Frozen

Chapter 9 – Meeting

When the Christmas break ended, Julia could sense a palpable tension in the faces of all the seventh years. Julia knew that look and did not question Severus when he informed her that their Occlumency lessons would be put on hold. N.E.W.T. exams were fast approaching and nearly every student was desperate to do well. After all, the grades received on the exam were the deciding factors in their future careers. Julia was forced to remember the panic she had before the SATs, and the anticipation afterwards for her scores. While she understood Severus' seclusion, it did not prevent her from missing his company.

Julia was not in the least bit concerned about the exams. Considering she had only started using magic a few months before, there was no chance of her passing her exams. At home, that would have sent Julia into a frenzy of studying and cramming, but here, she was completely calm. It didn't bother her that she wasn't going to do well. For the first time, she had not been labeled "the smart one". It was a weight off her shoulders, and she was enjoying it too much to fall back into the pattern of her old life.

She spent most of her time in the library, pouring over spell books. Rather than studying for exams, though, she was searching for spells that would come in handy in the future. Household spells were easy and useful. They would save hours of cleaning and cooking for Julia, which were two tasks she despised. She also looked for warding spells that she could use to protect herself when she was on her own.

The idea of final exams had sent a sense of panic through Julia. The future was completely and ominously blank, and it terrified her. She had no idea where she would go after Hogwarts. She needed to talk to Dumbledore, and she had sent him a note a few days after the holiday ended. He had yet to get back to her, which made Julia fret even more. The longer she had to dwell on the future, the more nervous and panicked she became.

For the time being, her changing the far away future was put on hold. She had to figure out the immediate future before she could commit her time to figuring out how she was going to keep Sirius and Severus alive, and she was going to save both of them. She was quite adamant about that. No matter how much she loved Severus, Sirius deserved a chance at life as much as Severus. While she had finally decided to save them both, how she was going to do it was a total mystery to Julia. Her knowledge of defensive magic was mediocre at best, and then there was the problem of timing. She had to be at the right place at the right time, and she knew that was going to be easier said than done.

Julia was sitting at a table in the library, flipping through the pages of an advanced defensive magic book. Her eyes drooped and she stifled a yawn. Julia paid them no mind considering she was still only getting about four hours of sleep a night. She shook her head and forced herself to concentrate on the book.

"Advanced Defense?" came a silky voice beside her. Julia squeaked and jumped in the chair. She turned her head to the right and saw Severus leaning over her shoulder to look at the book. He had an eyebrow raised in speculation.

"Damn it, Severus. I swear that you scare me on purpose," she muttered, snapping the book closed. Severus pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Why aren't you studying?"

"It's nearly midnight, Julia," Severus said. "I was just doing my rounds," he said off handedly.

Julia furrowed her brow. As a prefect, Severus had to do rounds every night to make sure no students were out pass curfew. However, Julia knew that his areas of the castle were the dungeons and the first floor. He never did the upper floors. She did not question him, though. She knew it would make him uncomfortable to talk about it.

Instead she focused on the lateness of the hour. She hadn't realized it had become so late. She had not noticed the empty library or the darkness of the night sky. She wondered why Madam Pince hadn't forced her out of the library, but Julia assumed that since her table was in the very back of the library, Pince hadn't thought to check the back tables; they were rarely used because they were so far from useful books. Most of the books around Julia were ones on ancient history or divination. Not many students were interested in either subject.

Julia started packing her things up. Severus watched her pensively. He often had that look on his face when he was around her. She wondered what it meant, and she longed to know what he was thinking. When she had finished and stood up to leave, Severus finally spoke.

"Why were you reading Advanced Defense?" he asked, walking along side her.

Julia shrugged her shoulder. "Defensive magic fascinates me," she said nonchalantly. "Why were you patrolling the library when it's not your area?" she countered, lifting her eyebrows as she looked at him.

Severus looked straight ahead. "You never came to your room, and Dumbledore wanted me to give this to you." He held out a folded piece of parchment. Julia took it from him and opened it. It just said that she could meet with him on Monday at 7:00.

Julia looked up at Severus. "Thanks," she said.

He nodded. "What's going on?" he asked, indicating the note.

"I just need to talk to him about something. It's nothing." She shrugged.

They walked along in silence until they reached their rooms. Severus looked at her as if he wanted to say something, but he shook his head and went into his rooms. Julia stared at his closed door curiously for a moment before shaking her head, and entering her rooms.

The room was warm from the roaring fire. She smiled and sat down in the armchair to warm her hands by the fire. She hadn't realized she was cold until the heat had started to warm her. Even though she wouldn't trade being so close to Severus for anything, she did not care for the cold and damp air of the dungeons.

