Moon Magic 2
Oct. 20th, 2007 07:54 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
lit_galThis is such a silly little thing that it's easy to throw together between rounds of grading. Did you know that there are two kinds of evil: good and bad? Um, yeah. The kid meant two kinds of decisions, but that's not what he wrote. When I start feeling a need to channel Snape in my grading, it's time for a break.
Moon Magic
Rated: Teen
Faith/Snape (although Faith isn't there yet)
Previous Chapters
Riley is sucked into a new universe, and not even Faith and Willow's attempts to save him can change the fact that this is one universe Riley does not want to get to know any better. No Riley bashing.
Moon Magic
Rated: Teen
Faith/Snape (although Faith isn't there yet)
Previous Chapters
Riley is sucked into a new universe, and not even Faith and Willow's attempts to save him can change the fact that this is one universe Riley does not want to get to know any better. No Riley bashing.
"Stupid girl. I should have expected such impetuous foolishness from Gryffindor brats. Always rushing in without checking their sources. Muggle-born moron."
Riley slid from one corner of the deep pocket to the other as Professor Snape paced. The jerky motion made Riley want to throw up, but he wasn't sure he even could. The professor made another sudden turn, and Riley felt the instinctive need to reach out and catch himself, which just made his snake-body curl up behind him. Okay, this was bad. Riley had seen some seriously fucked up situations, but this… this went beyond anything he had ever imagined.
The motion suddenly changed, and from the brisk taps of shoes against stone, Riley was guessing they were striding down a hall, or Snape was striding, Riley was just sort of rolling from one side of the pocket to the other.
"Cribbages Wizarding Crackers," Snape said before he continued.
"Severus, how nice to see you," an older man's voice greeted him. Personally, Riley wouldn't ever describe seeing Professor Snape as 'nice.' The man was going to have a starring role in Riley's nightmares for a long time… at least assuming he lived a long time.
"Albus, this time they have gone too far."
"Oh dear. Lemon sherbet?"
"The Granger child invoked Moon magic."
"Yes, I had recognized the distinct signature. Was anyone hurt?" The voice that had reminded Riley of his senile great-uncle just seconds ago now took on a tone of authority.
"Had the room not been charmed rather ingeniously against violent acts, Granger, Weasley and myself might have all been gravely injured."
"I see. So, I take it that Miss Granger managed to complete the spell." This time, the voice sounded almost amused, and a long silence followed.
"Miss Granger managed to display her usual mixture of barely adequate competence and gross disregard for her actions. She chose a spell from Notta Bellaificus' Transformative Potions and Charms."
"I see."
Riley suddenly found himself caught in a giant hand, although by now he had realized that he had shrunk rather than Snape growing enormous as he'd originally suspected. He found himself dangling in front of an old man whose glasses perched on the end of his nose and who looked like Santa Clause after an Atkin's diet.
"I do see," the old man repeated. "Albus Dumbledore, at your service. This is Severus Snape, the Potion Master here at… well, we shall not bother you with such unnecessarily details."
For a second, Riley could only hang limply in shock at a man who seemed to calmly introduce himself to a snake, but then Riley struggled and managed to get a loop of his body around Severus Snape's finger.
"He appears rather uncomfortable, perhaps you should return him to his own form," Dumbledore suggested mildly before he turned to a large desk and settled himself behind it.
"So he can have another chance to try killing all of us?"
"Really, Severus, if Miss Granger's spell has removed him from his own reality, I dare say he simply acted out of fear. But, of course, it is your choice."
Snape's choice… Snape's choice whether or not to give him back his own body? Riley cursed, but even he could hear the pointless hissing that came out of his mouth.
"While I cannot claim to speak parseltongue, that did sound remarkably unhappy," Dumbledore commented. Then he turned toward Riley. "But the difficulty is that Severus truly is the only person who can perform the spell to send you home. And before you worry, I have no doubt that Severus will return you to proper form before sending you back where you belong." This time Dumbledore looked up toward Snape with an expression that made the comment into a clear order. Riley could feel Snape's fingers tighten around him, and he struggled to breathe for a second before they loosened once more.
"Of course, Headmaster. I shall return this person just as soon as the moon returns to a position that would allow me to reverse the spell." Snape's voice came out smooth. "Perhaps now we can discuss Miss Granger's foolhardy forays into magic which she clearly does not understand."
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore agreed as he calmly steepled his hands in front of his face, and Riley knew a dismissal when he saw one. Snape, however, continued to push.
"This sort of careless magic…"
"We both know the children have been under quite a lot of stress lately."
"Much of which they brought on themselves." Snape was barely withholding a growl by this point.
