feelings.

"Why did they wait until now to cancel classes?" Barnaby Wilkes, a third year, whispered to his friends.

"There's more to it than what's in the paper, I'm sure," Penny Bletchley said knowingly. The sixth year was seated amongst a myriad of younger students, all of them apparently looking to her for answers.

"But we're at Hogwarts," countered one of the third years. "What's it got to do with us? I don't fancy being cooped up in this dungeon all day long!"

Severus smirked at the sight of the first years huddled together in a corner. They'd yet to officially announce Jonathon's initiation into the group, and he seemed to be on edge - maybe he believed he was going to go the way of Pandora if he somehow did something wrong.

"Do you think they'll just send us home?" Walden asked, a hint of hope in his voice. "If they don't figure out what happened, they aren't going to start us back in class, right? So they'll have to send us home." The group turned to stare at him.

"Don't be so thick, Walden," Antonin jeered, prodding the fifth year with his boot. "They'll figure out what's going on. Won't they, Narcissa?" Narcissa glanced at him, a smirk on her face.

"Of course, Antonin. I'm sure Dumbledore will have his answers before too long." Severus couldn't put his finger on just why, but Narcissa's words did nothing to quell the uneasiness he felt.

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The morning continued to progress slowly, with no news from either the prefects or Melison. Severus, along with the other Slytherins, began to wonder what their Head of House had the older students doing. They soon found out when Penny Bletchley strode purposefully towards the blank wall which marked the entrance to the common room. All talking stopped as the rest of the students watched her progress with interest.

"I'm going to find out what's going on," she announced, pushing open the door with a flourish. An excited buzz followed her through the door, turning quickly into laughter as she was escorted roughly back in by Lucius.

"Unless you want points deducted, you lot had better stay put," Lucius warned, his face etched with anger. "Melison has us all patrolling the corridors."

"What's going on?" came a shout from the far corner of the room.

"We haven't been told anything more," Lucius assured them. "But we're to report anyone who tries to leave the common room." He sneered at Penny. "Don't try to leave again, Bletchley, or you'll be in more trouble than you could imagine." He turned back to the mass of students. "You're going to be here for a while, so I'd find something to do if I were you." Lucius turned to leave, stopping only when a small voice from the group of first years spoke up.

"I know what happened," the girl Severus recognized as Remi, one of the two girls who'd cheated on Melison's essay, blurted out. She rose from her seat, trembling and ashen. Lucius' eyes narrowed as the room once again fell silent.

"What do you mean?" he snapped at her.

Her next words caused Severus' heart to plummet.

"It was me," Remi clarified, staring at Lucius' reddening face in terror. "I cast the Clumsiness Charm on Pandora, and then I pushed her out the window."