Chapter 9

Disclaimer: No birds were hurt in the writing of this chapter. Also, all characters belong to J.K. Rowling.

Chapter 9

Severus sat on the grass by the lake and watched the bird soar overhead. In an instant she had landed next to him and screeched a greeting.

"Back for more, I see," he muttered.

The bird bobbed its head before settling down next to him.

"I suppose you're a glutton for punishment, then? Not enough depressing things in your life, you need to cling to me?"

"Screech!"

Severus smirked. "I wondered if you'd come along today. Your previous visits occurred a little earlier. I was just about to head back into my jail."

"Screech!"

"Yes, I'm sure you're very busy hunting whatever it is you hunt, but I've been waiting for half an hour."

The bird looked to the ground in a sheepish way and Severus regarded her curiously.

"However do you do that?"

"Screech!"

"How do you make it seem that you know exactly what I'm saying to you?"

"Screech!"

"Yes, I'm sure," Severus drawled.

Arching an eyebrow, he regarded the bird curiously. Bird or not, she was incredibly astute.

"Exactly where do you come from?" he asked. His eyebrow rose as he looked the bird over. She bobbed her head again.

"You must be someone's familiar. There aren't very many people in the castle right now. I wonder to whom you could belong." Suddenly his eyebrows drew close and he scowled. "You aren't here as some kind of joke, are you?"

He looked to the bird. She was looking at him, her head cocked to one side.

"You are someone's familiar, yes?"

The bird remained silent, her head tilting even farther to the side.

"Do not try to hide it. Did someone send you out to spy on me?"

"Screech!" The bird's cry almost seemed like a question.

Severus leaned in toward the bird and gazed into her eyes. He saw intelligence, but could not penetrate into the bird's mind. He looked her over from beak to tail-feathers.

"I wouldn't put it past someone to send you out to me daily." His head snapped back to the castle. They were quite far from it, but he squinted, looking for some faculty member gazing out at them, laughing hysterically. He could make out no one, but that didn't mean they weren't there. Disillusioned, maybe.

"I think someone would find it very funny that Severus Snape has taken to talking to animals. Maybe they'll start calling me by that Muggle character's name, Dr. Doonothing or something like that. They're probably going to say something at dinner tonight. I'll be the laughingstock of the High Table."

His gaze returned to the bird. She had risen and turned her body toward him. Now she flapped her wings at him. They grazed his arms. He shielded himself with his hands.

"Stop that this instant!"

A barrage of screeching assaulted his ears.

"Well, what do you expect me to think? You come by at the same time every day. Can you tell time? Or does your master send you out to have a good laugh at my expense?"

The bird stopped flapping. She folded her wings back and turned completely around so that her back was to Severus. Her head was held high and Severus could see her beak poking above the crest of her head.

"Indignant little thing, aren't you?"

The bird did not move.

"I never thought I'd be chastised by a bird, let alone receive the silent treatment from one."

A small adjustment of wings was the only response.

Severus studied her back. His eyes followed the pattern of her feathers. He really wasn't sure what to think of her. Obviously, she belonged to someone. Was the bird upset that he was besmirching her master's character, or that he'd accused her of spying?

"You are someone's familiar, right?" he asked.

Feathers ruffled.

"Did your owner send you to spy on me?"

The bird spun around and began a long string of screeches. Her wings shot out and she flapped them vigorously. When she was through, she turned her back on him once again.

Severus stared at her incredulously, then burst into laughter. He fell back, his hands surrounding his stomach, and lay on the grass, chuckling loudly. His eyes squeezed shut as he enjoyed the first true laugh he'd had in many years. When his eyes opened, he found Red's head jutting into his line of sight. Her head was cocked to the side and she was blinking at him. That caused him to roll over and laugh harder. He braced himself up finally, still chuckling softly.

When he could finally form words, he spoke to the falcon. "I take it you are extremely put-out?"

"Screech!"

"You're not a spy, then? Not here to alert the rogue Death Eaters that I'm alive and well and severely depressed?"

She blinked at him.

"Let's try one blink for yes and two blinks for no."

The bird tilted her head at him and screeched softly.

"Not willing to reveal your secrets, I see."

Severus stared out over the lake. He supposed he was being a bit paranoid about the bird, but those suspicious feelings didn't go away easily. They'd kept him alive for this long, he wasn't willing to let those instincts just whittle away to nothing. One could never be too careful. He'd keep an eye on the bird. Perhaps he could figure everything out simply by observing its actions.

Hermione paced back and forth in her room. Snape was too suspicious for his own good. In no time he'd figure out just what she was.

I should just tell him.

But I think he wants to talk more. I think he needs to talk more.

No, I've got no choice. I need my identity to stay a secret. I'll need to pull back on my reactions. I swear, the man drives me to distraction! If he figures out who I am, though, he'll hate me forever.

She shook her head. He's going to find out eventually.

... Hopefully, by then he won't need me any more. Hopefully, by then he'll be whole again.

He'd been meeting the falcon daily. Every afternoon, at the same time, he'd set out on a walk and the bird would eventually soar over his head and alight on his shoulder. Sometimes she would find him seated by the lake and join him. It had been almost two weeks since the bird had appeared and begun this odd relationship with him. Severus had been wary of her appearances for many days, but Red had done nothing to raise concerns. She'd acted rather bird-like, actually, although she did seem to be a good listener, and she constantly butted him with her head in affection. He'd begun to look forward to their meetings. Today, just like every day, she landed next to him.

Red hopped into his lap and butted his chest with her head. Severus' hand immediately came up to her neck, and he stroked her affectionately.

"I'm surprised you don't grow weary of my melancholy, Red."

The bird butted his cheek.

"You make me feel almost human," he said quietly. "Almost likeable."

The bird tilted her head at him and butted his cheek again.

"No one wants to be near me. I remind them of the worst things that happened to them. I am an outcast. Sometimes I feel that no one would notice if I disappeared."

"Screech!"

"Well, I suppose Hermione would wonder why the seat next to her was empty."

Severus had been startled when Hermione Granger had taken to sitting next to him at the High Table. He'd arched an eyebrow the first time she'd settled herself in next to him, but had been happy to have someone who could actually hold an intelligent conversation. He was quite bored with Pomona Sprout's idle chatter about potting soil. It seemed to be the only topic she ever spoke of.

Hermione gave him a curious look as he regarded her in puzzlement.

"You mean to say you would take my side of things? More than once? With Potter?"

Hermione laughed. "Someone had to be the voice of reason!"

Severus looked down into his plate, his eyebrows furrowed. She'd equated defending him with reason. Odd. He wouldn't have expected anyone in that trio to even begin to try to see things from his point of view. Perhaps she wasn't as horrible as her friends. Perhaps she wasn't as judgmental.

She'd changed the subject then, pulling him from his musings. They'd spent the rest of the evening chatting somewhat amicably. Not expecting her to return to the seat beside him, he'd been floored the next night when she'd smiled and sat next to him again. After several days of the same routine, he'd come to accept that she was going to sit beside him on a permanent basis. He'd wondered why she did. Perhaps Minerva had Imperiused her to sit with him. Of course that was impossible, but he wouldn't put it past the meddling witch to have ordered Hermione to play nice to her once-hated Potions master. Nonetheless, he'd enjoyed the conversations they'd had.

The flapping of wings and an indignant screech brought him out of his thoughts.

"What?"

"Screech!"

"Yes, I know, you're upset by something I said. I fail to see exactly what it was that has upset you though."

"Screech! Screech!"

He watched her complain. She hadn't had such an outburst since those first couple of days, when they were both getting to know one another. The suspicions he'd had then came back now. He quickly ran through all their encounters in his head. Nothing menacing had been present from her in any of them. If someone in the castle had sent the bird to make a spectacle of him, there had been no repercussions from it. Surely someone would have cracked a joke by now if they were wanting to make fun of him.

He'd become quite fond of the winged creature. He knew that in some way, this bird liked him. She liked coming around for some reason. He had no real friends, so why should he question the bird's affinity for him? He tossed his suspicions away and looked at Red, who was still complaining, even if the volume of her screeches had lessened a little. He felt a warmth course through his body at her show of affection, even if she was boisterous and obviously upset.

"I really don't think anyone would be sad to see me go, Red," he said matter-of-factly.

The bird hopped onto his shoulder and rapped him on the head with her beak.

"Ouch! Would you please not do that? It's incredibly annoying!" Severus said through gritted teeth. "Why do you feel the need to argue with me? Can't you take my word that I'm an outcast?"

Her wings spread out once again. This time one of them rapped Severus in the head. He lifted his hands to shield himself.

"All right! That's enough!"

Red hopped off his shoulder and landed on the ground. Glaring at Severus, she cocked her head at him.

"Who would miss me? Name one person!"

The bird looked at Severus thoughtfully.

"See, you can't name anyone."

Red screeched again and hopped so that her back was to Severus. He chuckled.

"I suppose the fact that you can't talk might be taken into consideration, but even if you could, there's not one person you could name who would miss me if I were gone."

The bird hopped back around and moved into his lap. She settled herself between his crossed legs and looked up at him, her head tilted slightly to the side. Severus stared at her for a long time.

"I wish you were a person, Red. I bet you wouldn't hate me."

The bird's beak opened and closed a couple of times, but she didn't screech at him. Finally, she turned herself so that she was facing Severus. She put her head under his arm and kept it there. Severus felt himself choke up.

