Ghost in Black

The Hogwarts halls were eerily quiet and dark after curfew. Not a single student or seen professor roaming the halls. It was oddly comforting to Harry. He thought of Hogwarts as his home. The only quiet footsteps heard were Harry’s own. And each breath was silent as he walked under his invisibility cloak. Not daring to take it off even with nobody around. He idly wondered if Professor Snape would be able to spot him even as a ghost. Even before, it came quite close. And the thought of it was unnerving to Harry. He never could quite understand how Snape was able to tell. Perhaps he could simply sense Harry even blinded. Or in this case, even translucent… a mist. It was rather odd. He was able to turn from mist to a ghostly form at any given time. And it made Harry wonder if he was able to grab and touch even as a ghost. It caused a shiver down his spine. 

Harry walked slowly to the old potions professor’s office corridors. Only to find a portrait of a large ruinous raven perched upon the whomping willow tree of Hogwarts. Not only that, but the raven’s feathers were thick and plastered of bits of holographic material. And between its beak was a flower, a lily. The lily flower glowed with radiance compared to the holographic raven. But it was just as exquisite. 

Harry was drawn to the portrait. Unable to take his eyes away. It was oddly beautifully enhanced. As though there was a deeper meaning to it. 

After a few moments of silence, Harry spoke in a hushed voice, “The half-blood prince.” 

The portrait doors rumbled for a moment before the  entrance opened up. Harry had learned his password through the pensieve memories. He thought of it as a rather odd but appealing password.Though it made sense as he remembered the ownership it held for Severus. 

A sense of belonging filled inside of him as he stepped through the doors. Coldness suddenly engulfed him as he stood inside of the corridors. He shivered and looked behind him. Curious as to why the temperature change was so drastic.. But that was obvious, was it not? 

Regardless, the  Gryffindor was unable to realize the reasoning behind it. The only thing he was focused on was finding those mysterious vials. 

Harry looked around in slight awe as he realized Severus’s corridors weren’t as… Well, were not as Severus—Slytherin-ish as he would’ve expected. Except for the temperature of course. That was expected from the bat of the dungeons. And even more now as he’s the ghost in black ward of Hogwarts. 

The walls were made of stone just as the rest of Hogwarts. Leaving an even cooler temperature of trapped air in. The area was quite spacey. There wasn’t much furniture which made the room look much larger. A plump black couch was near the left side of the room. A heavy knitted green blanket laid atop of it along with a golden pillow. One side of the couch sank in, indicating it was used over time. The sight was oddly intimate to Harry and he wasn’t sure what to think of it. Obviously the potions master would sit down on a couch.. he had been human as much as Harry was. Though everybody seemed to have gotten used to viewing Severus as only a dungeon bat, lurking, not relaxing. 

Harry tore his gaze from the couch and to the wide walnut wooden desk in front of him. Old clatters of parchment and ink pens were cluttered along it. A look of untidiness as though someone had suddenly become frantic, leaving behind everything. Perhaps it was from the war… 

Stepping closer, Harry leaned over the desk. Inspecting everything now out of simple curiosity. He walked to the other end of the table and his gaze went over to a photograph. His breath hitched, eyes widening as he peered down to it. 

His mother, Lily… and the bravest man he knew, Severus… In a field full of flowers and dandelions. Lily was in the midst of laughing with a lily flower crown atop her ginger braided hair. Severus had a small but noticeable smile as he gazed at Lily. Thin lips chipped with a noticeable scarring. It looked like it would hurt to smile wider. His raven hair is half up in a ponytail for once. His eyes held life inside of them. A life so young. Assuming by their expressions Severus had just said something snarky to Lily. Causing her to laugh. Behind them was a wide, beautiful tree. Its branches were thick and the bark had deep roots. Not peeling but textured deeply giving off a wisdom of some sort. 

Harry found his vision blurring with wet tears but he couldn’t look away from the photograph. He picked the photograph up shakily. As though it would be ripped from him at any moment. A slow smile appeared onto his face. And he had a sudden urge to laugh from the pure joy the photograph embodied. They looked so happy. So young and cherished. It must’ve been before Hogwarts. Before everything went wrong. 

On the white bottom of the photograph scratchy handwriting had written: 

Lily and Sev — 1971 of spring. 

Sev…The month before Hogwarts came for them. They were eleven in the photo. 

Harry sniffed and quickly wiped his eyes. Still staring down at the photograph. It seemed like time had stopped for him. He was in a daze of bewilderment and awe. His invisibility cloak had fallen off. And he didn’t even realize it, he was too entranced in the photograph of the two he admired most. 

A sudden coldness passed through the room that would be enough to knock him over and he snapped his head up. His teary eyes widened once more as he stared at the ghost in black in front of him. At Severus. He hovered translucent in front of him, his ghostly eyes staring into him. Into his soul as though he could see right through him like Harry could. Clenched fist relaxed as Severus saw Harry’s tear-streaked face. They stared at one another for what seemed forever. Severus wasn’t as livid as he once was at seeing Harry snooping around. Though he didn’t know the boy’s motive. He knew the boy found his precious photograph with tears in his eyes. 

