Boring Days (open)

[Keres Devyle]

Keres had decided a long time ago that being stationed at Hogwarts was no fun. Sure, it might get more interesting once the tournament started, but until then she was busy supervising a load of students. Supervising was of course her leader's word, she preferred baby-sitting.
Her eyes scanned the courtyard in irritation, why couldn't the little brats look after themselves?
This was not what she had signed up for when she had become an auror. Catching Dark wizards great, but looking after teenagers was just plain dull.

It wasn't a very cold day, but there was a hint of frost in the air. She didn't particularly like the robe she wore, but she was thankful that while wearing it the kids tended to ask less questions about her crazy muggle clothes. Keres had always found them more practical and more comfortable.
She had her wand ready, just in case. There was rarely a time that Keres was not ready for a fight.
She snorted in anger and shifted against the pillar she had been leaning against. Her short hair felt damp in the cool air, but she did not want to pull up her hood, that would look really weird. Instead she opted for continuing to gaze out at the students as they darted around, her dark eyes flashing dangerously if they came too close.

outfit

[snape]

In many ways Severus Snape still felt like a student sneaking around as he searched for a place to smoke. He was a Professor though so he didn't have to worry about it despite the fact that cigarettes as well as alcohol were banned. Since when had a ban ever stopped anyone before though? He shook his head slightly as he went out into the Entrance Courtyard. This was where he usually came to light up when he could... Otherwise he used his office or his private chambers. He never smoked in his Potions class like he had in the past. It wasn't a very cold day and he was able to handle the slight breeze with relative ease.

His dark gaze surveyed the Courtyard for a few moments before he went over to one of the many pillars located there and leaned against it. He was briefly distracted by a young woman nearby who looked to be in mostly Muggle attire, but she had a wand. She was ready to fight if need be. Probably one of the Aurors Dumbledore or the Ministry had brought in to watch over everyone while the Tournament took place. Snape therefore thought nothing more of her presence. He turned away somewhat; however, he was careful to keep her in his peripheral vision just in case. He had learned the hard way that Ministry officials like Aurors weren't too fond of him because of the Mark on his left forearm. It didn't matter if he regretted it. He couldn't remove it and he couldn't wash it off so it would always be there to taint him; to label him...

He reached into the inner pocket of his vest and brought out a cigarette, which he quickly placed in his mouth. He ignited the tip with a simple wave from his wand. He inhaled slowly and he felt his body begin to relax as he blew out smoke. The sweet rush of nicotine was doing its job.

[Keres Devyle]

She saw him coming and for a moment she did not recognize him and simply dismissed him. Then it hit her. She knew that face, in the same way that she knew most of the teachers around the school. He had taught her when he was still a new, young teacher. His face had gained a few more lines from them, but he looked basically the same.
Severus Snape.
He had taught her potions in her seventh year, she had always liked potions, though if her ambition had not been to become an Auror she probably would not have taken it at NEWT level. Nevertheless he had taught her.
Then she had left school (with an E in potion) and had become an Auror. It was there she had learned what he really was.
A Death Eater.
Her eyes darkened at the thought of the mark upon his arm and she gritted her teeth, fingers clenching tightly around her wand.
Had he been one of the people who had killed her uncle? Was he the one?
Even if he was not it did not matter to her, he was still part of the group who had killed so many people, there was no way he could justify that to her.

Keres watched as he lit a cigarette, a snarl slipping past her lips as she took the moment to glare at the older man. Then a wisp of the smoke came her way and she could taste it on her tongue as she inhaled.
Already provoked by the mere sight of the man, she hissed, spitting out at the vile taste.
She turned to him, eyes on fire, fingers tight on her wand.
"As a teacher you would think you would have the decency to smoke away from the school. Or at least away from people who might dislike the stench."
She snapped out at him, rather glad it had been a few years since school where she had silently always found the man slightly intimidating.

[snape]

Snape raised a delicate eyebrow. "I'm outside, aren't I? That's better than nothing. Besides, the breeze will carry the smell away and if it bothers you then you can always move."

He shrugged his all too thin shoulders before taking another puff. He continued to eye her, wondering why she was going off on him in such a way. Of course he knew plenty of people didn't like the fact that he smoked and Lily always harped on him about it, but he didn't recognize this woman. It made no sense to him whatsoever. Did she honestly care or was she only interested in picking a fight? Maybe it was something simple... Perhaps she was allergic to cigarette smoke. His long fingers tapped the end to rid it of ash.

"What's your problem anyway? Don't tell me you're one of those bloody Aurors who always make it a point to memorize every Death Eater there ever was. It was bad enough when I was working alongside Mad Eye Moody back in the day... I really don't want to deal with someone like that again; someone who doesn't even care what I'm like or who I am aside from the Mark I bear."

[Keres Devyle]

Keres snorted in disgust at his reply. She still disapproved, though, it was not good for the students, however much she might dislike them.
It was his next words though that set her off. She spun round, looking at him, eyes dancing with fire.
"Pot calling the kettle black much?
You have hardly given me a chance to show who I am."
She glared at him, hating the way he could get under her skin and could know everything about her after just a few words. He had done it while she was at school and she had always been grateful she had only had him for a year before she was free to pursue her dreams.
Which, being said, was what he spoke of.
"You're right, I am an Auror, but believe me I don't need to know every Death Eater's name to know about you..."
Her confidence had grown a lot since she had started dealing with people like him. She wasn't afraid of being rude or of hurting people's feelings, because their feelings didn't matter.
"Give me one good reason why I should bother to look beyond your mark? It was your choice, don't play the martyr, it doesn't suit you Professor Snape. "
She spat at him, hatred burning her every words as she thought back to her uncle, and to the grave she visited so often.

[snape]

"Oh please." Snape said with a roll of his eyes. "Don't give me that bullshit. I could feel you judging me from over here. I could hear the venom in your voice. I'm not stupid you know."

He scowled for a moment. Why should he be willing to give her a chance when she couldn't even look past the Mark on his arm? He took another puff of his cigarette, but the nicotine did little to calm him now. His nerves were already on the fray from other contributing factors (such as finding out that Shendeth was his son and telling Lucius - a Death Eater - his past and where his loyalties really were) and she was just pushing him to the edge. Severus, no matter how powerful he was, could only take so much.

He turned, facing the young woman, and his eyes burned darkly at the last comment. His words were as cold as ice when he spoke. "You do not know me."

[Keres Devyle]

She raised an eyebrow, face full of incredulity.
"You felt me judging you?" The incredulity carried through into her voice, before it turned mocking.
"What did you use? Your spidey senses?"
She might be a pureblood, but Keres's face had been strangely fascinated with muggle movies and so her childhood was littered with films ranging from 101 Dalmatians to Pan's Labyrinth.
She heard the ice in his voice and it cut through her like a knife. She didn't let it show though, Keres knew better than to reveal a weakness to the enemy.
"It's arrogant of you to assume you know me."
She knew that he could probably read her faster than anything, it didn't stop her from pushing him, from retaliating. She was not known for thinking ahead, and in this situation she didn't care. Her uncle was dead because of what this man stood for. Whatever his current alliances, it didn't stop the fact that he had the mark.

[snape]

He gave a little snort at the 'spidey sense' remark despite himself. He, being a Half-Blood, knew more about the Muggle culture. He had loved reading as a child and still did to this day; however, back when he was younger, he had picked up comics rather than novels. He mostly had to teach himself how to read since his mother was always working and his father was such a bastard. He had grown up with superheroes like Spider-Man and Superman so he knew what she referring to.

"Surprisingly yes. Do you honestly think you're the first person to judge me for my Mark? I was judged long before I ever joined the Dark Lord just because I was a Slytherin."

He shrugged his shoulders before dropping his cigarette to the ground. He had only finished half of it, but he knew it wouldn't help now so there was no point to continue puffing from it. He stepped on the butt with the toe of his shoe, making sure to properly stub out the little flame because Dumbledore would have his head if he ever caught the school on fire due to his nasty habit. He shifted somewhat and folded his arms across his chest -- a classic defensive gesture Snape had used numerous times in order to protect himself.

"Well then... We're in agreement, aren't we? I don't know you and you don't know me. Did you even read the file? I've changed."

Oh yes, he knew about the file. Knew everything it detailed because he had stood before the Wizengamot and confessed his crimes. Albus had provided him with the back-up and support he had needed while he told the court that he was no longer interested in being a Death Eater. That he had in fact been serving the Light Side for the past few months, giving out vital information at the cost of his own life. That he regretted taking the dark path. That he had foolishly believed the false promises and fulfilled wishes. That he had been young... naive... but he knew better now. He wanted nothing more than to rip off his own arm if he were able. It took some convincing; however, after a while, the courts believed him. They cleared his name. They still watched him though, hoping to catch him making a mistake because they had been tricked by so many before...

"Or did you conveniently forget everything you read after you found out I had the Mark?"

[Keres Devyle]

She rolled her eyes at his first worsts, though there was tint of amusement in her features.
"Yeah. I'm not saying that's right. But I was judged because I was in Hufflepuff, even by you sometimes..." She glanced away into the distance, smiling slightly as she remembered a fond memory. "Even you stopped after I set fire to Jane Milligan's cauldron cause she called me a slut."
She paused for moment, having an internal debate with herself, before she seemed to give up.
"You were nowhere near the worst though, far, far from it."
She looked back, focusing on his new words, listening to them with an arrogant lack of care.
He could think what he wanted about her, make what ever assumptions he liked. It didn't stop the fact that she had read it notes and that she did know what had become of him now.
But he just didn't know what it was like for her, how deep the hatred ran.
"I read the file. But I lost my uncle to Death Eater's. Can you honestly tell me that all of the free ones walking around have changed. Maybe you have, maybe. But what about the rest of them? It says they have changed too."color]

[snape]

"I'm sorry."