I am being an utter fool, letting a bird affect me this way. She has no idea what she's doing. I am simply attributing human characteristics to her. Squawking and batting her wings around just means she's probably seen some rodent in the background. Yes, she seems to understand me, but how much of that can be real? I've let my loneliness get the best of me, and I'm projecting onto the bird. Could I be any more pathetic?

"You should go, Red," he commanded in a gruff voice. "I'm sure you have better things to do than soothe my troubles."

Red pulled her head away from Severus' arm. She butted his chest and hopped off his lap. Severus reached out and patted her head. With a screech, she lifted off and was soaring in the sky once again.

"Goodbye, my friend," Severus murmured as the bird disappeared from sight.

"Severus," Hermione acknowledged as she sat down to dinner a few days later.

"Hermione," Severus replied with a terse nod of his head. "Do you have any more questions about Hogwarts protocol?"

Hermione thought for a minute. "No, Severus, you've been quite thorough."

"What about classes? They start in less than two weeks. Are you ready for them?" he asked gruffly.

"I have been working with Minerva daily. She is a thorough teacher. I will be ready when classes start."

"It would be wise for you to remember my admonition to be a strict disciplinarian," Severus snapped.

Hermione looked to him with a glare. "I intend to, Severus, thank you."

Severus turned to his food and was quiet for a while. Despite Hermione's calm answers, he could tell she'd been perturbed by his shortness. Moving his potatoes around his plate, he examined his behavior.

What is wrong with me? I cannot even give advice without sounding nasty. Is it a wonder no one wants to associate with me?

Hermione fumed. What had she done to deserve his snapping at her? She didn't mind his asking if she was prepared, but his demeanor and nastiness made her want to throw something at him instead of responding civilly. She glared at him out of the corner of her eye.

What was his problem? She couldn't reconcile the man who appeared by the lake with this one. Both of his personalities obviously were depressed, but this one lashed out at everyone without a cause.

She watched him covertly as she continued to eat. She looked straight on, but her attention was directed to the man beside her. He was frowning intently. Glancing over at her, Severus almost looked remorseful because of his sharp words. Hermione waited for him to say something, but nothing came from the dour man next to her. She sighed and continued to eat, never letting her covert eye stray from him.

Severus' lips curled in on themselves, and he appeared angry at himself. A flood of understanding hit Hermione in that moment. The man was so used to his life around others being an act that he'd simply continued on after the war. It was a defense mechanism. If he could shove people away, they would not hurt him. His snappish attitude was just part of that defense.

Her heart went out to him, and her anger disappeared. She wracked her brain, trying to think of something to say to him.

"Severus," she finally spoke.

Severus glared at her. Hermione almost burst out laughing.

"I appreciate your advice," she continued. "This is all very new to me. Obviously it's important for me, as a teacher, to be strict and to earn the respect of my classes. Thank you for repeating that. I think I had gotten too wrapped up in the other aspects of preparation and that admonition you'd given me before had slipped my mind."

Severus stared at her incredulously. Again, Hermione was tempted to grin. He seemed so out of sorts at her reaction to his yelling. This might actually be fun. She'd never expected to be eager to see odd reactions from Severus Snape, but when he looked at her like that, she felt her stomach flutter.

"Umm, it's nothing," Severus said tentatively.

"Did you read the article in Magical Misconceptions about the temperaments of Hippogriffs?" Hermione asked, thinking that a change of subject would ease Severus' discomfort.

"No," Severus replied, obviously relieved. "I missed that one."

She explained the article, and they spent the rest of the evening debating its validity.

Later that evening, Severus stared into the fire, thinking about the new Transfiguration professor. She totally puzzled him. He couldn't understand why she would even waste her time talking to him.

She is quite intelligent. I haven't had such stimulating conversations in years. It's hard to believe someone so young could have such vibrant views on just about everything.

He sighed in relief that his idiocy hadn't driven her away. I almost blew it. I honestly don't know what gets into me. I wish I could stop playing the role I've lived all my life. It would be nice to have her think of me as a friend, but if I keep up with the terse comments she'll just forget all about me.

He found it a bit disturbing that the thought of her ignoring him made him sad. He usually didn't let relationships and their ending affect him. He couldn't afford it. All his relationships ended badly because of his profession.

Your profession is now simply a teacher. You do not have to be that hard, calloused man. You can actually have friends, you know.

He guffawed loudly, then looked around, startled at his own outburst. Oh yes, it would be nice to have friends. I don't even think perky Granger would want to be my friend, though. Pity. I rather enjoy her company.

A/N: Thank you for reading, everyone. Major thanks to my beta, slytherinlaurel, for her hard work.