Severus Snape Unleashed!

“My childhood? Miss Granger, this is quite enough,” Snape snapped, regaining a bit of his old arrogance. Her silence was enough of an answer. Snape sighed and began his tale. “Many people, when they turn to the Dark Side, blame the lack of love in their childhoods. I am no different. I had a wonderful family, no doubt about that. But they were all killed, each in freak accidents that left me alone in the world. I hadn’t a single relation living... except for my fifth cousin, twice removed. So I, at the age of 10, went to live with this Muggle-“

     Hermione gasped. “You have Muggle blood?”

     “Most wizards have Muggle somewhere in their family. We’re ashamed, of course, but what can be done? You must never - NEVER - repeat this information to anyone in my house. A Slytherin must be pure, of course,” Snape finished, his eyes desperately boring into Hermione’s. She nodded and looked away, the intensity of his stare creeping her out. Snape continued his story, “I had only lived with Ernie for a year when I got my Hogwarts letter. I had expected it was coming of course. Ernie was glad to see me go. He always said I was insufferable, always wanting attention, trying to show him some new experiment I had tried. All I wanted was someone to recognize my talent. So when I came to Hogwarts, I just knew I would be appreciated there. I had dreams of being popular and top in every class, captain of the Quidditch team and Head Boy. Only some of those dreams came true. I was top in my classes, especially Potions, where I even out-did the professor. But that old group - Potter, Black, Lupin - they had it in for me. The only one who ever stood up for me was Lily, and Potter took even her away from me. All I wanted was someone to recognize me, to appreciate me! I strived for it, and it never came to fruition. So I grew into myself. I saw my inner resources, I knew that I had the ability to be great, to show them all that even greasy old Severus Snape could be a person of importance!”

     Hermione snorted. “Look, Sev, this is all well and good, but how generic! I could read this in *any* dark wizard’s biography, for Merlin’s sake. Let’s spice it up a little, shall we?”

     “Sorry to disappoint you, Miss Granger, but there is nothing remotely spicy about anything in my life.”

     “Oh, I think that’s a lie. I know you’ve got an inner child, Sev, but the fluffy stuff? The teddy bear? You don’t expect me to believe that these things were your idea! I’ve seen your bedroom at Hogwarts, it’s just as dark and creepy as you are.” Snape didn’t bother to ask how Hermione had seen his bedroom. He knew too well about Potter’s invisibility cloak.

     “Perceptive as always, Miss Granger,” Snape said wryly. “All right then. These things all belong to my ex-girlfriend.”

     “I thought you were gay!” Hermione exclaimed. Snape raised an eyebrow at her.

     “I am not gay. I know many people believe that... it’s probably the fact that I walk around limp-wristed, and my cloak somewhat resembles a dress. Simple minded fools. Even if I wanted to be gay, I couldn’t. Hogwarts allows only one gay staff member, and I’m afraid Argus Filch is the one.” Hermione burst into laughter.

     “Filch? No way!”

     “Yes, Filch. I didn’t expect it either, but I found out the most disgusting way possible-“ Snape shuddered with the memory.

     “Filch hit on you? Gross!”

     “Yes, gross is exactly correct, Miss Granger.”

     “Well, then... is your ex-girlfriend a staff member?”

     “Once again, incorrect. Hogwarts allows only one relationship between staff members, and Dumbledore and McGonagall have filled that position.” Hermione gasped.

     “What? McGonagall has sex?”

     “Yes, quite often if Dumbledore is to be believed.”

     “What I’d give to be a fly on the wall in the staff room! Your lives are saucy!”

     “I suppose some of them are,” Snape allowed. “Mine, however, is not saucy in the least.”

     “Oh, come on... I know you’ve got a dark secret!” Snape’s eyebrows raised at her, his eyes flashing. “I didn’t mean *dark* that way... I know about your history as a Death Eater.” Snape looked unsurprised.

     “Of course you do. You’re a bright girl, and your best friends are filthy sneaks.” Hermione didn’t argue this fact. “Yes, I was a Death Eater. Imagine that you want something terribly, but you can’t admit it to anyone.” Hermione, leaning closer to Snape, nodded.

     “I can imagine that perfectly,” she whispered. Snape chose to ignore her comment and continued.

     “So someone comes along and offers you a chance at that very thing! Wouldn’t you do just about anything they said, for that chance?”

