Time as a Healer

Severus Snape awoke with a start. He rubbed at his eyes a little and looked around the room. It took him a while to realise he was in his own house. As his eyes adjusted to the murky light, he saw the familiar surroundings of his bedroom. There was a faint smell of dust in the air and he made a mental note to summon Aldo, his house elf. From what he could remember Aldo had been in service at Hogwarts since he left the country and probably didn’t know he was back. Severus smirked. He knew Aldo wouldn’t be particularly pleased to see him again, but no matter. He needed the house cleaning of five years of dust and cobwebs and he had no intention of doing it himself.



Severus climbed from his bed and walked into the lounge. The dregs of a bottle of Firewhisky sat on the table beside the still-lit fire, a book on rare tropical diseases open on the arm of his chair. He shook his head. Of course, that’s why his head felt a bit fuggy. He remembered clearly now returning to the house yesterday after his long journey. His body ached slightly and he decided to take a long shower. As he went to walk from the room, however, he heard the unmistakable tapping of a post owl on his window. Severus scowled. He had only been back a day, if that. Who would know he was here already? The Ministry? He didn’t know of his status but he assumed he was still a wanted man, presumed murderer. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, thinking of Albus. They hadn’t spoken since his death and he missed the meddling old goat. He wondered if Albus was aware he was still alive.



Severus walked with two long strides and opened the window to let in the owl, which was becoming more and more insistent. As it hopped into the room, Severus stared at it. The owl was small, sleek feathered and completely black with bright yellow, piercing eyes. Severus had never seen a black owl before and wondered what mutation had caused it’s colouring. The owl hooted in a low tone and stared at Severus, it’s eyes glittering and holding his gaze. Severus nodded respectfully at the owl and it blinked once. This was no ordinary bird, Severus judged. The owl stuck out his leg and Severus quickly untied the tightly rolled parchment.



His eyes opened wide as he read the contents and his mouth twisted in a wry smile.



‘Dear Sir,



Your presence is urgently required at Grimmauld Place this evening. The owl is yours to keep. He has no name as yet but he knows he belongs to you.



Welcome back.



Yours, on behalf on the order,



Harry Potter. ‘



Severus was intrigued and a little guarded. This was either a joke or a lynch mob, but no matter. After surviving Voldermort’s wrath, he felt he could survive anything.



He turned to the owl appraisingly. It stared at him unblinking, and then turned its head, burying its beak under its wing before falling asleep. Severus smirked. The owl had attitude. He rather liked that.



He glanced around the room. God, this place was a hovel. He wondered why it had never bothered him before.



‘Aldo!’ He snapped. His voice reverberated around the room sharply and even he was stunned by the sound of his own voice. He hadn’t spoken to anyone for quite a long time and didn’t make a habit of engaging himself in conversation.



With a sharp ‘pop’, a thin, wiry and distinctly miserable house elf appeared in front of Severus and peered up at him. His eyes were small pinpricks surrounded by wrinkled skin, his ears were pointed but hung baggily at the side of his head and his nose was as thin and sharp as a wand. His mouth was set in a thin, tight line and his body was covered in what looked like half of a dirty sheet.



‘Master has returned. O happy day…’ he mumbled in a gruff, gravely voice, his head down looking at his feet.



Severus smirked.



‘I thought you would be pleased to se me, Aldo…’ he said sarcastically. ‘The house needs cleaning…thoroughly. And I will be checking the tops of the shelves, so…’



‘Indeed, Master…Aldo never misses the tops of the shelves, Sir.’



Aldo bowed low, not making eye contact. If Severus had seen his eyes however, he would have seen ‘Fuck Off’ in big letters and he knew this.



Severus chuckled softly under his breath. ‘I’m not going to beat you, Aldo. In fact, it’s nice to see a familiar face, even it is your decidedly ugly one…’



Aldo raised his eyes to Severus and scowled. It would have given Severus himself some serious competition.



‘Master is too kind…’ he hissed.



Severus’s mouth twitched at the corners a little. He rather liked bantering with Aldo at times. He jerked his head towards the kitchen.



‘Get started then…’ he said softly, his eyes narrowing. Aldo shrank back a little, just in case he changed his mind about the beating and scuttled off in the direction of the kitchen.





****



Severus dressed in his usual garb, waving his wand to fasten the numerous buttons on the front of his jacket. His hair was longer than he usually wore it and he brushed it smoothly. He glanced at himself in his mirror.



‘Not bad for a Snape.’ The mirror muttered at him and he glared back at it.



He walked from the room and lifted his travelling cloak. Winter was almost here and the night air was chilling. He stepped from his house into the sad, deserted street, warding his door and wrapping his cloak around him, his hood down low over his head as he walked to his apparition point.



Severus didn’t notice the small figure in the shadows that followed him, pausing as he apparated. The figure smiled slightly. This information would be very useful indeed.







***



lmao... He\'s back! Whoo hoo...I\'ve missed him, what about you....