A clock chimed from some corner of the office, signaling that one o'clock had come. The sound caught one man, who had been pacing a trench in the floor, unaware. Severus had been caught up so deeply in his thoughts that he found himself startled.
'Damn it. I'm so far lost in my own head I'm jumping at the slightest sound.'
It had been two days since Albus had called him up to the Headmaster's office to share with him the file on the young girl named Alice. Two days of extreme worry and thoughts of disaster. He wanted so much to believe that this was nothing more than a falsity, that he had been only one of a few partners Regina had been with and his had been the only name she recalled when she'd birthed her daughter over a decade ago. The idea sickened him even as he thought it, but he knew it was his own fault, after all, that he'd gotten so inebriated and remembered so little of that night.
He'd tried to call up the memories many times, but all he seemed to get was that it was New Years Eve and he'd found himself in the darkest wizarding bar New York had to offer. And not dark in the terms of evil or vile, but the lighting had been so poor it was a wonder you could tell what the bartender had put before you. He'd already been three sheets to the wind by the time a young blonde had knocked into him, plastered herself. She'd smiled at him lustily and introduced herself. The rest was a blur of discarded clothes and roughness among steadily warming sheets with a bottle of amber liquid shared between the two of them.
She'd been gone the next morning, the only trace of her left behind the red lipstick that had been smudged on his face and the pillows. By the end of the day she was gone from his mind as well.
'But it seems I left something behind.'
It occurred to him at one point that, were the girl truly his child, that Regina Morgan had known all along, and had never bothered to find him and tell him. Anger rose in him at that thought, and it took him time to figure out why. He'd never wanted children to begin with, he wasn't the fatherly type and his own father certainly wasn't a good role model. It was a certainty that any child of his would have been better off without him, at least to him.
But he still had the right to know.
Seconds after the clock's chime, Severus looked over to where, behind an old ornate desk, Albus Dumbledore was busy scribbling away on a piece of parchment. His eyes moved back and forth behind his spectacles, taking in every word he read and wrote. On the edge of the desk sat a chipped, ivory comb. It was something that would have seemed out of place to anyone else, but Severus knew what it was.
The evening before, Albus had gone down to the dungeons, where he found Severus sorting through the potions storeroom. To anyone else, this would have looked normal, but Albus knew better. Severus was thinking. He went through the motions of going through everything, checking for what would spoil over the summer months, but he was far too mechanical. It gave him away.
The door was shut behind the headmaster and a quick flick of a wand ensured privacy. A few steps brought him to a section that looked to be, as of yet, untouched. Old but deft hands began to help with the sorting as he began to speak. "I've spoken with my contact in New York, and arranged for a testing late tomorrow evening. We'll keep this as quiet as possible."
Quiet would end up meaning some not so legal portkeys and misdated paperwork, among other things. It also meant being awake at an unholy hour to catch said the first of said portkeys. So here they were, waiting for the portrait of one of the previous headmasters to tell them their contact was ready to meet with them once they activated the portkey.
It had been about an hour since he'd come up to the office and soon after started pacing and thinking some more. Now that he was looking at the comb that he knew would whisk Dumbledore and himself across the ocean, he suddenly felt the need to sit. He strode to one of the armchairs in front of the Headmaster's desk and sat down, his eyes closing as he inhaled deeply.
Bright blue eyes looked up from the parchment to take in the sight of a young man whose life had made him look much older than he really was. He'd known Severus Snape since the man had first arrived at Hogwarts at the age of eleven, had seen him grow into the person he was now. Brilliant and with so much potential, it was a shame that Lord Voldemort and his followers had seen it first and pulled him into their fold.
A great regret upon the older man's shoulders that he'd not realized back then that he'd allowed the boy to be pushed away from the Light. The incident with Remus Lupin should have been a wake up call to the outright injustice inflicted upon the young Slytherin by the four Gryffindors that had labeled themselves the 'Marauders'.
Years of abuse not only from them, but an alcoholic muggle father, then the loss of perhaps the greatest bright spot in his life, had weakened Severus to the point where he took acceptance where he could find it. For a few years, Albus had thought him all but lost to the Light. He was therefore taken by surprise when Severus had come to him of his own accord to beg him to save Lily Potter and her family. His willingness to do anything to save his once friend (and still only love) as well as his ability to keep his thoughts to himself (most literally by way of occlumency) made him a valuable player on the chessboard of war.
But the old headmaster saw more in the desperate face of his once student the night they'd made their deal. He could still be saved from the dark future Voldemort would have for him.
When Lily and James had died, Albus had died a little inside too. He felt their death, though particularly significant on Lily's part, could have been prevented if he had done more. As he had gazed upon the young professor weeping in his office, he knew he had failed him. Nearly a year they had been working in secret and by then Albus knew more about Severus then most did. He alone knew what Lily had meant to the spy in Voldemort's inner circle.
And he had feared what Severus might do in his grief.
So he did the only thing he could think of for the man he had started to be rather fond of. He gave him a new purpose: to protect the last piece of Lily. And though Severus had wanted to argue, he'd agreed anyway.
And here they were, nearly a decade and a half later. And things had changed so much on the old wizards part. Whereas all those years ago he would have been able to order Severus to the Dark Lord's side to gather as much information as he could, when it had come time to do so again, he'd nearly faltered. Though he had never told him so, Albus cared for Severus far more than he had in the beginning. Fondness had grown into care, and care into affection. And so he had hesitated in sending the man he loved as a son to the side of the psychopath who had nearly ruined him in the first place.
In the corner of his eye he saw Marcus Dalton slide into his frame and knew it was nearly time to depart.
"Severus."
Dark eyes snapped open and gazed at him. Albus cocked his head towards the former headmaster's portrait, causing Severus to look over at it. Severus released a heavy sigh as he stood from the armchair and made his way to the frame. Albus rose as well from his chair and grabbed the comb from it's place on his desk, before going to stand next to Severus.
Marcus Dalton had been rather old, one hundred and eighty years to be precise, when he'd died and his portrait had appeared in the office. His hair was a shock of white, his eyes a dark forest green. While his face was more wrinkled than not, his expression was always a jovial one. Even now he gave a beaming smile to the two men before him.
"Good morning gentlemen. If you're ready, he is waiting."
Albus nodded to Dalton, who then shuffled out of his frame, and extended the comb to Severus, who took hold of the other end of it. A tap of Albus' wand and the two were whisked away.
The gallery was technically closed, but no one ever questioned Bradley Jackson as he entered. The man was a higher up and went where he pleased, when he pleased. The fact that it was nearly closing time ensured that few saw him anyway. A quick and quiet word to one of the portraits at the far end was said before a wave of his wand dimmed the lights. A minute later and no one noticed as two men appeared in a whirl next to him.
Movements were quick once they appeared; a quick look between the two older men and Jackson grabbed both their arms, apparating away. This time they appeared in a hallway, the only light coming from under a door nearly twenty feet away. Jackson made for the door, both men following.
The lock clicked as the door was opened and all three men filed in. Albus was the first to see the young girl standing in the corner; he flashed her a smile. But she didn't take notice of it, her eyes on Severus the moment he walked in.
Two sets of dark eyes locked, his breath caught, she stilled, and though neither knew it at that time, sparks were going to fly.
For anyone wondering why there are fewer details in the last part of this chapter, I did it purposely. No one is supposed to know that they are there, and next chapter will get more into it. This chapter was meant to be more of both Albus and Severus' thoughts anyway. I felt it was important for their thoughts and feelings to be known before progressing onwards. Next chapter will be posted soon, I promise.
