CHAPTER 5
Disclaimer: All recognizable characters belong to JKR. All situations are mine. No $$$ is being made from this fanfic.
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Chapter 5 ~ The Appointment is Made
The next morning the Professor went through his morning ablutions, dressed and summoned his familiar Raucous, who came soaring through the floo to land on his Master’s shoulder and preen his greasy hair. Severus gruffly brushed the raven away, and the bird flew to his writing desk expectantly, a gleam in his black eyes.
Raucous and Severus were the perfect match, the raven having been shuffled from household to household because of his horrible behavior and habit of shitting on whoever he felt needed a bit of decoration. As a familiar, he was highly intelligent and could think, plan and plot with the best of them.
The way the Potions Master acquired Raucous was that he happened to be passing by the Magical Menagerie while out in search of ingredients when he heard yelling and crashing from within the shop. Normally he wouldn’t pay attention to such things but the proprietor was screaming, “You winged demon! This time you’re dead. They won’t be returning you here again!”
Another crash followed, then a scream of pain from the wizard.
Winged demon? Severus could relate to such a creature so he stood in the doorway and watched as a black raven dodged a wand blast, soared in, shit on and pecked the proprietor then swooped away, hiding behind a beam on the high rafter, cawing raucously at the red-faced, rotund wizard.
The owner of the shop wheeled around to get better aim, splintering the rafter as the bird leaped to the next, then the next. As the wizard caught his breath, the bird soared down to an open jar of very stinky salamander eggs, grabbed one and flew over the wizard, letting go and hitting him square in the face with the disgusting orb, which broke, the runny green yolk flowing down his face. The wizard roared and wiped at his face as the bird cawed in mirth from the rafters.
Severus couldn’t help smirking. This had to be the rudest animal he had ever seen. Unfortunately for the bird, he was so caught up in birdie laughter that he rolled to his back and the owner got a bead on him. By the look on the wizard’s face, he intended on killing the creature. He was about to blast the raven when Severus pulled out his own wand.
“Accio wand,” he said, the wizard’s wand flying out of his hand into the Potions Master’s outstretched one.
Stunned, the owner whirled, frowning.
“Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?” he snarled at Severus, who looked at him with gleaming black eyes. He billowed into the shop and stood over the wizard, scowling down at him until the man blanched.
“I am interested in that bird,” Severus said, looking up at the rafters where Raucous was standing now. The raven was smart enough to know that this pale, rather evil-looking wizard had saved his tail feathers.
The owner stepped back.
“That bird’s the Devil’s own,” the man said, frowning up at Raucous. “He’d make a better set of quills than a familiar. He’s been with seven different Masters and has been returned every single time. He’s not worth taking.”
Severus looked up at Raucous then down at the shop owner.
“I’ll decide that,” he said. Then he looked up at Raucous.
“Come down here, bird,” he commanded.
Raucous looked at the dark wizard, then flew down to the counter and promptly pecked the proprietor in the back, hard. The wizard turned around.
“Why you little…” he snarled going to grab for the bird when Severus caught him by the shoulder and flung him away. He walked up to the counter and frowned down at the raven.
“I take it you’re in need of a Master, bird,” Severus said to it, “And I am in need of a familiar. I haven’t taken any because they did not have the…proper disposition to serve me. However, you appear to.”
Raucous looked up at the Potions Master. No one had ever approved of his behavior before. Maybe this was the Master he was looking for.
“I am in need of a bird to deliver my messages…a bird that will effectively relate how I feel about a matter in an unmistakable manner. Most of my missives are aggravating to send since they take up my time. I often wish I could leave the recipients something…extra to show my displeasure without actually expressing it myself. In other words, you would not be required to be the ‘friendliest’ of messengers. I would only send you to deliver messages when I’d like a little havoc to accompany them. Otherwise I will use school owls. Do you think you could render me such a service?” Severus asked the bird, one aristocratic eyebrow raised.
As a familiar, Raucous understood the Potions Master perfectly. Deliver messages and be allowed to be as rude as he’d like without repercussions? That sounded like heaven to the raven. He cocked his head at the Potions Master, who scowled at him.
