FicWad

Chapter 4



Why didn't I see?





The door of the classroom opened and in floated a huge tray, piled high with food and another, smaller tray, holding a couple of pitchers of pumpkin juice and some glasses.



"Dobby! You can't possibly think I could eat all of that!" gasped Professor Twigg-Jones, "That's enough for .. "



"Six hungry teenagers, with some left over for us adults, I should think," suggested Professor Dumbledore.



"Right! Midnight snack anyone?" Professor Twigg-Jones turned to the students, who promptly descended on the tray.



"I think, perhaps, I'll leave now, Headmaster," intoned Professor Snape, as he turned toward the door.



"No, Severus, wait!" Professor Twigg-Jones reached towards Snape's departing figure and grabbed his sleeve. "I've got something to give you. You too, Albus."



Snape hesitated, pulled his sleeve from her grasp and then bowed slightly, replying, "As you wish."



"Why don't you all make yourselves a plate and take it back to your common rooms with a glass of juice," Dumbledore suggested to the students, "and Dobby will collect the plates and glasses later."



"Right," Harry agreed, looking over from the food tray. "Ok, you lot, load up and we're off."



Meanwhile, Professor Twigg-Jones was rummaging through boxes and crates, scattering books and quills and personal belongings in her quest.



"Found them!" Anna exclaimed, emerging from a heavy wooden crate, clutching three large notebooks which she deposited on the desk.



"Well, see you tomorrow, Aunt Anna. I'm so glad you're to be our teacher!" Neville shifted his plate to give her a kiss on the cheek.



"It's good to see you again, too, Neville."



"Goodnight, glad to meet you." "Goodnight, Professors." "See you tomorrow." "Goodnight Headmaster, Professor Snape, Professor Twigg-Jones." The students said their goodbyes as they made their way toward the door.



"Goodnight, goodnight, see you all in the morning," returned Professor Dumbledore waving to them as they departed.



"See you tomorrow at breakfast. I promise to be on time!" Professor Twigg-Jones assured the students.



Snape nodded at them.



X # X # X



After the students filed out, Professor Twigg-Jones handed over one notebook to Professor Dumbledore and the other to Professor Snape.



"This one is for you, Albus and this one is for you, Severus. They are copies of Christopher's work on analyzing and comparing magical potions to medical drugs. It's a comprehensive cross referencing source. I also have a copy for Madam Pomfrey," Anna informed them, "which I will present to her tomorrow."



"Excellent! This solves my problem of what to have on my nightstand to read in bed! I think I'll get started on a chapter or two tonight." Dumbledore kissed Anna on the cheek and headed for the door, picking up a couple of cookies as he passed the food tray. "See you both in the morning."



"Goodnight, Albus." Anna patted his back as he walked away.



"Goodnight, Headmaster." Snape bowed.



X # X # X



"Dobby, I'm not going to unpack tonight, it's too late to start. I'll .. we'll .. tackle that job tomorrow sometime, but leave the tray. I haven't had a bite to eat yet!" Anna surveyed the tray. "It all looks so good. What's left anyway."



"You is welcome, Professor Twigg-Jones. Dobby will come back and clean up later tonight."



"Oh, just leave it 'til morning, Dobby. Don't make an extra trip all the way up here tonight."



"If that is what you is wanting, Miss. Goodnight Professor Twigg-Jones, Professor Snape." Dobby bowed out the door.



"Goodnight Dobby and thanks again!" Professor Twigg-Jones waved at the departing house elf. Snape ignored him.





X # X # X



After the door closed Professor Twigg-Jones turned to Professor Snape with a wry grin. "I'm knackered but I think we pulled it off."



"It was, quite possibly, an award winning performance, on your part," countered Snape.



"Albus certainly was right to get me up here last week and let us sort everything out, ahead of time. Otherwise, I might really have lost my temper with you!"



Rubbing his cheek, Severus frowned. "I suppose I should be grateful that you 'pulled your punch' I believe the saying goes. If that slap had been full force, I'd have landed in Flitwick's classroom."



Laughing, she advanced on him. "I am sorry about that, but I had just enough residual anger that had to be vented and it helped to make it more convincing, don't you think? Besides, you couldn't deny me one little slap after all those years of hating you?" She patted his cheek. "Those kids are dedicated enough to Dumbledore that what they saw tonight will only re-enforce the idea that I don't quite trust you and you don't quite know what to think of me. Correct?"



