Snapedom

Quick, quick, something for the house warming party before it's over.

Here's a short story that is for the house warming of snapedom on IJ, and for my own story journal, Tales from the Wood..

Warnings: It's not completely beta-read yet. I only put the first chapter up, the second will come soon.

Exorcism

Chapter 1


Severus Snape flung the door to the Room of Requirement open and strode inside.

Finally, peace, he had thought before he’d had entered. Give me a place where I can find peace. His head hammered painfully. Teaching Potions to dunderheads hadn't become easier over the years, and the stress of constantly having to watch out for explosions and mischief, together with the backstabbing, snide remarks and sideway glances of his colleagues, didn't help.

Even five years after the war, his name had yet to be cleared. He had been spared Azkaban, thanks to Potter, who gave witness in his favour. However, despite having defeated Voldemort and being admired as a hero, Potter's reputation was still one of a somewhat confused and irrational young man. Potter's reports about Severus and his mysterious task as Dumbledore's spy had added to his reputation of being a bit scatterbrained and had not done Severus any favours, either—especially since Severus had thrown Rita Skeeter out of his house when she had promised to publish his true story. He knew her idea of a true story…

And so it transpired that he went back to teaching Potions. Despite the reluctance of the Headmistress to accept him back, despite the distrust of his colleagues and the dislike and distrust of the children in his house, he had taken the opportunity to earn a living in an environment he knew well. That, at least, was an advantage. Sometimes he wondered if it would have been better if he had died that day, the day of the final battle, five years ago. He had no friends and was as despised, disliked and distrusted as before. His whole life was a mess, and there seemed no way to improve things.

He would have much rather left Britain all together, taught at Durmstrang or worked for an apothecary somewhere. However, the Ministry had made it very clear that they expected him to stay in the country, to not engage in suspicious activities and to be grateful and appreciative about their generous offer to take him back as a teacher. As if they had very many good Potions teachers to chose from, especially now, with Slughorn gone, too, Severus thought.

The only respite for him was the few hours of peace he spent in the Room of Requirement. Peace, quiet and soothing dreams; that's what he had asked for today from the room, as so often previously, when he entered. What he got was Albus bloody Dumbledore, standing in the middle of it and twinkling at him.

"Damn," Severus said. "The room's still not functioning properly after all this time." He glared at the fantasy Dumbledore, turned on the spot and tried to open the door. The door didn't budge.

"I want to get out of here, immediately," he snarled. Nothing happened.

"Alohomora!—Open up! I, Severus Snape, master of this school, order you to open up."

Nothing.

Severus stepped back and shielded his face with one arm, his wand once again pointed at the door. "Confringo!"

The door rattled in its hinges, but nothing else happened. The Blasting Curse seemed to have been absorbed by the door. Shaking his head in disbelief, Severus stood and glared. He had no idea how to get out again.

"My dear boy, there's no need for all the excitement. Why don't you sit down and talk to me?” The image, or whatever it was of Albus Dumbledore, said.

"Shut up! You're not real," Severus snapped.

The apparition laughed merrily. "I'm as real as this room, or the peace and quiet you seek to find.”

"What do you want?" Severus growled through clenched teeth. Sometimes, it was better to give in to the room's little quirks in order to get around the malfunction. With patience, he would get out again, and the room would be a step closer to being back to its old self since the time Crabbe's Fiendfire had almost destroyed it completely. But that ‘sometimes’ was hard earned, Severus thought.

"I want to help you, my boy." The old man's eyes twinkled behind his half-moon glasses.

"As if. Even if you were real, you old codger, helping me would be the last thing on your mind. Torturing me, giving me tasks that might get me killed, would be more like it. So what's it to be? What do you want?"

"Tut, tut," Fantasy-Dumbledore said and shook his head theatrically. "Could it be that you don't like me?"

"My, aren't we observant?" Severus snarled. "Out with it, and then get out of my sight."

"That won't be necessary," the apparition crowed and whirled around its axis like a Boggart when it changes its shape. When it came to a halt, Lily Potter stood in front of him and smiled sweetly. "I really want to help you, Severus."

"Go away," he whispered covering his face. "NOW!"

The apparition whirled again only to reappear in the shape of his former student, and now colleague, Hermione Granger. She was wearing a black corset, a lace thong, suspender less stockings, high heels, and nothing else. "Better?" she said in a sultry voice.

"NO!" Severus bellowed. "For crying out loud. Who are you, and what is the meaning of this?"

Fake-Granger stalked towards him on her high heels, put a hand on his chest and smiled up to him seductively. "I am your Wish Fairy. I look into your heart and show you what you desire."

The rest of the chapter can be read here: Exorcism - Chapter 1