“I want to make one thing clear however. I will not hesitate to kill you and use your innards in a number of ways for brews that call for raven entrails if you so much as breathe on a single hair of my person in a disrespectful manner. This is your first and last warning as far as this goes. Serve me well and you will have a long life. Fuck with me, bird…and there won’t be enough left of you to make a quill,” the wizard said in a quiet, deadly voice.
Raucous blinked up at him, then hopped on Severus’ shoulder, glaring at the shopkeeper who was standing open-mouthed. Raucous clipped his black beak at him nastily.
“I take that to be a ‘yes,’” Severus said to the bird on his shoulder, who cawed assent. Severus looked at the shopkeeper.
“I will not pay you for him, since you were about to kill him. However, if he does not serve me well, you do not have to worry about my returning him. I will be his last Master,” the Potions Master said.
The shopkeeper nodded and Raucous swallowed. This was not a wizard to fuck with, and seemed borderline evil if not completely so. The raven could live with that. He was sick of goody-two shoes wizards and witches who fawned over him until he was nauseous. He had a feeling he would be given plenty of space by his new Master as well as the freedom to be as nasty to people as he liked.
Severus stalked out the door with the raven clinging to his shoulder as if he always belonged there. Once back at Hogwarts, the Potions Master set him up in the owl tower with his own tiny floo that he could use to enter the study whenever summoned. This suited Raucous just fine. And whenever Severus sent him to deliver a message, the raven did the Potions Master proud, his visits usually followed by an irate message from the recipient complaining about the bird’s actions, for which Raucous was petted and rewarded with juicy tidbits from the Potions Master.
“Raucous, I want you to deliver this letter to one Hermione Granger…and you do not have to be overly polite about it,” the wizard said with a mean-spirited smirk as he tied the parchment to the raven’s outstretched leg. Raucous cawed he understood.
“Go,” Severus said, and Raucous winged through the floo, into the owl tower and out over the horizon, heading toward Little Hangelton and Hermione’s flat. It was early enough that he could make it there before she left for work.
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Hermione had just pulled on her work robes and sat down to coffee, toast and jam when there was a loud tapping on the living room window. She stood up, walked into the living room and saw a raven standing on the sill, blinking in at her. It looked rather…surly. It had a parchment tied to its leg.
“One moment,” she said to the bird, walking to the front door and opening it. Raucous flew in and landed on the back of the sofa, eyeing Hermione and lifting his leg.
The witch walked up to Raucous and untied the letter. Before she could draw her hand away, he gave her a nasty peck on the back of her hand drawing blood.
“Ow!” Hermione said, snatching her hand away. “You bloody black…”
She pulled out her wand as Raucous soared away toward the kitchen, squawking loudly and landing on the kitchen table. He nicked her toast and flew up on top of her cabinet, wolfing it down as the witch ran into the kitchen.
“You give me back my toast!” Hermione yelled at him.
Raucous clipped his beak at her and continued eating the toast.
“Fine,” Hermione said through clenched teeth. She fired a stunner at him.
But Raucous was used to dodging hexes and leaped out of the way, soaring over Hermione and planting a wet, slopping dropping on her shoulder, ruining her robes as he passed.
“Ugh!” Hermione grimaced. She scourgified her shoulder but a stain remained. She was going to have to change her robes.
“Who would send a bird like you to someone’s house?” Hermione yelled at Raucous as he sat on top of the cooler. He clipped his beak at her snarkily. Hermione swelled up.
“Professor Snape,” she hissed.
Raucous cawed at her, smiling nastily. Of course, she couldn’t tell. It was a bird expression that only other birds could see.
Hermione tore open the parchment and read it. She looked up at Raucous, then stormed through the living room and opened the door.
“Get out!” she said to the bird, completely pissed.
Raucous didn’t move. She still had the wand in her hand.
Hermione stared at the bird, who looked at her wand pointedly.
Hermione put it in her pocket bad temperedly, the end sticking out. Raucous still didn’t move. Finally she shoved it all the way in.
