Awkward

Chapter - 3 The Curse of Forbbiden Love

Severus,

Meet me in my office; there’s something important to be discussed.

Albus

Severus marched out of his classroom at once after reading the Floo message sent through by Albus.

"Class is being dismissed fifteen minutes earlier, but that by no means signifies that you are free to do any of your idiotic explorations. I want an essay on the Elixir of Lucid Dreams potion on my desk the first thing tomorrow when you enter the class," he briskly instructed the fifth-years about their task as he approached the door. His gestures discernibly indicated that he was in a hurry and desperately wanted to know what was so important. He hadn’t changed a bit when inside the classroom. He was still the grumpy, unpleasant, greasy-haired dungeon master, but outside the class, the case was a bit divergent. He greeted other teachers whenever he crossed paths with them; he greeted students too, to their amazement. Still, he kept mostly to himself, but now, he didn’t act like his previous self whom people had no idea about. People got an idea of what his true identity was: a young man who had made mistakes and had the courage to acknowledge and fix them.

One year, five months, twenty-seven days, sixteen hours, forty-eight minutes and thirty-three seconds had passed since the war, and people were still recovering from it. Albus made a serious decision to reopen the school seven months ago, and it had helped out quite a bit. Life was getting back on track again for everyone except for Severus. People saw him as a war hero, which felt weird to him. He was no war hero, after all. The Daily Prophet celebrated his story more than his actual existence--why wouldn't they? After all, they got such an intricate and juicy story to publish after a long time. Nobody except Albus, Minerva, Hagrid, and Filius knew about the spell the Dark Lord had cast on him and that fact relieved him. He hadn’t wanted any more spotlight upon him now. But it still bothered him that he didn’t know what the spell was or what it had done to him because nothing had happened to him still. He was still very much alive and healthy. But one thing still bothered him. Those eyes… to whom did those eyes belong? His heart pounded a little every time those eyes appeared in front of his black orbs. He didn't know why that happened to him.

So much into his thoughts, he almost walked past Albus' room. Saying the password, he very patiently waited and walked in briskly. The room was quite the same. Nothing had changed about it. Albus liked keeping it simple and placid. Albus was sitting at his desk as always. Minerva, Hagrid, and Filius were also there, standing by the fireplace with worried looks on their faces. But another lady was also there, seated on the chair in front of Albus, sipping a cup of tea. She was a middle-aged woman, around 55, wearing a knee-length black dress wrapped around her body. Looking at her emerald green eyes, he could see she was lost in thought. Her grey hair was neatly tied into a bun behind her head. She exuded a thick aura of elegance. Giving him a warm and welcoming glance, she smiled at him. He gave a nod in response.

Clearing his throat, he formally acknowledges Albus, " You called for me, Headmaster?"

A serious expression came over Albus’ face. Severus could sense that something was not right; he could no longer see the twinkle in the old man's eyes.

"Well, Severus, thanks for coming," Albus replied in a tone devoid of any expression. "You are aware of the fact that what happened to you on the night of the battle is unfamiliar to any of us. The spell he used was beyond our knowledge to this day." He paused, collecting his thoughts. "As I have told you earlier, I informed many scholars regarding the spell, but even they were unaware of it, but this sweet lady, Ms Angelina, seems to know what that spell was," he continued.

Severus almost jumped in his place. He had searched for the meaning of the spell. The look on the lady's face abashed him. An awkward silence came over the room. No one uttered a word. Actually, no one knew what to say.