"Some, perhaps, but much of this is so far out of their control that you cannot possibly believe they hold any culpability." Dumbledore stared at Snape, and Riley could feel the tension, the stress from forces he didn't understand flowing through the room. He wasn't sure which made him more uncomfortable: being helpless in Snape's hand or not understanding the obviously deep and dangerous waters that flowed around them with every word. Riley felt like he was back with Maggie Walsh again, with lies and deceptions and politics at every turn.
"I think Potter makes his own choices, much like his father. But I assure you that I do understand the prophecy with which we are all burdened."
Dumbledore nodded slowly, his eyes sliding away to study the desk with an absent-minded expression. "Our visitor really would be safer with you until we can return him," Dumbledore said before he picked up a paper with an oddly moving picture on the page.
"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said tightly before he turned to leave. "One day, Potter or his friends will use up that remarkable luck of theirs. When that day comes, I hope you are prepared to clean up the mess they will undoubtedly leave."
"Unfortunately, we shall both be pressed into service on that day, Severus," Dumbledore answered softly. Without another word, Snape turned and walked back out. This time, Riley had a view of stone corridors and old-fashioned paintings that were obviously some sort of television screens because many of the images were moving. Carved stone arches rose above them, and torches were set into the walls. Eventually, they descended one set of stairs after another, in one case the staircase slid slowly to one side as Snape stood still, waiting.
The whole time, Riley tried to determine the technology and possible sources for resources and potential threats, but the simple fact was that he was in way over his head. Maybe if he was still working with Buffy and Giles he could hope for some backup or rescue, but given his current assignment with a very non-magical special forces team, Riley knew that he had limited options besides trusting these two men to send him home.
Eventually they entered a windowless chamber with heavy gold drapes and Victorian furniture in dark colors. Books and rolls of browning paper lay in neat piles against one wall and bookcases lined every available bit of wall so that Riley couldn't even see the heavy gray stones that obviously made the castle.
"We'll just have to find a home for you, won't we?" Snape asked with enough sarcasm to make Riley flinch and hiss. Snape went to a shelf and pulled off a wicker cage. "This should work."
Riley wanted to fight, to sink his hopefully considerable and preferably poisonous fangs into the man just for the principle of it. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to with his future in the man's hands. Riley had the impression Snape was not a patient or a forgiving man. Instead of fighting, he allowed himself to be maneuvered into the small cage door before Snape closed it and slipped a latch over the end. Riley watched without blinking as Snape walked over to a huge fireplace and cleared a space on the mantle.
"Hopefully the warmth will keep you sated and quiet. I do not appreciate being bothered in my own chambers," Snape announced. Then he said some word Riley didn't know and tapped the top of the cage with what Riley now realized was his wand. A green fabric rolled down over the bars of the cage and Riley was alone.
Riley slid from one corner of the deep pocket to the other as Professor Snape paced. The jerky motion made Riley want to throw up, but he wasn't sure he even could. The professor made another sudden turn, and Riley felt the instinctive need to reach out and catch himself, which just made his snake-body curl up behind him. Okay, this was bad. Riley had seen some seriously fucked up situations, but this… this went beyond anything he had ever imagined.
The motion suddenly changed, and from the brisk taps of shoes against stone, Riley was guessing they were striding down a hall, or Snape was striding, Riley was just sort of rolling from one side of the pocket to the other.
"Cribbages Wizarding Crackers," Snape said before he continued.
"Severus, how nice to see you," an older man's voice greeted him. Personally, Riley wouldn't ever describe seeing Professor Snape as 'nice.' The man was going to have a starring role in Riley's nightmares for a long time… at least assuming he lived a long time.
"Albus, this time they have gone too far."
"Oh dear. Lemon sherbet?"
"The Granger child invoked Moon magic."
"Yes, I had recognized the distinct signature. Was anyone hurt?" The voice that had reminded Riley of his senile great-uncle just seconds ago now took on a tone of authority.
"Had the room not been charmed rather ingeniously against violent acts, Granger, Weasley and myself might have all been gravely injured."
"I see. So, I take it that Miss Granger managed to complete the spell." This time, the voice sounded almost amused, and a long silence followed.
"Miss Granger managed to display her usual mixture of barely adequate competence and gross disregard for her actions. She chose a spell from Notta Bellaificus' Transformative Potions and Charms."
"I see."
Riley suddenly found himself caught in a giant hand, although by now he had realized that he had shrunk rather than Snape growing enormous as he'd originally suspected. He found himself dangling in front of an old man whose glasses perched on the end of his nose and who looked like Santa Clause after an Atkin's diet.