It was a genuine answer. He was unaware of the fact that Death Eaters had killed her Uncle. He had never really participated in very many of the raids during the First War except for a few and even then he tried not to use any of the Unforgivables. As a matter of fact, no matter what anyone else believed, Severus had never even outright murdered. Sure he had watched people die and had been unable to help them for fear of being found out as a Spy, but that wasn't the same. He was silent for a long moment. His fingers twitched. He finally glanced away from the young woman and gave a sigh.

"You're right. Not all of us have changed. A lot of them lied to get out of being sent to Azkaban. Surely you trust Dumbledore though. Does his vouch for me mean nothing?"

[Keres Devyle]

She accepted his apology with a tilt of her head, her soft brown eyes slightly sad. Her uncle had been a wonderful man, full of life and incredibly friendly. However he was not afraid to challenge what he thought was wrong, and he had thought the Death Eater's were wrong. His boldness had got him killed and had left her without her uncle.
She gave a wry smile as he questioned her trust of Dumbledore.
She held out her wand, showing it to him, before she put it away in her robe.
"It means I don't try and hex you on site. I am sorry to say his word doesn't make everything all right. But it means I can look at you without quite as much as hatred as before."
She smiled, giving a small laugh and shaking her head softly.
"You haven't tried to kill anyone lately and you have dedicated your life to teaching these brats...You're not a monster, just a fool."
She shuddered violently, eyes narrowing in disgust and she flicked her hands as though trying to get rid of something nasty.
"How do you stand them? I could barely cope when I was at school."

[snape]

Snape could only nod in response as he listened to what she had to say. Dumbledore's vouch for him meant nothing. Some people were even under the assumption that he had confunded the old man. It was just ridiculous.

"I'm just incredibly patient, I guess. Most of what I do here, the harsh and strict attitude I probably treated you with for example, is just an act. I love Hogwarts. I like most of the students. I would do anything to protect this place and the innocent people here."

He shrugged his shoulders somewhat before allowing his arms to fall to his sides, which was much more comfortable than keeping them over his chest all the time. He then dissolved into a nasty fit of coughing which had nothing to do with his smoking... (-Shifty eyes-). It passed quickly though and afterwards Severus reached into his other pocket and popped what looked like a cough drop into his mouth.

"Why are you here if you can't stand the students? I would have thought that the Ministry would have sent someone more capable; someone who didn't need to stress themselves just to cope."

[Scarlett Rosen]

She watched with a raised eyebrow as he began to cough. Well, that was another argument towards the don't smoke idea. Still, she wasn't his mother, so saying anything would just make things worse.
However she couldn't resist speaking when he had finished, a little glint in her eye.
"Finished?"
She sighed at his question. He wasn't the first to ask and she knew he would not be the last, she made it very clear she wasn't fond of the students.
Lucky you, I guess putting up with the brats means you can deal with anyone.
You should remember from school, I've always had a temper, you got me out of a fair few fights if I remember correctly. I can't deal with people, that's why I became an Auror. I am much more comfortable hating people and hexing them than I am caring or being kind.
Trust me, I would rather be anywhere else at the moment.
Kingsley stationed me here, wanted to try and improve my people skills."
She rolled her eyes and sighed dramatically.
"And anyway, we have got the people from Durmstrang here..."
She trailed off, letting him decide whether she meant their star pupil or the school's head teacher.

[snape]

"I've been sick." Snape answered shortly to her 'Finished?' comment, as if trying to prove that the cough was not from smoking. "Hm... Well I am a Death Eater. One must learn patience if one is to survive being in the same room as the Dark Lord. For somebody who doesn't like people you sure picked an odd profession. Being an Auror isn't always about hunting down the bad guy. Sometimes you have to play a protective or defensive role where the best you can do is just stand back and watch..."

He leaned back against the pillar. He had been reassured by her words in a strange sort of way to the point where he was beginning to feel comfortable again. He knew that she would not attack him because of her trust in Dumbledore unless she had a reason to and so Severus relaxed while he could. He made a mental note to avoid the woman in the future though. He raised an eyebrow at her last comment and couldn't help smirking.

"Are you talking about the students or Karkaroff?"

[Keres Devyle]

She pressed clenched her hands into fists and relaxed them again, an unfortunate habit that she couldn't help but do when she was nervous or worried about something. It was not something she liked, but she couldn't help but do it.
She looked over at him, raising an eyebrow and giving a dark grin.
"You choose. But it ain't most of the students we are worried about. It's our special guest. You know, there are always the crazies out to make out lives difficult.
Anyway, about their darling headmaster...Well, it seem a shame to let him wander free."
She looked down, chuckling darkly and shaking her head slightly. She really hated Karkaroff.