After what seemed ages, Severus hovered closer to Harry. Harry’s breath hitched as he stood frozen, allowing Severus to come closer. They both seemed to feel as though in a trance. Severus was a trance of some sort. His translucent see-through self was tripping Harry out but he couldn’t find himself to look away. 

Severus hovered in front of Harry now and looked down to his hand. Breaking the silent eye contact they had held. He looked down at the photograph… His see-through eyes widened and a flicker of emotion passed through that Harry couldn’t deduce. Even after death he could still hold emotions, Harry realized. 

Without a single word, the ghost in black reached over for the photograph. His pale phantom hand hesitating to touch the photogragh. Harry looked down in surprise. And saw the ghost’s hand hesitating before it moved through the photograph. The movement caused Harry’s hand holding the photographs to become cold. He realized he felt Severus’s presence, felt the coldness of his phantom hand. It was both an absurd feeling and sight. Severus paused, staring intensely at the photograph through his ghostly hand. And realized he couldn’t hold it in his state. It brought a crack to his now non-existent heart. 

Harry stared down and felt a sense of sadness radiate off of Severus. Odd. He blinked and then looked up to the ghost in black. Only to see the ghost’s face now blurred together. Like a scratched out picture. Harry stumbled back, holding a shocked expression. Severus’s ghostly face became blurred. As though his own thoughts had now matched his blurred ghostly face. Scrambled looking of some sort. As though he wasn’t able to conjure up anything. It was frightening in a way. Not being able to see his phantom face. 

Severus lowered his hand, not knowing why Harry was suddenly frightened. For a few seconds, they stood silently once again. Harry opened his mouth to speak but before he could, the ghost in black turned to mist once more. The blurr of mist matching his blurred face. Harry felt a gust of coldness against him causing the photograph to fall to the floor. He hadn’t noticed it though. As he was too stunned to speak or even form a thought. 

The mist of coldness swirled around him causing a shiver down his spine. And then the portrait door swung open. Before Harry could process anything, he felt himself pushed by the mist of air towards the door. Only stumbling a few steps before realizing what was happening. His wide eyes looked around the mist that surrounded him. 

“Professor Snape! Wait—!”, he shouted desperately. But was cut off by his own yelp as he found himself lifted into the air. Into a bridal style by the mist of air. In an almost comforting manner but the coldness rejected that. Harry’s arms scrambled as he tried to reach onto anything. To feel stabilized. But he only grabbed onto the cold mist of the professor. The resemblance of a toddler came to the ghost in black’s mind. As he saw the boy try and grasp onto anything he could. It was silly. 

Harry found himself now being carried towards the door in a gentle manner. The mist was comforting and even ticklish from the coldness it gave off. Harry blinked and then looked down to his hands. Realizing he dropped the photograph. 

“WAIT! The—the photograph!!”, he shouted out. He frantically looked around in search of it. His arms splayed around once more. 

The cold mist suddenly turned to the ghostly figure once more. And Harry looked up to him, seeing his phantom eyes once more. Seeing his translucent self carrying him in bridal style. He would’ve been embarrassed if not for the photograph. He blinked. “The… the photograph”, he croaked. 

The ghost in black stared unevenly at Harry before holding onto him tighter and hovering to the opened portrait door. Looking up with a determined expression. The coldness of him only intensified. As if he was now mad at Harry for looking at the photograph. 

“Snape! Professor… wait—-Sev!”. Harry knew it was a low blow to call him that. But he had to get the photograph. He needed it. He didn’t have any photographs of his mother that young. 

Severus halted to a stop when Harry yelled the last bit. He snapped his eyes back down to the boy in his arms. And a familiar sneer plastered onto the ghost on black’s phantom face. Looking down at Harry in a menacing manner. The golden boy looked up to the ghost in black with wide eyes. Dried tears across his cheeks. His breathing came in heavy heaves as he looked desperate. 

“Do not ever speak that name.”, the ghost in black spoke venomously. His voice is low and short. Again, as though it hurt to speak in his form. 

Before Harry could even comprehend anything, he was dropped to the ground. He winced as he hit the cold floor with a loud thud. And he looked up to the ghost in black, only to see a menacing scowl looking down to him. He could slowly start to feel the anger radiating from the ghost. It was flowing off of him in waves. It was absurdly petrifying. Harry didn’t know what to do. He felt frozen as he stared with wide eyes like a spooked doe. 

Suddenly, the ghost in black turned to mist once more and the coldness enraptured Harry. He was being pushed harshly away. And he could feel the anger even more so with the closeness and coldness being pushed onto him. It caused several gasps of anxiety to pass through his lungs. And he shut his eyes tightly in panic. He couldn’t catch his breath, everything was frightening. Without even realizing, Harry had been pushed onut of the corridors and placed outside of the portrait doors as he heard them slam shut. He flinched. 

Harry now had his answer, the ghost in black can touch and grab onto him