"I do see," the old man repeated. "Albus Dumbledore, at your service. This is Severus Snape, the Potion Master here at… well, we shall not bother you with such unnecessarily details."
For a second, Riley could only hang limply in shock at a man who seemed to calmly introduce himself to a snake, but then Riley struggled and managed to get a loop of his body around Severus Snape's finger.
"He appears rather uncomfortable, perhaps you should return him to his own form," Dumbledore suggested mildly before he turned to a large desk and settled himself behind it.
"So he can have another chance to try killing all of us?"
"Really, Severus, if Miss Granger's spell has removed him from his own reality, I dare say he simply acted out of fear. But, of course, it is your choice."
Snape's choice… Snape's choice whether or not to give him back his own body? Riley cursed, but even he could hear the pointless hissing that came out of his mouth.
"While I cannot claim to speak parseltongue, that did sound remarkably unhappy," Dumbledore commented. Then he turned toward Riley. "But the difficulty is that Severus truly is the only person who can perform the spell to send you home. And before you worry, I have no doubt that Severus will return you to proper form before sending you back where you belong." This time Dumbledore looked up toward Snape with an expression that made the comment into a clear order. Riley could feel Snape's fingers tighten around him, and he struggled to breathe for a second before they loosened once more.
"Of course, Headmaster. I shall return this person just as soon as the moon returns to a position that would allow me to reverse the spell." Snape's voice came out smooth. "Perhaps now we can discuss Miss Granger's foolhardy forays into magic which she clearly does not understand."
"Yes, yes," Dumbledore agreed as he calmly steepled his hands in front of his face, and Riley knew a dismissal when he saw one. Snape, however, continued to push.
"This sort of careless magic…"
"We both know the children have been under quite a lot of stress lately."
"Much of which they brought on themselves." Snape was barely withholding a growl by this point.
"Some, perhaps, but much of this is so far out of their control that you cannot possibly believe they hold any culpability." Dumbledore stared at Snape, and Riley could feel the tension, the stress from forces he didn't understand flowing through the room. He wasn't sure which made him more uncomfortable: being helpless in Snape's hand or not understanding the obviously deep and dangerous waters that flowed around them with every word. Riley felt like he was back with Maggie Walsh again, with lies and deceptions and politics at every turn.
"I think Potter makes his own choices, much like his father. But I assure you that I do understand the prophecy with which we are all burdened."
Dumbledore nodded slowly, his eyes sliding away to study the desk with an absent-minded expression. "Our visitor really would be safer with you until we can return him," Dumbledore said before he picked up a paper with an oddly moving picture on the page.
"Yes, Headmaster," Snape said tightly before he turned to leave. "One day, Potter or his friends will use up that remarkable luck of theirs. When that day comes, I hope you are prepared to clean up the mess they will undoubtedly leave."
"Unfortunately, we shall both be pressed into service on that day, Severus," Dumbledore answered softly. Without another word, Snape turned and walked back out. This time, Riley had a view of stone corridors and old-fashioned paintings that were obviously some sort of television screens because many of the images were moving. Carved stone arches rose above them, and torches were set into the walls. Eventually, they descended one set of stairs after another, in one case the staircase slid slowly to one side as Snape stood still, waiting.
The whole time, Riley tried to determine the technology and possible sources for resources and potential threats, but the simple fact was that he was in way over his head. Maybe if he was still working with Buffy and Giles he could hope for some backup or rescue, but given his current assignment with a very non-magical special forces team, Riley knew that he had limited options besides trusting these two men to send him home.
Eventually they entered a windowless chamber with heavy gold drapes and Victorian furniture in dark colors. Books and rolls of browning paper lay in neat piles against one wall and bookcases lined every available bit of wall so that Riley couldn't even see the heavy gray stones that obviously made the castle.
"We'll just have to find a home for you, won't we?" Snape asked with enough sarcasm to make Riley flinch and hiss. Snape went to a shelf and pulled off a wicker cage. "This should work."
Riley wanted to fight, to sink his hopefully considerable and preferably poisonous fangs into the man just for the principle of it. Unfortunately, he couldn't afford to with his future in the man's hands. Riley had the impression Snape was not a patient or a forgiving man. Instead of fighting, he allowed himself to be maneuvered into the small cage door before Snape closed it and slipped a latch over the end. Riley watched without blinking as Snape walked over to a huge fireplace and cleared a space on the mantle.
"Hopefully the warmth will keep you sated and quiet. I do not appreciate being bothered in my own chambers," Snape announced. Then he said some word Riley didn't know and tapped the top of the cage with what Riley now realized was his wand. A green fabric rolled down over the bars of the cage and Riley was alone.
