chamberofsnogs | An enounter in the infirmary (Reply)

Something...odd...happened in the infirmary today.

I went there immedately after dinner. It seems like there's at least one student in the infirmary now at any given time. Today it was a Second-Year Hufflepuff who'd been knocked against a wall practicing hexes in Professor Carrow's class. She had a nasty bruise on her shoulder, but at least that was easily Healed. As she was leaving, she bumped into someone coming inside, and she screamed so loudly that I thought she'd seen a troll or something. But no, it was Professor Snape glaring at her.

"Um, Professor S...Headmaster. Can I help you?"

I hadn't seen him up close since that night in the spare Potions room, but he looked tired, more tense, and...I guess, angrier somehow. And he can look very menacing indeed when he chooses.

"Miss Aldrern. Keeping...busy?"

The way he said the word "busy" made me very sure that he was talking about something other than school or infirmary work. But I hadn't even had much time to visit the Chamber of Snog these past few weeks, and nor heard about what Neville was planning until--

Syrien had once told me that if there was to be a fourth Unforgivable Curse, it would be invading another peron's mind. I was so shocked to feel Professor Snape's mind pushing into mine that I immediately shoved back, and...I don't know what happened, but I saw Headmaster Dumbledore's face for a moment, looking tired and sad and stern, all at the same time--then Professor Snape's face again, with a rather odd expression on it.

"How dare you--" that was Madam Pomfrey, and I had never heard her speaking like that to anyone-- "hurt a student here?!"

"Oh no, I'm..." I hadn't realized that I was half-leaning against the wall behind me. "...not hurt."

I blinked up at Professor Snape, who had straightened and pulled something out of his pocket. He held it towards Madam Pomfrey.

"Calming Potion. I had heard that you're running short."

"However short I am, I don't need that from you," Madam Pomfrey retorted, and turned her back on him.

Professor Snape's mouth tightened, but he only set the potion on a nearby table and walked out. "Thank you," I said to his back, but I don't think he heard.

It seems like everything is so confusing now, and everything turned upside down. Madam Pomfrey can be stern sometimes, especially if a hurt student is involved, but I had never heard her deliberately say hurtful things to someone. And Professor Snape--I still can't believe he tried to read my mind, but he brought us Calming Potion even though the Extendable Ear in his office says that he always works long into the night.

What does it mean?