Moving On

A Conversaton With Albus

Minerva woke up feeling groggy the next day, she hardly slept the night before, consumed by guilt. She quickly went about her morning routine, she had to have a talk with Albus and Horace. She sighed, she had a long day ahead of her.

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"What do you mean you think the boy has been going through abuse dear?" Albus Dumbledore said.

Minerva took a deep breath, "You heard correct Albus," she said.  She tried to pay little attention to Horace, who was sat in the chair beside her, squirming in his seat.

"But you cannot just rush to such a conclusion Minerva dear, one needs proof, and do we have that? I think not."  He responded. Minerva looked at him incredulously, she could not believe what she was hearing, even after telling the man in front of her everything, from the state of the house in which the boy lived in to the signs accumulated over the years to prove that the boy was living a less than ideal life, she even mentioned him telling his Head House about his home life, of course that was before said man entered the room.

"Albus is right Minerva, we cannot just jump to conclusions." Horace said, finally joining the conversation. Minerva narrowed her eyes at him before speaking.

"And what would you suggest Horace? That we turn a blind eye to a student's trauma? I don't understand why you cannot let the boy stay here at Hogwarts Albus! He has no one to take him in." She snapped.

"Now now Minerva, you know I cannot allow that, it's against school protocol, more so because it is the summer holiday." He said.

Minerva grit her teeth, she let out an annoyed sigh, she thought of the countless times Albus went against school protocol to protect the Gryffindor students, most times it was from trouble in which they were often the ones in the wrong, she thought back to the time Sirius Black got off the hook for leading Snape to his death, by sending Snape to the Shrieking Shack on a full moon when Remus Lupin was in the midst of his transformation into a werewolf.

She recalled the traumatic look in the eyes of Severus Snape, his eyes and clothes disheveled as he clung on to the mediwitch Madam Pomfrey. She also vividly remembered the look of betrayal and hurt as he was practically threatened by the headmaster to keep silent about it, as his tormentors were let go with just a slap on the wrist. Black should have been expelled, possibly even sent to Azkaban for attempt of murder! But he was not, he was let to go back to classes with just two weeks detention.

"Fine Albus! I'll make this right myself!" She said, and made her leave, nose flaring and muttering under her breath.

"Care for a lemondrop Horace?" Albus asked after the door shut.

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Minerva strut up to the house she now knew to be the residence of one of her students in her animangus form, most people let her be, although she did have to deal with a child that insisted on petting her, she would not have had a problem if said childs definition of petting did not mean to pull at her fur and tail relentlessly!

She finally made it to her destination, the home of Severus Snape. The boy was sat outside, he glanced up at her then frowned and muttered, "I didn't expect you to be back so soon. Or back at all."

He stood up and made for the door, glancing back at her as if to question if she was willing to follow. She started following, entering the house and seeing it not much better than the day before.

He looked at her expectantly once they were in the house. She quickly transformed into her usual self, silently bracing herself for his reaction.
 
"Could you consider living with me Mr. Snape?" She said. She sounded less sure of herself than she would have liked.