Complications // Severus Snape

• Ch 21 For A Death Eater •

The following week, Severus was acting rather distracted.

In Potions class one day, Severus was demonstrating the proper way to chop a flobberworm for our Allihosty Draughts when he accidentally cut his finger. He swore, and dismissed class early so that he could go to the Hospital Wing.

Severus never made clumsy errors such as that, and I knew something had to be on his mind.

Something about You-Know-Who.

I followed Severus out of the classroom, and into the Hospital Wing. I peeked around the corner as Severus fetched a potion from Madam Pomfrey.

"Severus, are you all right?" she asked worriedly, rushing over to the grumpy Potions Master.

"Fine, Poppy." he said shortly.

"Did a student do this you?" Madam Pomfrey continued to pry, but Severus would not divulge any information.

"It was my own error."

With that, Severus began to exit the Hospital Wing, so I quickly hid in a broom cupboard.

"Feel better," Madam Pomfrey called after him. Severus grunted in response, and swiftly walked away.

Once I was sure the coast was clear, I stepped out of the broom cupboard. Something is definitely wrong, I thought. And so, I planned to do more of the only thing I could do: I was going to spy on Severus.

Spying on Severus was a completely justified action; I had overheard him talking of reviving You-Know-Who. Not to mention, he was going to kill Rutherford to achieve such a task. I was still quite angry with him about that.

I told Aura my plan to spy on Severus and she thought it such a marvelous idea that she insisted upon accompanying me in my endeavors.

...and that's how Aura and I found ourselves dressed in all black late the following Friday night.

"You look ridiculous." I said. Aura had gone a bit out of the way and painted war-paint on her face.

"Please, Am, I'm a ninja. Ninjas don't look anything. We won't be seen."

I rolled my eyes and, after checking to make sure that the common room was empty, crept down the stairs. We left the unoccupied common room and sneaked up to the Astronomy Tower, where I had just so happened to have heard Severus agree to meet Cecil.

Once we got there, it was about ten minutes to two in the morning.

"Are you sure he said tonight?" asked Aura.

"Positive." I said, just as we heard footsteps coming up the Astronomy Tower.

"Hide!" whispered Aura.

We hid behind a tapestry just as Cecil reached the top of the staircase. Soon, Severus entered the scene as well.

"Severus." said Cecil.

"Blair." said Severus. So much in the way of greetings, I thought.

"I have found the title of the book that contains the recipe." said Cecil.

"Which book?" asked Severus.

"Moste Potente Potions by Phineas Bourne." said Cecil.

There was a long pause, until Severus finally sighed and said, "I will look for it."

Aura and I waited until we had heard two pairs of footsteps echoing down the staircase to emerge from the tapestry.

"This does not sound good. They're looking for a book which had the recipe for a potion to bring back You-Know-Who!" said Aura.