Sta.sh
| (DH spoilers, be warned) There was no laughter in the empty corridors, even the people in the paintings were quiet, silent like mourners at a funeral. She stopped when she saw them come out from the Great Hall. He first, then Professor McGonagall, her face pale and her eyes red and tired as if she had not slept for a long time. Hermione covered in Harry's cloak, not letting out a single sound. Professor McGonagall turned and faced the tall man. He was every bit the evil headmaster, the black eyes were devoid of all emotion, staring coldly at the old woman. How could she had been so wrong? Harry and Ron had been right about him all the time, she thought. He was Voldemort's servant, exactly as loyal as any of the other Death Eaters. Minerva McGonagall gave words to her thoughts, her voice trembling: "Albus trusted you...!" He showed no sign of having heard her. "...And all these years... All these years, the only thing you waited for was the ultimate moment too..." Her voice trailed off. He blinked but said nothing. Hermione thought she saw his stern posture change, just a bit. "Would you now please get out of my sight , HEADMASTER" the old professor hissed. "In fact, the very thought of you makes me sick..." She could see him swallow and then here his soft voice for the first time in almost a year: "Minerva..." But she had already left, leaving only the light scent of old flowers in her place. He almost ran down the corridors and up the stairs. Hermione had problems to follow him, without revealing her presence under the invisibility cloak. He stopped in front of the Gargoyle, whispering the password. For a moment she thought the Gargoyle would be faithful to Albus Dumbledore and not let this traitor in. But it opened and revealed the stairs. He stumbled on the steps, almost falling, suddenly nothing was left of the intimidating Death Eater posture. She went up the stairs after him and found herself once again in the headmaster's office, only there were no longer the twinkling eyes of Albus Dumbledore awaiting her. Her eyes widened as the new Headmaster crumpled in front of her eyes until nothing of the stern, evil man remained. He fell down behind the desk, trembling violently, his face hidden in his hands. She realized that he was crying, sobbing like a child, gasping for air as if he was drowning. She sat tense in her corner, not even daring to breath. And then she heard a mild voice calling: "Severus! Severus..." She knew that voice, it was the voice that offered sherbet lemon in the good old days. The voice of Professor Dumbledore's portrait. She suddenly saw it there in the darkness. The old wizard looking at the broken black form of his murderer. "Severus! Now try to compose yourself, will you? You have a mission here, there is no time for mourning, my boy..." She stared at the old man, not believing her ears. On the wall beside him, protected by numerous spells, hang the Sword of Godric Gryffindor in all it's glory. "Severus, I will not tell you this one more time. Compose yourself before anyone comes up here to visit you... What if the Carrews saw you like this and reported it to Voldemort, my boy...? What if one of the other professors found out... Everything would be over then, you know... Everything... You must..." "Yes, I MUST PROTECT THE BOY UNTIL THE VERY END! YES, I know..." the new headmaster hissed, his eyes bloodshot and his black clothes wet with tears. "Don't worry about it Headmaster, as you know I'll never fail to do my duty..." Hermione had forgotten why she was there, why she had borrowed Harry's cloak and sneaked into Hogwarts. All she knew was that there was nothing more to hear, she now knew the truth. The man behind the desk tried to dry his eyes on his sleeve, but the tears continued to fall silently down his cheeks. In the dim light, his face looked like the face of a dying man. Quitely, she stood up and walked around the desk, until she could almost feel the fabric of his robes. He didn't seem to notice her, his eyes staring blindly into the air in front of him. Not daring to breath, she reached out to him and let her hand stroke his hair. He looked up, his eyes slightly widening. "Is there anyone here...?" He said. "Don't be afraid" she whispered. "I'm your friend." All the characters above (c) JK Rowling. |
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Artistic 
. I thought they had a certain undefinable "something", an attention for details that many do not see, a particular view that I like.