Raucous cocked his head at her, then looked at the kitchen table and lined his parting path up with it and the front door…he had to time this just right. He leaped off the cooler, deposited a dropping directly into Hermione’s cup of coffee then soared past her, snagging a bit of curly hair with his claw and yanking it out as he raced toward freedom in a swerving flight path. Hermione screeched in pain and got her wand out of her pocket, shooting several blasts after the bird who squawked mirthfully as he safely flew out of range. Hermione slammed the door, totally pissed.
“I’m going to see that damned bird again,” she seethed.
Hermione walked back into the kitchen, picked up her coffee and was about to drink it when she saw a thin line of bird shit on the side of the cup.
“Ugh!” she said, scrunching up her face and dumping the coffee into the sink. For a moment she wondered if the raven was actually Professor Snape in animagus form. She’d find out when she went to see him on Saturday.
She looked at the clock on the wall. It was almost eight o’clock.
“Damn it,” she cursed, walking back into her bedroom to change her clothes.
She was going to be late for work.
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Saturday evening, Hermione dressed carefully in her blue dress robes, brushing her hair back, then deciding to wear it in a bun to look more professional. As she prepared for her meeting she remembered Draco’s warning as to the Professor feeling she was a failure because of her working in the private sector. Hermione had taken out some time to go to the Ministry libraries to look up the specifics of patronage as done in the wizarding world and found to her consternation that sexual relations between patron and sponsor was indeed commonplace and expected.
So Draco wasn’t actually using patronage as an excuse to get under her robes per se, but simply attempting to exercise his rights under the practice. Hermione was stunned by this since most of the wizards and witches she knew had served under a patron. Even Minerva McGonagall had a patron…Albus. It seemed they continued after she became self-sufficient. Now Hermione understood how they came to be together.
She had never sought out a patron because she didn’t really know anyone who would be willing to sponsor her. But she was a reasonably attractive witch and a number of wizards would have been willing to be her patrons.
But sex for sponsorship? That seemed too much like prostituting herself to get ahead. It didn’t sit right with her upbringing. But then again, she was muggle-born and some beliefs of what was morally right or wrong were inbred. The wizarding world was much more lax sexually, prostitution being an accepted practice, homosexuality accepted as easily as heterosexuality and sex as payment for services rendered seen as fair exchange whether performed for or by witch or wizard. It was an odd standard considering how strict they were about marriage. But then again, many married couples had open marriages and could take other lovers with their mate’s blessing. It was an odd world sometimes.
Hermione took a final look at herself in the mirror. She looked fine. Not that it would matter to the Professor. He would probably do his best to make her leave his presence in tears. Well, she refused to let him do it. He was going to hear her out. If she had to do it, she’d make a deal with the Devil to get at those books. They were Harry’s last hope. She secured her flat and disapparated for Hogwarts.
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Severus Snape sat in his office behind his desk, twiddling his thumbs idly as he watched the clock. It was two minutes to seven. Hopefully the witch would be late and he’d be spared this audience. Raucous sat on his shoulder.
Raucous had returned and showed Severus the havoc he wreaked at Hermione’s flat. The Potions Master was quite pleased with him and order fresh fish from the kitchens for the raven. Raucous was most appreciative. This was really the best of both worlds for him, having a Master that understood him and being allow to act absolutely horrendously without fear of reprisals. If there ever was a birdie heaven, this was it.
There was a knock on the door. Severus looked at the clock. It read seven on the dot. He pinched his nose. The witch was as punctual as ever. He drew in a deep breath to calm the black anger that was already rising like magma inside him. He was already pissed and he hadn’t even seen the witch yet.
“Come in,” he snarled.
The door opened and Hermione walked in.
The Professor’s black eyes swept over her. Hermione still looked like herself, but had matured somewhat, the innocence gone. She had her hair in a bun, an obvious attempt to look even more mature.
“Thank you for seeing me, Professor,” Hermione said, sitting down in the rickety chair.
Severus stared at her for a moment.
