Post by AthenaDumbledore on Sept 24, 2006 18:01:06 GMT -5
Disclaimer: I own nothing, I'm just borrowing and not making any money of it.
Title: Eerie
Summary: Something has happened at Hogwarts and when the news gets out, it proves quite hard to take.
AN: This is not HBP compatible and therefore AU. It's not directly ADMM, though I don't doubt you'll find it in there, I certainly felt it when I wrote this.
Rating: 11+
Eerie
The Great Hall was packed. Every single student currently attending Hogwarts, all Professors and all others temporarily receding there, were currently seated somewhere along the Head- or House tables. Whereas one would’ve expected such a crowd to cause quite some noise, the Hall was eerie quiet. One could almost hear himself breathing... It was minutes to midnight and no-one, as far as he knew, knew why they were there. It had been a weird day.
Waking up that morning nothing had seemed amiss, yet that notion had changed five minutes into his last class of the day. Moments after McGonnagall had started her lecture about long-term cross species transfiguration, an owl had disturbed the lesson. After accepting a scroll from the creature with a huff, McGonnagall unrolled it and started reading. In a matter of moments she’d turned positively grey and her usually fierce composure was faltering rapidly. Rooted to the spot, she uttered a nearly inaudible ‘class dismissed’, ushering them out of her classroom without a word of explanation.
By dinnertime, he’d found out exactly the same had happened during Ginny’s advanced Potions class, although Snape’s mask, who would expect differently, had stayed in place more firmly than McGonnagall’s. Dinner went by normally, though some started to get a little suspicious something was going on. McGonnagall and Snape were still missing. So was the Headmaster, but no-one thought anything about that, as it happened frequently that he was out taking care of something or another, mostly Ministry or Order related business.
Expecting it to be some Order related issue that’d caused both teachers to rush off, Harry paid it no further attention and went to work on his Astronomy essay after dinner. That was until the portrait hole swung open around 23:30 and many gasped in surprise. That moment he knew for sure something was seriously wrong. Stiffly stepping inside was Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House. Harry had most certainly not expected to ever see him in their tower, yet there he was. Voice void of any emotion or other indication as to what was going on he instructed: ‘Prefects, get the students that have already excused themselves for the night, fourth through seventh year, Miss Granger, you’ll be fetching the little ones, first through third year, please do try to keep them calm. I want everyone in the Great Hall as soon as possible and there’ll be no chattering, not a word. You will be told what’s going on the moment we’ve got all students and staff together. That was all.’ With a swish of his cloak he’d turned around and was gone through the portrait hole, the Fat Lady closing up the tower with a thud, as if still a bit confused at providing entrance to a non-Gryffindor.
So here they were. He’d helped Hermione wake up the younger students, gathering them together in the commonroom, deserted now since the majority of the older students had already left for the Great Hall. Assuring the frightened children everything would be all right, they led their charges down the seven flights of stairs, reminding them to keep silent before entering the Hall. Now they all sat at their House table waiting for some announcement or another. ‘At least Snape is back,’ Harry thought, that meant there was at least one Order member to rely on should something happen. How much more wrong could he have been in his assumption this was about Voldemort or something...
It had been five minutes since the last group of Ravenclaws had arrived and now both students and staff sat waiting. The middle of the Head table was still empty, Snape, McGonnagall nor Dumbledore anywhere to be seen. On top of that, the Castle felt weird, he noticed now. He hadn’t registered what he was feeling when walking from the tower to the Hall, but he realised that even though all fires were blazing, it felt bone-cold in there.
Then suddenly the doors swung open again and in a swift stride, McGonnagall and Snape walked up to their places at the Head table, the doors swinging back closed after them. All stayed dead silent and the pause that followed was full of anticipation. Snape, dead serious as ever and McGonnagall, still looking rather grey but with her mask firmly back in place, received curious looks from everywhere in the Hall, especially from their fellow Professors. After taking a deep breath, it was McGonnagall who broke the silence. Standing slowly, bracing herself and leaning quite heavily on the table she spoke...
‘I regret to tell you, ...’ she paused, taking another breath, ‘I regret to tell you that our beloved Headmaster, Headmaster Dumbledore, has passed away earlier this evening...’ There they had it. Some gasps could be heard, but mostly it stayed silent, all awaiting the Deputies words. Swallowing hard this time, she went on. ‘Many of us knew him as a dear friend and a great Professor. Furthermore, he was a fantastic leader, both for this school and in a way even the whole country. Above all, he was a great wizard. I do not doubt he will be dearly missed, this evening, next week and all other days to come. Albus, you will not be forgotten!’