The note from Dumbledore had calmed Julia considerably. It felt like a heavy weight had been lifted from her chest. The fatigue she had fought off for so long was quickly taking the place of her nerves. She curled up on the armchair, too tired to walk to her bed. Turning her face into the fabric, she unconsciously took a deep breath. A wonderful scent assailed her nose, and she drifted off into an exhausted sleep.

Sirius found her in the library the next day during their free period. She wasn't surprised to see the gaunt lines on his face caused by the strain of exams. However, he seemed to be fairing better than others. The lines were barely noticeable and he had his usual easy going smile on his face. He sat down next to her and looked at what she was doing. Fortunately, she was actually writing an essay for Professor Kettleburn, and was able to avoid any questioning about her curious taste in reading.

"What's up, Sirius?" Julia asked, setting down her quill. She leaned back to stretch her stiff back.

"There's a Hogsmeade trip in two weeks," he said, lounging back and linking his hands behind his head. "Would you like to go with me?"

"Two weeks..." she thought, her eyebrows coming together in thought. "Two weeks from Saturday is Valentine's Day," she stated.

Sirius nodded. Julia sighed. "I'd like to Sirius, but first of all, I think that you and I going to Hogsmeade together on Valentine's Day might give off the wrong impression. Second of all, I hate Valentine's Day. It should be called Single's Awareness Day. Why should one day of the entire year determine how much someone loves you? It's stupid, unimaginative, consumerist-oriented, and an entirely arbitrary, manipulative, and shallow interpretation of romance holiday." She spoke very fast, as was her habit whenever she started ranting. She smiled abashedly at Sirius when she had finished.

He gazed at her in surprise for a moment, and then, started laughing hysterically. "I can see you really love Valentine's Day," he said, grinning.

"Oh, yes," Julia said, rolling her eyes. "I just love it."

"Being the case, I suppose that you wouldn't go to Hogsmeade with me if I were the last wizard at Hogwarts?"

"No," Julia said seriously. "Probably not."

Sirius' eyes sparkled with amusement. "Alright, then. Maybe next time," he said, and stood up. He was gone for less than ten seconds when someone else slid into the seat beside her. She didn't need to look up to know it was Severus.

"You know, if I didn't know you, I would say you were stalking me," she said, biting the end of her quill as she flipped through the pages of her book. "So, you heard?"

"Of course, and I am not stalking you. I just seem to be in the right place at the right time," he said smoothly. "Do you really hate Valentine's Day that much?"

Julia finally looked at him. "Yes, " she said. "It's by far the most ridiculous holiday there is. Do you actually enjoy it?"

"Merlin's beard, no," Severus said exasperatedly. "I cannot stand the holiday. I've just never met a girl who doesn't like it."

"Well, now you can't say that," Julia said, returning to her books. Severus stayed next to her. She could feel his eyes on her, and it was extremely distracting. She glanced over at him. "Is there something else, Severus?"

He shook his head. "No, I still don't understand you is all."

"Good. I'd be boring if you knew and understood everything about me." Julia smiled at him, and he looked confused. He always seemed to be confused whenever she was cheerful. Julia knew he didn't understand how she could be so happy even though she had explained it all when they were in Hogsmeade. She supposed his curiosity was what kept him around, and she was not complaining.

The weekend passed without incident. She spent most of it alone, considering everyone was studying. She was starting to grow lonely, and missed Severus' company horribly. She was glad when classes resumed. She may not have spent much time with him during classes, but at least she could see him. It was a normal response for her pulse to spike when she saw him, and no matter how many times she saw him, the reaction was still as violent as the first time.

Julia had not forgotten her meeting with Dumbledore and was eager as well as nervous to speak to him. Eager to relieve the stress she was feeling, and nervous to figure out what the immediate future might hold for her. At five to seven o'clock, Julia knocked on the Headmaster's door. It opened of its own accord, reminding Julia irresistibly of the day she had come to Hogwarts. She had not thought about her old life much lately. It hurt her too much to dwell on it.

Dumbledore was at his desk writing on a sheet of parchment. Julia took a seat in the chair opposite his desk and waited for Dumbledore to finish writing. When he had finished, he looked at her with those twinkling blue eyes. Julia was again struck with how incredibly her situation was. She was sitting across from the most powerful wizard of the age and one of the most beloved characters in literature.

"It's nice to see you, Miss Sellick. I trust that you have adjusted well to your new life."

Julia smiled genuinely. "Better than I could have expected, sir."

"I'm glad to hear it, