Title: Ghostly Surprise Rating: G Pairing: portrait!Snape/The Grey Lady
It was nearly midnight when the Grey Lady drifted into Headmistress McGonagall's office. Raising one finger to her lips, her other hand beckoned the portrait of Snape to follow. Snape considered pretending to be asleep, but diversions were rare when one lived inside a picture frame. Picking his way through fellow portraits, he followed the shimmering figure.
Once in a deserted hall, the ghost whispered, “I have a Halloween surprise.”
“Unless you have convinced Scorpius to stop drawing spectacles on me, I have little interest in surprises. To think that I once considered Gryffindors the troublemakers of the school. My time on the wall has shown me your house harbors the true terrors. How has Ravenclaw maintained the reputation of aloof observers when it comes to mischief?”
“Because we rarely get caught.” Her smile made Snape doubt the wisdom of following a ghost on Halloween. Around the next turn, the portrait found himself gazing at a wall ablaze with a picture of Jack-o-lanterns, grinning beneath a full moon. “You spend so much time in that office I thought a moonlight walk would do you good.”
He nodded at her wisdom. “With proper company, a stroll would be delightful.”