thoughtformed | [text]

While these devices may be a more efficient means of communication than magic, and nowhere near as messy as firetalking has the potential to be, there are inherent flaws in their design. They are far too small, for one, and lend themselves to being easily misplaced. I suppose it will have its uses, which is more than can be said for most Muggle devices, but if not for the distinct lack of owls, I would not be so resigned to let it replace the perfectly respectable practice of letter-writing.

That said, the sheer amount of idiocy beyond the doors of that Muggle hospital is absolutely baffling. Never in my life have I heard such a ridiculous tale, which is quite a feat when one considers the many desperate lies told by Death Eaters when presented with anything resembling consequence. I have little tolerance for foolishness and will not be treated as either an invalid or an imbecile they assume is eager to believe stories that are clearly meant for children.

Writing on this fool thing is an exercise in tedium and a miserable excuse for communication, I might add. Quill and parchment would have been much quicker.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[Why why, why now, and why did he have to see this message when he can't physically resist responding to it? Like a stream of the things going through his mind, his thumbs tap slowly at the tiny keys on his mobile. He is not the most eloquent texter even when he can keep up with his thoughts.]

sirius and remus caght an owl in the forest. id like to try findng one as well but i dont know if youd want to go wirh me or not. you might think i still hate you depending on the last thing you remembrer from home, but i dont because i know the truth.

[There is a long, long pause before Harry receives a response. Possibly because Severus is carefully considering his words, more likely because typing is a painfully slow and tedious endeavor for him. Being a stickler for proper mechanics only makes it more difficult.]

Potter?

What are you on about. Has this place driven you mad?

Your spelling is atrocious. Of course, that comes as no surprise.

yeah.

im not mad, ive only been here a few days and theres some kind of curse making some people talk about stuff against their will, or maybe they put veritasrrum in the water. you probably shouldnt drink anything they give you

my spelling is fine, professor, its jst hard typing on this tiny keyboard. are you still at teh hospital?

Noted.

[Veritaserum in the water would have been his first guess, but he's not going to admit that. Can't let Harry know that he approves of this display of common sense.]

Excuses, Potter.

Just outside of it.

its not my fault! yuor still such a git omg. sorry

[Before he can send any more badly-typed text messages, he apparates to the hospital and sees the familiar figure standing in front of the building.]

I didn't mean to call you a git. Well, I did, because you are; I don't think anything can change that. But I feel bad about it, because I know you were looking out for me. [He is clearly appalled that he's saying this out loud.] What's the last thing you remember from home?

[Once Harry arrives, Snape proceeds to give him an incredibly flat look. He's been here a total of thirty minutes and he's already head enough of this insufferable truth-telling. Nothing Harry had said was particularly bothersome, but the potential for irreparable damage was there.]

How kind of you to take the time to appraise my character, Potter.

[His tone is as caustic as ever, and he folds his arms over his chest as he considers how best to answer Harry's question -- and then finds himself answering without having a chance to give it much thought at all, actually.]

The death of Albus Dumbledore.

[He narrows his eyes, examining the boy without moving from where he stands.]

Something it seems your friends here have not yet been made aware of.

Well look, I know you're not really a Death Eater--I mean you are technically maybe, I don't know how that works, but you were Dumbledore's spy, and you have been since you found out Voldemort was going to kill me and my parents. You're a git, but you're not an evil git! Is what I'm getting at.

[He looks frustrated and exasperated and when he runs a hand through his hair, it does nothing for the state of its unkempt appearance. Any attempt Snape might make to cut in is entirely ignored, and Harry rambles on.]

To be honest, I've been trying really hard not to think about you at all because if I did, I'd tell Sirius all about how you were in love with my mum and I love Sirius but I don't think he'd react well to that, if he doesn't already know. But what I do know is that you killed Dumbledore because he wanted you to, that he was dying from the curse on Marvolo Gaunt's ring, and that it would cement Voldemort's trust in you so that you could... be in his good graces and try to keep Hogwarts safe at the same time.

Edited 2013-01-14 04:59 (UTC)

[Snape's face contorts several times, almost comically, as he listens to Harry prattle on. It shifts from surprise to horror and back again before finally settling itself somewhere between the two. That is a veritable wealth of information he had never wished for Potter to have. He had made his wishes quite clear about that one bit in particular: no one could ever know, least of all Potter.]

It would seem that you're not so dim as I had come to expect.

[It's a brief, curt reply, and not at all what he feels is appropriate, but processing the raw surge of conflicting emotion that Harry has just unknowingly triggered is exceptionally difficult. Better to squash it down for the time being and keep himself as calm as he is able. If this truth curse or serum has effected him, it doesn't seem to be anywhere near as much as it's effected Harry.]

... I appreciate your efforts to keep such information to yourself. In the wrong hands, it could be detrimental, even if we are not currently under the close watch of the Dark Lord.

Your tune is quite different from the one you sang last we met. I suspect a great deal has happened between my last memories and your own.

[His brows knit as he is insulted. Despite his new respect for Snape, that lingering animosity is still buried among all the other emotions he hasn't had a proper chance to reflect upon.] Maybe if you hadn't decided from the start that you hate me, you would have realised it a long time ago.

Voldemort's dead. For good. [That, he is firm on; but then manages to hesitate even if he can't keep from saying it entirely. How many peoples days does he have to ruin by telling them that they're dead, the last he remembers of them?] ...So are you. You gave me some of your memories before you died--mostly about the Horcrux that was in me, so that I'd know what to do. And there were some of my mum...

[His tone becomes a bit thoughtful as he continues to ramble along a tangential thought, though he looks down at his feet because he knows it's childish and he hates that he's admitting it to Snape of all people.]

I've been wondering if maybe they'll come, too. Everyone I know here is dead.

[Severus skillfully ignores the barb, having now had decades of practice when it came to shutting out words and opinions he did not wish to threaten his reality. Truly, remaining so stubbornly biased for all these years should have been considered a skill.]

I am not surprised to hear of my end. I thought that might be the way of things. There are very few outcomes I can see, even now, in which I might survive. If Voldemort is dead, then all is as it should be.

[Just for that moment, his voice is lacking its usual cruel edge, soft and thoughtful as he considers the implications of Harry's words. It's true that he's long since given up any fleeting dreams of surviving this war. His position alone made that difficult. What mattered was that he lived long enough for the right people to succeed, and according to Harry, that had, indeed, been accomplished.

There is a lengthy, pregnant pause as he thinks of how best to handle such an admission.]

If everyone you know here is dead, then it stands to reason that they may very well join you here. I cannot presume to understand the way this world operates, at least not yet, but there is precedent. Still. Perhaps best not to get your hopes up, Potter.

[If they did join their son here, avoiding either one or both of them was going to be a difficult dance he would have no choice but to master.]

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