With that, she seemed to have consumed all energy she had left. If it hadn’t been for Snape, she’d have collapsed there for sure. Grabbing her by the arm, he carefully helped her sit down in her chair before taking in the students in front of him and addressing them as well.
‘I very much doubt anyone present here this night, can grasp even the slightest bit of the consequences our Headmaster’s death will most certainly have. I can’t deny that this news came very suddenly and that it is far from easy to take, yet it is no different. Even as we mourn this loss, we can’t stay put. Therefore, Headmistress McGonnagall and I have decided that no classes will be cancelled and no-one will be excused of them without a very valid reason. We must live on, if only to do Headmaster Dumbledore proud. He would not have wanted us to slouch, to lose our grip, we must face the world and move on, praising good and righting wrong, in memory of Albus Dumbledore!’ He had spoken. However, the stunned mass was indeed very much ‘stunned’ and didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Suppressing a sigh, not of disappointment but rather of regret, that this situation couldn’t be changed, he added a few words. ‘There’s nothing more we can add to this tonight and tomorrow there’re classes, so I suggest you all go back your dormitories. I would be lying if I said that in the morning it’ll look brighter nor that sleep’ll come easy, but still, dismissed.’ At that he turned from them, directing his attention to the Headmistress. She probably needed it more than anyone.
Again, there seemed to be no movement. All sat in shocked silence, not knowing what to do next. Then, Hermione fiercely shook her head, as if shaking of the confusion of a daydream. She pulled him up from his seat by his arm, muttering something about being Head Girl and Boy and staying strong for everybody’s sake. He too set aside his own emotions and together, they managed to get the students leaving for their dormitories. Neither saw the grateful smile Snape sent in their direction at their ‘initiative’, but it was there.
1:06, his clock read when he put down his glasses on his night stand. All lay in their beds and peace had once again settled over Hogwarts, but as Snape had stated, sleep was far from coming. Especially for those that'd truly known him.
---
I know, I haven't posted for ages, once again, but I felt like sharing. Any comments would be truly appreciated!
Title: Eerie
Summary: Something has happened at Hogwarts and when the news gets out, it proves quite hard to take.
AN: This is not HBP compatible and therefore AU. It's not directly ADMM, though I don't doubt you'll find it in there, I certainly felt it when I wrote this.
Rating: 11+
Eerie
The Great Hall was packed. Every single student currently attending Hogwarts, all Professors and all others temporarily receding there, were currently seated somewhere along the Head- or House tables. Whereas one would’ve expected such a crowd to cause quite some noise, the Hall was eerie quiet. One could almost hear himself breathing... It was minutes to midnight and no-one, as far as he knew, knew why they were there. It had been a weird day.
Waking up that morning nothing had seemed amiss, yet that notion had changed five minutes into his last class of the day. Moments after McGonnagall had started her lecture about long-term cross species transfiguration, an owl had disturbed the lesson. After accepting a scroll from the creature with a huff, McGonnagall unrolled it and started reading. In a matter of moments she’d turned positively grey and her usually fierce composure was faltering rapidly. Rooted to the spot, she uttered a nearly inaudible ‘class dismissed’, ushering them out of her classroom without a word of explanation.
By dinnertime, he’d found out exactly the same had happened during Ginny’s advanced Potions class, although Snape’s mask, who would expect differently, had stayed in place more firmly than McGonnagall’s. Dinner went by normally, though some started to get a little suspicious something was going on. McGonnagall and Snape were still missing. So was the Headmaster, but no-one thought anything about that, as it happened frequently that he was out taking care of something or another, mostly Ministry or Order related business.
Expecting it to be some Order related issue that’d caused both teachers to rush off, Harry paid it no further attention and went to work on his Astronomy essay after dinner. That was until the portrait hole swung open around 23:30 and many gasped in surprise. That moment he knew for sure something was seriously wrong. Stiffly stepping inside was Professor Snape, Head of Slytherin House. Harry had most certainly not expected to ever see him in their tower, yet there he was. Voice void of any emotion or other indication as to what was going on he instructed: ‘Prefects, get the students that have already excused themselves for the night, fourth through seventh year, Miss Granger, you’ll be fetching the little ones, first through third year, please do try to keep them calm. I want everyone in the Great Hall as soon as possible and there’ll be no chattering, not a word. You will be told what’s going on the moment we’ve got all students and staff together. That was all.’ With a swish of his cloak he’d turned around and was gone through the portrait hole, the Fat Lady closing up the tower with a thud, as if still a bit confused at providing entrance to a non-Gryffindor.