“Your thanks are neither wanted or appreciated Miss Granger. I want you to know that I did not want to see you and hope whatever nonsense made you darken my door after so many years can be dispatched with swiftly. I have no inclination to waste my time with a witch that has thrown her life away. So make this fast, Miss Granger. Vivaldi, Odgen’s and I have an appointment much more important than this one,” he said evenly.
Raucous clipped his beak at her for emphasis.
Suddenly Hermione drew her wand and hit the bird with a stunner. Raucous toppled off Severus’ shoulder. The wizard jumped to his feet and Hermione trained her wand on him.
“How dare you stun my familiar!” he roared.
“Your damned familiar needs to learn manners before he enters a witch’s home and shits on her person. Obviously, you aren’t the one to teach him, so I took it upon myself. I am sure next time he visits, if he ever does, he will conduct himself properly. Now sit down Professor, before I have to blast you too,” Hermione said evenly.
Severus’ dark eyes met Hermione’s. He didn’t see a bit of wavering in them. He had no doubt the witch would hex him without hesitation. Actually, she was within her rights to give Raucous what for, but he never thought she’d do it. No one else ever did.
Raucous cawed weakly on the floor behind Severus’ swivel chair and the wizard bent to pick him up. He cradled the stunned bird then walked over to his study door and pulled the torch to let himself in, Hermione’s wand trained on the wizard the entire time. Severus entered the study and put Raucous on the sofa to recover and returned to his office, closing the door behind him. No doubt Raucous would want Hermione’s blood for daring to hex him on his home ground. Better that he was out of the way.
Severus returned to his seat, his eyes resting on Hermione’s drawn wand.
“Put it away. If I wanted to hex you I would have done it by now. Look under my desk,” the wizard said in a tired voice.
Hermione leaned down a little and saw a wand attached beneath the desk, pointing directly at the chair she was sitting in.
“A bit of added protection. I could have hexed you with your wand pointing directly at me,” the Potions Master snarled. “For now I will reserve that action until after I hear whatever it is you wanted to talk to me about. So less aggression, more mouth witch.”
Hermione stared at him for a moment, then put her wand away. He could have blasted her into unconsciousness. She didn’t know what she had been thinking when she hexed Raucous. He just looked so fucking smug. How a raven could look smug was a mystery, but he did. And she couldn’t take it.
“All right, Professor…I’m going to lay it all on the line. I’ve been trying to find a solution to Harry’s condition, the partial destruction of his soul. I can’t find what I need in the usual magical tomes. Magic to do with the soul is usually dark. I have exhausted all the usual avenues of research. I want to access your books of Dark Magic to see if I can find the answers I need.”
Severus stared at her.
“You want what?” he asked her quietly as if he couldn’t believe what she asked.
“I want to use your books of Dark Magic,” she repeated.
Severus looked at her for a moment…then his lip quirked, then began to tremble. Suddenly he broke out into rich, deep laughter, holding his belly and laughing as if he would never ever stop. Tears ran from the corners of his eyes as Hermione looked on soberly.
Finally, after about ten minutes, Severus looked at her and wiped his eyes.
“I can’t remember the last time I had a good a laugh as that, Miss Granger. You are stark raving mad if you think I would let you anywhere near my Dark Magic books. You aren’t worthy to even look at their titles, you poor excuse for a witch,” he hissed. “If that is what you came to ask me, you might as well go now. I will never let you in my private library for any reason. You were a damn fool to even ask me. Now go.”
Hermione stared back at him and folded her arms stubbornly.
“I won’t go,” she snapped back at him. “You fucking owe Harry you bastard. He freed you. You can at least listen while I plead his case.”
Severus looked at her soberly.
True. The idiot Potter boy had done that when he killed the Dark Lord. But a broken soul? No one recovered from that…not that there was any precedence for it. As far as anyone knew Harry was the first case.
“Fine. I’ll listen, but only because he killed Voldemort. Not because of you,” the wizard snapped back.
Hermione drew a deep breath.
She had to make this good.
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A/N: A little Raucous history. Now for the clash of the Titans. Wise move, Hermione, bringing up that Harry killed the Dark Lord and freed Severus from service. Even he can’t ignore that truth. Well we will hear the arguments next chapter. Please review.