Patience on Sunday

When Headmaster Snape went back to Hogwarts after his errand he apparated directly to his chambers so that he could return unnoticed. He knew that walking through the halls ran the risk of uninvited and unwanted conversation and he was in no mood for that.

Early morning light flooded his chambers and made it difficult to nurse his drunken state. He stumbled to the windows and closed the curtains like he was preparing for a lackluster encore. Severus staggered towards his bedroom and passed by a mirror. He always wished he’d gotten rid of that blasted thing. His rumbled hair was paltry evidence that his errand had been a ridiculous farce. He removed his transfigured clothing when he realized he was still in muggle jeans and a coat.

The previous night, when he apparated to London after leaving Hermione out in the cold, he didn’t exactly have much of a plan. He transfigured his clothing so that he would not stand out and made his way into a few muggle pubs. At one godforsaken hole in the wall, a man who was 70 at least was deep into his cups beside him.

“You look utterly miserable,” the elderly man slurred without looking at Snape.

“I beg your pardon?” The headmaster said in reply.

“I said you look utterly miserable and, let me tell you son, life’s too short to be miserable,” the man continued, with drool slipping from his lip, before taking another chug from his pint.

“Right,” Severus droned before taking his own sip. “Sometimes I think life is too long.”

The old man scoffed into his cup and interrupted the foam on the surface. “You look like you need to take somebody home with you tonight,” he said with a hiccup. “She’s hot.” He pointed at a drunk and disheveled woman spilling her drink over a billiard table. Severus rolled his eyes at the notion.

The lamplight above the bar cast an odd yellow hue on the patrons. Frankly it made everyone look sick. It had been a very long time since Severus found a woman in a pub and went home with her, but he couldn’t imagine any of the people in this place becoming his companion for the night even if he’d felt desperate.

“Here,” the man said as he fumbled around in his pocket. Severus watched as he dug for a small object. The old man was sloppy and arthritic, but when Severus finally rolled his eyes and took another sip, the man drop a scallop shell on the bar in front of him.

Severus laughed into his beer.

The man nearly fell from his stool as he turned his body to face Severus and point at the shell aggressively. “Don’t you know what it is? This is the birthplace of Venus.” The mans eyes shined with bewilderment and libations as he drummed against the bar with his pointer finger.

“Mmhm,” Severus said with a smile as he finished the last swallow of his pint.

The man fumbled with his fingers as he picked up the scallop shell from the bar. He was unsteady and nearly dropped it twice before shoving it into Severus’ palm. Not wanting to consort with the drunkard any longer, Severus put the shell into his pocket with a weak smile.

The man may or may not have been asleep with his face on the bar when Severus decided this was not the place for him. He gathered up his muggle trench, placed a generous payment on the counter, and left into the cold London air.

Now, with morning light banished from his quarters, Severus opted to take a long soak before retiring to his bed for a nap. He decided he would return from his “errand” around lunch and that he didn’t want to see anyone sooner than that.

Around eleven he begrudgingly made his way to his office. The potion he took didn’t help with the hangover as much as he’d hoped. There was once a time when he could polish off an entire bottle of Fire Whiskey alone and be clear headed rather quickly. Now, he wished that was the case.

The office was furnished much like a library, as this seemed to be most comfortable to him. His big desk was central, with two wingback chairs across from his seat. Bookshelves lined the walls and made the room feel cozy. The fireplace and windows were the only areas on the room not lined with books. When he moved into the office, he decided to relocate the portraits of Hogwarts’ past Headmasters to a new room and people were up in arms. Even the portraits themselves protested. They caused havoc as they spread the news from frame to frame. Severus simply couldn’t have all that chattering uninhibited in his office, though. They were too much for him and, while he appreciated their guidance, he couldn’t function with it constantly. Plus, he needed privacy. He made it a point to consult them regularly, but ultimately he much preferred the office without them.

Snape’s attention was pulled immediately to a cylindrical object on his desk. He recognized the telescope immediately and sat down to eye it carefully. He picked it up and pulled one end of the green ribbon that tied a note to the object. He smirked when he realized that she had used the ribbon that he used previously. She had some nerve sending him something improperly sealed after the hard time she’d given him about his note. He unfolded the parchment and the content was simple:

Dear Severus,

Next time, please don’t leave so abruptly.

Yours,

Hermione

He read the short note over and over and over and over. Her neat script was feminine and uniform and oddly satisfying. He loved the way her first name looked on the page. And how it was there alongside his. In this instance, he liked the lack of formality in her note. It made him feel...

A sudden knock startled him and he quickly tucked the items into his desk. While he wasn’t sure who he’d been expecting, or who he hoped was calling, he wasn’t surprised to see Harry entering the office.

“Did you get your telescope?” Harry asked as he permitted himself entry and closed the door before sitting in the chair on the opposite side of the desk.

“Yes. Thank you, Mr. Potter,” Severus intoned dryly.

“What does her note say?” Harry crossed one leg over the other as he pointed towards the desk with his chin, knowing that the Headmaster had likely hidden it in the drawer.

“That’s not your area of concern,” Severus said flatly as he leaned back in his chair.

“I know it isn’t my concern...but,” Harry sighed as he tried to choose his words carefully, “Headmaster, you asked her to look at the stars with you. If that’s not bloody romantic I’m not sure what is,” Harry plucked a quill from the desk and twirled it between his fingers. “I’m really into the bloke I’ve been seeing but I don’t think I’d do anything thank romantic.”

Severus raked his hands through his hair in exasperation before pulling the drawer open and producing Hermione’s note. He tossed the rolled parchment onto the desk between them and both men stared at the paper for a long time.

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Well?”

“Go on. Read it,” Severus replied with a jerk of the hand; clearly perturbed. Harry picked up the note and failed to conceal the smile that quickly spread across his face.

“Well I’ll be damned.”

Severus chewed his cheek to keep from lashing out. Harry’s lackadaisical demeanor was getting under his skin.

“Sir, she likes you,” Harry said as he tossed the note back on the desk between them. “Plain as the day is long.”

“Harry, that isn’t possible,” Severus replied gravely.

“Why wouldn’t it be? Because you’re-“

“Careful...” Severus warned with a raised eyebrow.

Harry smiled while he continued playing with the quill. “Ok, Headmaster. It’s like this. I want to play a little game. Kinda like when you pick the petals off a flower to see if someone likes you...”

Severus nearly growled at the notion, but didn’t stop Harry from continuing. “I’m going to toss this quill into the air. If it lands on the desk, she likes you. If it lands on the floor, she doesn’t.” Harry tossed the quill into the air before Severus could protest and smirked when it landed in the desk.

“This is bollocks!” Severus anxiously tapped his fingertips against his thighs. Harry stood up and pushed in his chair.

“Maybe so. But when I tossed it, you knew which outcome you wanted, didn’t you?” Harry smirked. “I need to run though. I’ll check in with you at some point.” Harry turned his back and left the office swiftly, leaving the headmaster alone to stare at the quill on his desk.