A Light in the Dark (Severus Snape x OC)

Chapter 36: Penguins and Pebbles

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Severus's foot tapped anxiously against the beige carpet on the floor as he stared at the clock across the room on the wall, arrows slowly moving in circles, counting down the moments until he could leave.

"Severus?" Severus jerked his eyes away from the clock, locking in on where the voice was coming from, seeing the woman sitting across from him: Dr. Taylor.

Dr. Taylor the therapist. Severus felt a flash of annoyance rise in his chest over the woman sitting across from him. He still couldn't believe Laura had convinced him to partake in therapy.

"Yes?"

"Well, usually people find therapy useful if they actually speak," Dr. Taylor told him. "This is our third session and you've barely said two words."

"I... don't know what to say," Severus said slowly. It wasn't exactly a lie. Severus really didn't know what to say. He knew this woman was a witch, so he could, to a point, speak freely, but he still had to speak carefully, as he always did, knowing he couldn't let anything slip, not wanting to give someone a backstage pass to his show of deception.

That's all his life felt like to him: a show of deception. He was merely a pawn in a show directed by Voldemort and Dumbledore, but he played his role well, never faltering, never separating from the character Voldemort believed him to be.

Except around Laura. Laura was the only one he could be honest around.

"Well, is there anything on your mind?" Dr. Taylor's voice broke through Severus's mind, forcing his eyes to snap in her direction.

Severus sighed, feeling himself being pulled into his thoughts, overwhelmed by events that had occurred in recent weeks.

Severus returned to Hogwarts, finally getting word that Dumbledore had returned. Severus had tried to see him weeks before, when summer first began, but he was always told that Dumbledore was gone.

But he had finally returned.

Severus opened the door to the headmaster's office, seeing Dumbledore peering down at parchment on his desk. "Severus," Dumbledore said, not looking up from his papers.

Severus shut the door behind him, slowly moving into the room. "You've returned."

Dumbledore nodded slowly, finally tearing his eyes away from the items on his desk. "I heard I've missed quite a bit."

"You did," Severus told him. "Where were you?"

"Traveling." Dumbledore's voice was flat, causing Severus to not know if Dumbledore was lying or not. "But... I do have a matter to discuss with you."

Severus stared at Dumbledore curiously, watching him rise from his chair as he slowly raised his right hand. Severus's eyes grew wide, a horrified look filling his face, and he moved to Dumbledore, focusing his sight on his hand. "What happened?" Severus carefully grabbed Dumbledore's hand, inspecting it, finding it shriveling away, down to the bone, with the remaining skin turning a deep shade of grey, looking like darkened ash from a fire.

"Tom Riddle happened," Dumbledore said quietly, holding a ring in his other hand. "He cursed the ring."

Severus remained quiet for a moment; eyes locked on the damage the curse had done to Dumbledore's hand. "I can make a potion to help but it won't be curative. I can go make it now... the supplies are in my stores."

Dumbledore nodded, not saying a word as he watched Severus leave the room to head to his private stock of potion ingredients.

Severus gathered the ingredients for the potion, lost in thought over what this meant for Hogwarts... for the order. Would Dumbledore die? Would this cause the order to fall? Would Dumbledore die before Draco could kill him?