V: A Light on Halloween

Author's note: Thanks to JKR for some wonderful characters. Thanks to Daedalus Plum for beta reading and the wonderful discussion about red wine versus whisky.

Chapter V: A Light on Halloween

At eight o'clock sharp on Friday evening, there was a knock on the door of Severus' office. He was careful not to open it too quickly. He had been waiting for her, but Morgaine didn't need to know that.

Going through her schoolwork didn't take more than two hours, but Severus felt reluctant to let her go. Instead, he offered her a cup of tea and a chair by the fireplace, and they talked: about schoolwork, Slytherin, Hogwarts, nothing important really. Severus found Morgaine to be open-hearted and frank, and she had a quick tongue. More than once, he had to hide a smirk behind his teacup. He hadn't misjudged her. She surely was poised.

It was almost midnight when he sent her to bed. He escorted her to the door and watched her walk down the corridor towards the Slytherin dormitory before he returned to his office. She had done well so far. She wasn't the best student Hogwarts had ever seen, but she was hard-working and eager to prove herself.

She came to see him every Friday evening. The tutoring part of their meetings took up less and less time for every week, and Severus soon noticed that the girl didn't really need any tutoring. But Morgaine didn't seem to mind coming to the dungeons every Friday, and as long as she didn't object, Severus wasn't going to either. He had to admit that he had come to enjoy her company.

He was proud to have Morgaine in his House, but he was careful not to show it. He treated her just as any other student and criticised her work heavily in an attempt to build her abilities. He had noticed that the more he criticised, the harder Morgaine would work. There were times, however, when he wondered if he overdid it, if he treated her more harshly than her classmates just so nobody would notice that he had a soft spot for her. But then again, he had seen the fire in her eyes. She was not an easy target. She knew when she had to stand up for herself. Severus liked the way she looked at him when he criticised her work, the way she narrowed her eyes and gave him a dirty look that sooner or later would break into a grin. And he enjoyed it when she returned his biting sarcasm just as good as he dished it out.

Yes, he had to admit to himself that he liked the girl.

~ ~ ~

I owe the Icelandic priestesses thanks. They had taught me well, and my knowledge of herbs and potions made me earn both House points and the approval of my teachers. And approval was what I was seeking, not at least from Severus Snape. And he was not easy to please.

Bill often asked me what I had done to deserve the Potions master's contempt. I never really understood this question. Sure, Severus Snape was a nasty piece of work, and if someone was looking for a kind word of praise they had certainly come to the wrong man. He was tough, harsh and quite unfair at times, but for some twisted reason I enjoyed his wicked ways.

~ ~ ~

Fall arrived and with it the Halloween celebrations. The Great Hall was decorated in black and orange, the tables were creaking under the weight of all the cakes and sweets, and Hagrid had somehow managed to bring his whole pumpkin patch into the castle.

Severus was overlooking the Great Hall from his seat at the staff table. Everyone seemed in good spirits, but the cheerful mood did not affect him. He had never liked Halloween, not even as a child. And the older he grew the more unhappy memories seemed to attach themselves to this holiday.

It had been a Halloween night when he had first seen his father beat his mother. She had made the mistake of decorating the house with pumpkins and witches. His father had always despised anything magic, and he never let his wife forget it.

It had also been on Halloween when Severus had first joined Lucius Malfoy. He had been young and impressionable, and being part of a powerful society like the Death Eaters had been more than he had ever dreamt of. Then a year later, again on Halloween, he had been branded with the Dark Mark.

And then there was Lily. She had died on Halloween. Lily, the woman he had loved all his life. She had been killed by the man to whom Severus had pledged allegiance. She had been slaughtered, and he had not been able to protect her.

Severus noticed that his hands were shaking. He had to calm down. He could not let anybody notice that he was out of balance. He had to think of something else.

He let his eyes wander to the Slytherin table. He noticed that besides the usual Halloween decorations there were even colourful parcels lying on the table. Usually he didn't care about his students' birthdays, but he was desperately looking for something to occupy his mind with. So he decided to join his students in their celebration.

'Now, whose big day is it?' he asked in an indifferent tone as he arrived at the Slytherin table. It was Morgaine who raised her hand.

'You know, Miss duLac, certain people would consider it a bad omen to be born on Halloween,' Severus said.

Morgaine grinned. 'Yeah, Professor Trelawney mentioned something like that. She also predicted that I am going to die a most horrible and painful death.'

The Slytherin table erupted with laughter. Obviously, they had been through this topic before. Severus oppressed a grin.

'Be that as it may, Miss duLac, enjoy your birthday.' And with no further comment, he turned and left the Great Hall for the dungeons.

Back in his office he poured himself a glass of Firewhisky. He had the feeling that it would not be the last one that night. He knew that he shouldn't be drinking. Alcohol made his mind wander. But at the moment, all he wanted was distraction.

He was just about to pour himself a second glass when there was a knock on his door. To his surprise, it was Morgaine. He saw her eyes flicker in the direction of the whisky bottle, and he quickly put it away. She didn't need to know.

'I'm sorry for intruding, sir,' Morgaine said. 'I was wondering if you had any Melissa Brew in store.'

'Melissa Brew? For what?'

'Well, as it turns out, the combination of Halloween sweets and birthday cake doesn't agree well with certain people. We have some severe cases of bellyache in the common room.'

Severus beckoned towards the potions cabinet. 'I am sure you know where to find it. After all, you are down here often enough.'

Morgaine nodded and went to open the cabinet. Having found what she was looking for, she thanked him and turned to leave. But when she had reached the door, she stopped and turned to face her mentor. At once, Severus recognised the look in her eyes. It was that questioning look he had noticed before.

'Are you alright, professor?' Her voice sounded concerned.

Damn her, why was it that she could read him so well? Severus decided to ignore her question. Instead he raised his glass and toasted towards her.

'Happy Birthday, Miss duLac.'

After Morgaine had left, Severus kept staring at the door that she had closed behind her. Why had she come? Medical potions could be obtained in the hospital wing. Why had she not gone there? And why had she stopped at the door on her way out?

He started to wonder if the potion had just been an excuse to see him. Maybe she was honestly concerned about him. He put down his glass and smiled. For a change, this Halloween had not been all that bad.

~ ~ ~

I had already noticed that something was wrong when he came to the Slytherin table. First of all, Severus Snape was normally never seen socializing with students. And second of all, the mysterious whisper had entered my head again. I was now certain that it was his voice.

What was this whisper? The first time I had noticed it had been the day after the New Moon. And now it was Halloween. I had been taught enough about Ancient Magic to know that days like these were filled with powerful magic. I could however not figure out why it was on days like these that Severus Snape's voice entered my mind.