Chapter 11: Your Precious Godson

As Alex approached the wrought-iron gates of Hogwarts, she had the feeling that she was being followed again.  She quickened her pace and ducked beside the gate, her wand in her right hand.  Alex grabbed the cloaked figure, hitting him with a Balance-Disruption Charm.  He was fairly tall, but she caught him off guard, bringing him down and pulling his arm behind his back. 

“You had better have a damned good reason for following me,” she said, pointing her wand at the man’s temple.

“Alexandra, it’s me”

“Severus, what the hell were you thinking?”  She helped him up and he shook her off. 

“I certainly didn’t expect this,” he said, dusting himself off.  “I’m sorry, Alexandra.  I was worried about you.  I wanted to be certain you were all right.”

“I’m sorry, Sev.  Did I hurt you?”

“No.  Only my ego was bruised.”

“Come on,” she said.  “Let’s get back to the castle before I freeze to death.”  They started walking toward the castle.  Severus lit his wand so they could see a bit better.  Suddenly, he stopped walking.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“You  . . . I suppose it’s memories, or perhaps the way you look in wand light,” he said.  They walked on and he continued shaking his head, “I marvel at the notion that I’m willing to make such a fool of myself for your sake.”

Alex smiled and said nothing.  They walked up the stone steps arm in arm and he opened the door to let her in.  At that moment their private time was shattered as they ran right into Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Entrance Hall. 

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“Potter! Weasley! Granger!  What in the blazes are you doing out of your common room?  You are out of bounds.  Fifty points each from Gryffindor!” Snape shouted.

“But Professor Snape,” began Hermione, “Miss Lennox told us that we could wait for her-“

He came at Harry and said in a soft, but unmistakably angry voice, “So, Potter, you think you can do whatever you want because she’s here?  Guess again.  I don’t care who you little liars manipulated into giving you permission.  You know the rules.  No one is to be outside of their common room after the library closes.  If I hear one more word, you will be serving the worst detentions of your miserable careers as students at this school.”

Harry noticed that Alex had been very quiet.  She spoke up in a soft, yet firm tone.  “Professor Snape, I apologize if I’ve caused a problem, but I did give them express permission to wait for me inside the castle.  I didn’t specify that they should wait in Gryffindor Tower.”

“Miss Lennox, I do not wish to be rude, but PLEASE STAY OUT OF THIS!”

“Excuse me?” said Alex, her eyes flashing at Professor Snape. 

“This is outside the scope of your duties here.  You know nothing about the history of your delinquent godson, his stupid lackey, and their know-it-all friend.”  He turned back to look at them, but addressed Alex.  “I take it that if you told them to wait for you inside the castle, they must have been outside the castle when you saw them.  Is that the case?”

“I’m sorry, but answering questions about the whereabouts of students is outside the scope of my duties.”  She took a step toward Snape, as if daring him to say another word.  Harry thought Professor Snape was going to explode.  His face was quite red.  She’s got a lot of nerve talking to him like that.

Professor Snape seemed to back down, but turned to Harry and said, “I shall be discussing your conduct with Professor McGonagall in the morning.  I suggest that you three get yourselves to your common room.  You might actually consider studying Potions tonight because believe me, I will be looking for a reason, any reason, to give you lengthy and unpleasant detentions tomorrow.  Now get out of here before I take another fifty points away.”

With that the three friends went to their common room without a word.

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“Severus, we really need to talk.  Come with me, please.”

“All right,” he said a little peevishly. 

They walked up the marble staircase and went down a hallway, into an empty classroom.  Alex lit the torches and then rounded on him.  “Was that really necessary?”

“You don’t understand, Alexandra.  Year after year I have told that boy that he must obey the rules if he wishes to remain at this school, but he will not listen.  It’s for his own good.  It isn’t safe for him to be out.”

“There.  Listen to yourself.  Why couldn’t you have said it was a matter of safety instead of slapping them with a lot of rules?”

“No amount of coddling would make a damned bit of difference.  They have to learn to obey the rules without question.”

“Severus, this isn’t the military.  It’s a school.  I told you I gave them permission to wait for me.  I wasn’t lying to cover for him.”

“Then you should not have done so.  It is not your place to bend the rules to suit Potter and his friends.”

“You can be such a complete ass.  When are you going to get the broomstick out of your backside?” exclaimed Alex.

“Oh, I see.  Insults aren’t allowed when they’re directed at your precious godson, but you feel free to hurl them at me whenever you please.”

“Don’t be a whiny baby.  I’m agreeing with you.  Their safety is important, but why can’t you say it in those terms instead of treating them like they’re worthless?  Can’t you give them credit for being skilled and resourceful?  They are no different than we were when we were children.”

“You’re wrong.  They are in much more danger than we were.  As far as I’m concerned, they have received far more credit than they deserve, especially Potter.  All that freedom, all that support, and nothing but ingratitude from that arrogant child.  He’s worse than his father and he may be headed for the same fate.”

“So, all that crap you fed me about Harry being brave and suffering a terrible ordeal was just a line.  It sounds to me like your attitude hasn’t changed a bit.  What was it all about?  Did you say it because you wanted to get yourself laid?”  Not that you actually made an effort-

“Alexandra,” his booming voice echoed in the classroom.  “There are times when you can be astonishingly crude!”

That’s the broomstick talking again, she thought.  “Forgive me, Professor Snape, for offending your delicate sense of decorum, but you have not answered my question.  Did you merely claim to be seeking a better understanding of my godson in order to obtain an invitation into my bedchamber?”

“Woman, you should know that I have thought of little else since I saw you in Dumbledore’s office the day you arrived.  I wouldn’t presume, however, to try to gain admittance into your bedroom until I was certain that our relationship had a future.”