So here they were. He’d helped Hermione wake up the younger students, gathering them together in the commonroom, deserted now since the majority of the older students had already left for the Great Hall. Assuring the frightened children everything would be all right, they led their charges down the seven flights of stairs, reminding them to keep silent before entering the Hall. Now they all sat at their House table waiting for some announcement or another. ‘At least Snape is back,’ Harry thought, that meant there was at least one Order member to rely on should something happen. How much more wrong could he have been in his assumption this was about Voldemort or something...
It had been five minutes since the last group of Ravenclaws had arrived and now both students and staff sat waiting. The middle of the Head table was still empty, Snape, McGonnagall nor Dumbledore anywhere to be seen. On top of that, the Castle felt weird, he noticed now. He hadn’t registered what he was feeling when walking from the tower to the Hall, but he realised that even though all fires were blazing, it felt bone-cold in there.
Then suddenly the doors swung open again and in a swift stride, McGonnagall and Snape walked up to their places at the Head table, the doors swinging back closed after them. All stayed dead silent and the pause that followed was full of anticipation. Snape, dead serious as ever and McGonnagall, still looking rather grey but with her mask firmly back in place, received curious looks from everywhere in the Hall, especially from their fellow Professors. After taking a deep breath, it was McGonnagall who broke the silence. Standing slowly, bracing herself and leaning quite heavily on the table she spoke...
‘I regret to tell you, ...’ she paused, taking another breath, ‘I regret to tell you that our beloved Headmaster, Headmaster Dumbledore, has passed away earlier this evening...’ There they had it. Some gasps could be heard, but mostly it stayed silent, all awaiting the Deputies words. Swallowing hard this time, she went on. ‘Many of us knew him as a dear friend and a great Professor. Furthermore, he was a fantastic leader, both for this school and in a way even the whole country. Above all, he was a great wizard. I do not doubt he will be dearly missed, this evening, next week and all other days to come. Albus, you will not be forgotten!’
With that, she seemed to have consumed all energy she had left. If it hadn’t been for Snape, she’d have collapsed there for sure. Grabbing her by the arm, he carefully helped her sit down in her chair before taking in the students in front of him and addressing them as well.
‘I very much doubt anyone present here this night, can grasp even the slightest bit of the consequences our Headmaster’s death will most certainly have. I can’t deny that this news came very suddenly and that it is far from easy to take, yet it is no different. Even as we mourn this loss, we can’t stay put. Therefore, Headmistress McGonnagall and I have decided that no classes will be cancelled and no-one will be excused of them without a very valid reason. We must live on, if only to do Headmaster Dumbledore proud. He would not have wanted us to slouch, to lose our grip, we must face the world and move on, praising good and righting wrong, in memory of Albus Dumbledore!’ He had spoken. However, the stunned mass was indeed very much ‘stunned’ and didn’t appear to be going anywhere. Suppressing a sigh, not of disappointment but rather of regret, that this situation couldn’t be changed, he added a few words. ‘There’s nothing more we can add to this tonight and tomorrow there’re classes, so I suggest you all go back your dormitories. I would be lying if I said that in the morning it’ll look brighter nor that sleep’ll come easy, but still, dismissed.’ At that he turned from them, directing his attention to the Headmistress. She probably needed it more than anyone.
Again, there seemed to be no movement. All sat in shocked silence, not knowing what to do next. Then, Hermione fiercely shook her head, as if shaking of the confusion of a daydream. She pulled him up from his seat by his arm, muttering something about being Head Girl and Boy and staying strong for everybody’s sake. He too set aside his own emotions and together, they managed to get the students leaving for their dormitories. Neither saw the grateful smile Snape sent in their direction at their ‘initiative’, but it was there.
1:06, his clock read when he put down his glasses on his night stand. All lay in their beds and peace had once again settled over Hogwarts, but as Snape had stated, sleep was far from coming. Especially for those that'd truly known him.
---
I know, I haven't posted for ages, once again, but I felt like sharing. Any comments would be truly appreciated!