     “Why, yes, professor, I’d be tempted. But joining a mission of death and destruction, joining the side of evil-“

     ”What is evil, anyway? It is only what we perceive it to be. Every wizard knows what lies within him. What lay within me was strength, power, talent - and those things are neither good nor bad in themselves. What we use them for, yes, can be determined to be good or evil - but each person’s definition of those words is different. To He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, for example, Good is Evil. He is fighting against Good, he hates it - much as Dumbledore fights against and hates Evil. They are exactly alike in every way - except for the way we perceive them.”

     “That was deep.”

     “Miss Granger!”

     “Sorry, Severus-“

     ”I would appreciate if you would call me Professor Snape!”

     “Sure, anything you say. Just keep going, I’m fascinated.”

     “When I joined the Dark Lord, I had no moralistic values holding me back. I had nothing inside me saying, This is wrong. So I went for it, I went for the glory and power that had always been denied me.” Snape paused for several minutes, silence descending upon the pink fluffiness of the room.

     “But something made you see the error of your ways,” Hermione urged him.

     “Yes. Albus Dumbledore. He came to me one night, near the end of Voldemort’s reign. Of course, I didn’t know the reign was ending. Albus saw something within me during my years at Hogwarts that no one else had seen. He told me many things - things that I would not repeat to you, Miss Granger, even if you were to beg with your life - and I began to see that I was going after the wrong things in my life. I was looking for recognition, for acceptance, but were those things that important? What if I gained all the power in the world, and still despised myself? What then? Well, I knew that he was right. But I had garnered much favor with the Dark Lord - a faithful servant I always was - and Dumbledore saw the advantage. He said I had one chance to prove to him that I really was the strong and important man I saw within myself. I was to act as a spy for him, and the side of good, while continuing to pretend I was on the Dark Side. I agreed, sure that this was my chance. I was questioning, of course, I had my doubts that the side of good had anything to offer. But when I heard of You-Know-Who’s plan to murder Lily Potter - well, I realized that I was working with someone who didn’t deserve my loyalty. He was the purest evil I had ever perceived.”

     “Lily Potter? This was all about Lily Potter?”

     “No, no. I had already begun to hate the Dark Lord, but my hatred was rounded and smoothed when he killed the purest good I had ever known. And when he tried to kill an innocent child, well, I saw my purpose. Lily Potter died to protect that child. I would dedicate my life to the purpose which she died for.”

     “Protecting Harry?”

     “Protecting good and innocent, yes. I took on a larger purpose than the boy himself. I dedicated myself to good. Only Albus Dumbledore ever saw me as good - even you filthy students thought I was evil from the day Potter’s scar hurt when he looked at me. It was Quirrell, then it was Ginny Weasley, then it was a rat, but the entire time you believed it was me!”

     “Professor, I...” Snape held his hand up to stop her.

     “Never mind, Miss Granger. So much has happened of late, that I know you realize I am on the side of good. Apologies will change nothing. I have let it go.”

     “But why do you always act like you hate everyone?”

     Snape shrugged. “It’s fun!” Hermione shook her head, her mind reeling with all she had just learned about Snape. Although the case was not entirely closed, Snape’s face was weary and his eyes showed he had recalled enough for one day. She stood up from the bed and smiled.

     “Well, Professor, I’ve learned a lot today. This is possibly the best lesson you’ve ever given me. But, we’re not finished. We both have to be back at Hogwarts tomorrow. The beginning of my sixth year, you know. I’ll see you.”

     “I’ll walk you out,” Snape said, anxious she would go exploring the rest of his home and find his private stores of potions ingredients. He didn’t think she’d steal, but he wasn’t one to trust much, anyway.

     At the front door, he gave her a smirk. “This never happened, Miss Granger,” he said, a threat lurking behind his words.

     “Of course not, Professor. See you at school!” she waved and took off down the street, taking off her robes and shoving them into her bag. She was going to be riding the Muggle Underground, she needn’t call attention to herself.

     Severus Snape watched the back of Hermione Granger grow smaller and turn a corner, then went back into his home. He felt a sinister laugh well up inside of him, and for once he let it escape. ‘Foolish girl has much to learn about the art of deception,’ he thought. He glanced into the mirror above the fireplace. He had bought it in Diagon Alley without realizing it both talked and read his mind.

     “Severus, you know good and well that you didn’t lie to that girl! Face it, you are just not evil!” He tossed his hair and huffed out of the room.

     “I’ll show you, Mirror!” he shouted before slamming his bedroom door.