Alexandra felt her eyes widen.  “What does that mean?” she asked.

He was silent for a moment and then turned away from her.  He crossed his arms and took a deep breath.  Looking down at the floor, he said in a very quiet voice, “It means that the circumstances of your old friend are about to change and I have my doubts about us once he is free.”

“You mean Sirius?”

“Who else?”  

I don’t just think you’re an ass, you are an ass, she thought.  “I see.  You actually believe that I’ve been slumming it with you and that I’m going to dump you the minute he’s free?  Just what kind of person do you think I am?” she asked in a very angry tone of voice.

“It’s not a reflection on you, Alexandra,” he said in a very quiet voice.  “It’s a reflection on me.” 

That statement hit Alexandra very hard.  Oh, Baby, must you be so insecure?  Alex grabbed him by the arm, turned him back to face her, and said in a somewhat softer voice,  “You mean it’s a reflection on you because you’re a total loon, right?”  She led him to a desk and sat him down.  Looking down at him, she began in a mock lecturing tone, “Allow me to correct any false impressions you may have.  Listen carefully.  I do not now, nor have I ever, loved Sirius Black.  We were friends through James and Lily; end of story.  Besides, after what he tried to do to you, well, really, Severus . . .” She looked at him and shook her head.  Then, she took out her wand and wrote in the air in gold letters:

I love you, Severus Snape! 

I want you and you alone!

Severus stood up, suddenly looking very smitten.  She was glad to see that he wasn’t threatened by her declaration.  He grabbed hold of her and held her close.  Alex looked up at him and said, “What’s more I want you to be as good and kind and noble as I know you can be.”

“I fear I will constantly disappoint you, Lexy.  I haven’t your capacity for understanding.”  Then he took her face in his hands and said, “But let me ask you this, my love, who do you think I’m doing all of this for?  Who are we all doing this for?”

Alex knew at once that he meant Harry, even if logically there were other reasons.  She took each of his hands from her face and kissed them in turn.  Then, she clutched his hands in hers.  She could feel her eyes start to tear up.  “I think we’re doing it because it’s the right thing to do.  I think we both want to save an innocent man.”

“Yes, but what is the good of saving Black if Potter gets himself killed in the meantime by being foolish?  He almost got killed last term, Alexandra.  There may be a time when he has to fight.  I fear it will come to that in the end.  We can’t let him take too may risks unnecessarily.”

“Then, darling, tell him that.  You’re the teacher.  Teach him to be wise.  Teach him to be careful.  Teach him to trust you.”  Alex looked into his eyes and they kissed very passionately.  They held each other for a long time without speaking.  Tears rolled down her cheeks.  He pulled away and looked at her.

“You ask a lot of me, Alexandra.”

“Only because you’re worth so much to me, Severus.”  Then she drew him back to her again and said in a very low voice, “Severus, when this is done and the time is right, I promise that you will have no further doubts about my love for you.”  See, that wasn’t a bit crude!

“I look forward to that time,” he said, his dark eyes flashing at her.  He looked away quickly and said, “I had better get you to your room.  It’s late and tomorrow will be trying for us all.”

They walked back to her rooms arm in arm.  She put her arm around him and said,  “You know, Severus, you’re cute when you’re being difficult.”

“And you, my dear Miss Lennox, are just plain difficult.” 

They were outside her door when she looked up at him and said, “But you love me anyway?”

“Absolutely.  Good night, Alexandra.”

“Good night.” 

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While Alex and Severus were discussing Harry and his friends, Harry and his friends were discussing them. 

“Did you see the look she gave him?  I’d like to have been under the Invisibility Cloak listening to that row,” said Ron in a gleeful tone.  “I wonder if she broke his nose?”

“Ron!” said Hermione in a reproachful tone, “Don’t you think you’re just a bit too happy for someone who just lost Gryffindor fifty points?” 

“Please, Hermione, don’t spoil the mental image I have of Alex beating up Snape,” Ron said to Hermione.  Then turning to Harry, he said, “I tell you, Harry, I may change my mind about the two of them being together if she helps us out like that again.”

“I’m not sure she wasn’t just as mad at us herself,” said Harry. 

“That’s only ‘cause she doesn’t know us well enough to know that we can take care of ourselves,” said Ron.  They sat in silence for a moment. 

“Something’s going on,” said Harry.  “She said she was meeting a friend in Hogsmeade and then Snape came back with her.”

“Harry, she has to be doing some sort of work for her agency.  Do you think Professor Snape is involved?” asked Hermione.

“Dunno.” said Harry.  “I know he did something for Dumbledore at the end of last term and he’s disappeared at least once since this term started.  Besides, what does her agency have to do with fighting Voldemort?”

“Harry, I’m sure they have an interest in seeing that he doesn’t take over too.  Just think what a nightmare it would be if he went to the Unites States.  It’s such a big country.  How would they ever find him?”  They sat in silence once again and Hermione continued,  “Whatever it is, Alex can handle it, Harry.  The Keepers of the Light are a very elite group of wizards and witches in the U.S.”

“We know, Hermione.  You’ve read about them in some book or another,” said Ron, rolling his eyes.  Then, with a wistful look on his face, he continued, “I wish my godmother was an Auror.  All my godmother can do is knit socks.  Mind you, the old dear is getting on in years.  She certainly doesn’t look anything like Alex either.”

“I’m going to bed,” said Hermione, looking at Ron.  “Maybe I’ll sleep a few years and see you when you’ve grown up.”

The next morning they checked the giant hourglass that recorded the house points.  They noticed that Gryffindor’s total had only been reduced by fifteen points.  They had only lost five points each, instead of fifty.

“I’ve always said this romance is the best thing that ever happened,” said Ron.  Harry and Hermione just rolled their eyes.

To be continued.