"Assuredly. The members of Slytherin House will be made well aware of my 'true feelings' about you at every opportunity," added Snape, nodding in agreement.



"Well, 'consummate bitch' was a start,' Anna conceded. "I propose 'aggravating cow' as a good nick name, too, don't you think?" she offered, with a curtsey.



"And any other descriptively malicious adjective that comes to mind." Snape gave her a slight bow.



Professor Twigg-Jones laughed and then headed for the food tray. Picking up a small plate she started to make her selections.



"Join me for a midnight snack, Severus? That's not a question, really, it's a suggestion. Stay a while, won't you, so we can chat."



Snape, who was flipping through the notebook Professor Twigg-Jones had given him, looked up.



"Certainly....Your husband was a remarkable man, Anastasia. I was sorry to hear of his death. Are you aware that he sent me an owl, telling me of his illness and thanking me for my help with his research?"



"No, I had no idea, but it sounds just like something Christopher would do; tying up loose ends, saying thank you and good-bye. We spent most of his final months furiously finishing all of the little projects he had started. When he became too weak to do the work himself, he still sat and directed us, so we would be finished before he died."



"Us?" Snape looked puzzled.



"Remus Lupin had been working for us for about five years, except the year he was teaching here at Hogwarts. He's been invaluable since Christopher's death; continuing the data gathering and cross filing," Anna explained and then added with a chuckle, "He took to computers like a duck to water."



"Computers .. remarkable," Snape replied in his usual condescending tone.



"Pull those claws in, pussycat."



"What?"



"Never you mind. Anyway, he's house sitting for me, as we speak. Oh, guess what!" Anna continued, excitedly, "Christopher developed a way to reduce the Wolfsbane potion down into pill form, so now Remus just takes one pill a day and two on the five days around the full moon. It's working fantastically well. His transformations aren't nearly as painful and he looks more like a skinny German shepherd than a werewolf. Pads around the house and says he's fully aware of everything, just wishes he could talk. He says he may try text messaging to communicate. That could prove to be helpful. But he'll need a bigger keyboard, I suppose, what with his paws."



"Pardon me .. Text message?"



"Computer jargon."



"Oh, more Muggle influences," sniffed Snape.



"Don't knock it if you've never tried it, Severus. Which reminds me, would you care to go for a ride on my bike?" she offered, batting her eyelashes at him, trying to look innocent and failing miserably.



"That Muggle contraption you arrived on?"



"That's the one. It's exhilarating! Like racing at ground level on a noisy broomstick!" Anna used her fork to pantomime a broomstick swooping around.



"Surely not?"



"Honestly! When do you want to go?" she inquired, looking up at him from her seat on the edge of the teacher's desk.



"Never."



"Never say never, Severus."



"Very well, I will not ride on that machine."



"Oh, yes you will."



"No! And that's final."



"Don't bet the farm!"



Snape shook his head. "Pointless argument."



"Fine. Where were we, ummm, oh yes, Christopher sending you an owl."



"Indeed. I imagine it was a bit of a shock to realize he had met me when he returned from the apothecary shop in Diagon Alley. That was over five years ago. You never told him about what happened between us. I've always wondered why you didn't, considering how much you hated me."



Snape put down the notebook and faced her, crossing his arms, waiting for her answer.



Forkful of salad halfway to her mouth Anna Twigg-Jones stopped, with a puzzled, thoughtful look on her face.



"I don't know. I think some basic instinct stopped me from blurting out anything about you and me. Something wasn't quite kosher with his description of you. Then it hit me. He'd said you were the Potions Master at Hogwarts, which meant Dumbledore was aware of something about you that I was not.



"So, I simply told him, yes, I had known you at school, same year, different houses and I did recall you had always been gifted in potions. I decided to not say a word all the time he was corresponding with you about potions and double checking ingredients and whatever. His work was more important then my 'problem' with you.



"Christopher always wanted to take a trip up here but I told him that with all of the anti-Muggle enchantments and protective spells he wouldn't be able to see it. Then again, he was always so busy with his research." Sighing, she picked at her plate and then set it down on the desk.



"Do you miss him terribly?" Snape asked quietly.



"I did at first. Even though we had discussed his impending death; what I should do, what I would be feeling while going through the grieving process. It turned out to be the loneliness, not the sadness, which affected me. Even with all of our friends rallying around and Remus working in the office, I had a hard time for the first six months or so.



