Chapter 9: Taking Care of Severus

After Alex took the vase to her office, she hurried down to the dungeons to find him.  She stood at the door of the Potions classroom, watching Severus bend over to look in a cabinet.  She rushed in, throwing her arms around him and squeezing him tightly.  He turned and kissed her.

“I take it you received your flowers?” he asked, with a small smile at the corner of his mouth. 

“What flowers?” she said.  “You’re just looking particularly fine this morning.”

“Yes, I’m told that early morning is my best time,” he said, shaking his head and playing along.

She leaned on the edge of the cabinet and looked up at him.  “Of course I received your flowers.  I love them, and you.  Thank you, Severus.  Are you ready for the curious looks and whispers we’ll be getting now?”

“I don’t mind.  Let the students think I’m getting soft.  I’ll bring them back to the real world.”

“What is with this scary persona?  You know your material so well, I can’t believe they aren’t spellbound by your lectures.”

“Perhaps, Miss Lennox, the students do not appreciate my abilities as much as you do.”

Alex failed to suppress a laugh.  This man is constantly testing the limits of my smart-ass-remark control, she thought.  “Well, as far as I can tell, Professor Snape, you are very talented.  Your declaration, however, reveals the need for extensive and thorough research into all aspects of you.”  She moved closer to him and they kissed. 

Severus began to speak in a more serious tone of voice.  “Alexandra, I must change the subject.  I cannot have dinner with you tonight as we had planned.  Something has come up and I have to leave soon.”

Alex immediately felt her stomach give a jolt.  “Look, I know you think you don’t need me, but I want to go with you.”

“No!” he said in the stern tone of voice he used on the students.  “You can’t come with me and I don’t want you to follow me either.”

Damn it!  I’m the pro, not you!  she thought and stood her ground.  “But you know I can be useful-”

He grabbed her by the arms and stared into her face.  “Lexy, it’s not the right time yet.  I can’t risk you now.  Do you understand?  Dumbledore wants it this way.  I want it this way and your brother agrees, for now.”

She shook him off.  “Oh, so you’ve been discussing my participation in this with Michael.  When were you planning on telling me?”  Alex could feel that she was turning red.

“Alexandra, you know your brother.  He communicates constantly with Dumbledore.  I had nothing to do with any of their plans.”  Seeing the look on her face, he softened his tone.  “Let’s just leave it like this for now.  I’ll be back tomorrow night.”

Alex calmed down and said in a soft voice, “Come see me when you return - after you’ve seen Dumbledore, of course.”

“All right.  It might be late.”

“I’ll wait,” she said, smiling faintly.  “Is there anything I can do for you now?  Do you need anything for your classes?”

“No, thank you.  I’m ready for next week.”

“Okay, I’ll see you tomorrow night sometime.”  She put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her.  She kissed him for a long time and then turned and left. 

The following night, there was a soft knock at her door at about ten minutes until midnight.  She opened the door and let him in.  Alex held him for a moment and took his cloak.  She then led him to the sofa in her sitting room.  On the table was a tray containing a glass of whiskey.

“Alexandra-” he began, but she stopped him, placing her finger over his lips. 

She sat him down and said, “Drink this and relax.  Dumbledore wouldn’t want you to talk to me about it anyway.”

As he took a sip from the glass, Alex started massaging his neck and shoulders.  He leaned back to look at her.  He looked surprised, but didn’t complain.  She bent over and gave him a small kiss, but went right back to work on his neck and shoulders.  He closed his eyes.  She knew he was grateful not to have to talk.  Soon he was asleep. 

Alex took off his shoes, stretched him out on the sofa, and covered him up with a quilt.  She curled up in a large chair next to him.  She thought she should be nearby in case he woke up disoriented during the night.  She fell asleep. 

Alexandra woke up in a large stone room.  It was dimly lit, but she could see that she was surrounded by dark hooded figures closing in on her.  They wanted to tie her down and put some sort of mask over her face.  She fought them.  One of them was carrying two very shiny objects.  She was afraid of that person, and what he was carrying, but she didn’t know why.  Then a new person entered the room, if you could call him a person.  He had a grayish face with gleaming red eyes that looked like burning slits.  He motioned to the hooded figures to stand back and he entered the circle.

“You think he is yours, but you are mistaken.  He is mistaken.  He is mine.  He always has been and he always will be.  I will take him from you and I will take the child from you as well.  Don’t forget that.  As for your godson, there’s no point in trying to help him.  He’ll be joining his parents soon.”  She was frozen to the spot as he came toward her, got closer, and said in a soft and dangerous voice,  “Don’t think for a moment that you’re safe because you look like her.”

Alex refused to back away.  She said in a defiant tone, “You can’t hurt me.  You can’t take him and you know it!”

“You’re just as foolish as your brother and his agents, meddling where they don’t belong.  Tell him he can’t stop me and when I finish here, I’ll be right in his backyard.”

“I wouldn’t count on it.” 

“Perhaps I should be rid of you and your wretched child now!” he yelled and pulled out his wand, pointing it at her.  Instinctively, Alex put one hand on her swollen belly and stuck her other hand out, pointing the bracelet she was wearing in his direction. 

Alex jerked awake.  What in the world did I have for dinner? she thought.  Okay, it was just a dream. I think I might have been pregnant, but it was just a dream.  Kind of hard to get pregnant if you don’t. . . She thought of Severus asleep on the sofa.  She looked at the clock.  I need to see Dumbledore, but it’s only 4:00 a.m.  I have to see that Severus gets to his class this morning first.  She got up and walked over to him.  “I really want it to be you,” she said aloud and bent down to kiss him on the forehead. 

She went to her chair and dozed until 6:00, when she woke him up.  “Severus, I’m sorry to wake you so early.  You fell asleep here last night and I wanted to help you leave undetected.”

He smiled up at her.  “Not very romantic was it?”

“Don’t be silly.  Since when is a massage not romantic?  Here, drink this before you sneak out.”  She handed him a cup of tea.

“So how do you propose to sneak me out?”  he asked.

“Invisibility cloak, what else?” 

Severus drank the tea quickly and put on his shoes.  She gave him a little kiss, put the cloak over him and said, “See you at breakfast.”

“Thank you, my love,” he said and left. 

“Well,” she said aloud.  “That’s a start.”

To be continued . . .