"I was restless, fidgety, just couldn't settle my mind on anything for long. That's when I got Christopher's bike out and started riding. It helped clear my brain of all of the loneliness and depression. I could function again. Then, working in secret with the Healers at St. Mungo's on Alice and Frank's therapy took up most of the next few months.



"Before I knew it, a year had passed. Remus told me about the Order starting into operation again. I began thinking about going back to work as an Auror. I contacted Albus to ask his opinion. He seemed to think it would serve the cause better if I came here to teach. I resisted, not because of you, but I really wanted another crack at Voldemort ...and Bellatrix ...and Lucius.



"Albus convinced me though and I agreed to come here and settle things with you and take the teaching post and now...here we stand."



She had been unconsciously pacing around the classroom, watched silently by Severus, who hadn't moved or taken his eyes off of her.



"Christopher was right." Anna turned and smiled at Snape. "His favorite expression was 'what goes around, comes around' and here we stand, both of us back at Hogwarts, you teaching potions, I'm set to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.



"The strange thing is, Severus, /it feels right/. Like it's all part of a big puzzle and the pieces are fitting together perfectly. I really sense that I'm supposed to be here, now, and I'm comfortable with that, with Hogwarts and even," she took a step toward him and placed her hand on his lapel, "with you, old friend. It's like I'm home."



Putting his hands on her shoulders, Snape drew her one step closer.



"This is where you belong, Anastasia."



Suddenly, deep in her soul, she realized that he meant more. That piece of the puzzle dropped into place, too. It couldn't be...but, looking at him, Anna knew it was true. Slowly she slid her hands around his waist and took the final step toward him.



"Do you mean Hogwarts, Severus, or in your arms?" she inquired softly.



He took her face gently in his hands and whispered back, "Yes."



Drawing her into a kiss, he put his arms around her and held her as if he'd never let go of her. When the kiss finally ended, she looked up at him with tears in her eyes.



"Don't cry, you silly, absurd woman."



"Men," she rolled her eyes, "never can tell why women cry. I finally understand, everything makes sense, /it all fits/. I'm happy, you dolt!"



"Do you have any idea how long I've waited to kiss you?" Severus asked. She shook her head no. "Since our sorting ceremony."



"Severus! We were only eleven."



"Yes, but I fell in love with you the instant our eyes met, all those years ago. That was, until you crossed them and then winked at me. I realized I'd fallen in love with a lunatic."



"I was just trying to make you laugh or at least smile .. Why didn't I see?"



"I wouldn't let you."



"Why didn't you ever say anything? We became such good friends, despite James and Sirius giving us both a ton of grief about it."



"I realized, early on, that you were in love with Black. I was content with your friendship; it meant everything to me. "



"Oh, Lord. I was like a kid sister to Sirius, as I was to James. That was a relationship that could never have happened. Nobody could love Sirius as much as Sirius. I gave up on him in fifth year," she explained, shaking her head.



"I was a/ fool/."



"No, Severus, just think back. You were getting deeper into the Dark Arts and I was heading for Auror schooling. We'd have had a horrible romantic relationship...big fights...the BIG breakup scene...typical tragic teenage melodrama. As it was, we just slowly drifted apart by the end of our years here. Fate put us on our proper paths and now those paths have crossed again, here, now. We can't change the past, so let's just be glad we found each other at this moment in our lives."



Snape kissed her again and then held her in a tight embrace. Whispering in her ear, he acknowledged the stark reality of their lives.



"You DO understand how truly dangerous this is? For both of us?"



She nodded, pulled back and gazed up at him.



"I know, but tonight...all of that doesn't matter. It can't touch us. This is our one chance for a bit of happiness that may have to last us for a very long time. Nothing else matters, Severus, /nothing/."



She reached up and pushed a strand of his hair off of his face.



"I realize, now, that I've always loved you, Severus. I've been the fool. I'm sorry if I hurt you."



"I should be the one to apologize .. for many things."



"Let's just forget all of that and focus on now. Truce?" She cocked her head and smiled up at him.



"Truce .. I love you Anastasia," Snape whispered, touching his forehead to hers.



"Ditto," she answered.



He straightened up, puzzled.



Seeing the look on his face, she shook her head.



"Forget it. I'll explain later. Just kiss me again...and again...and again."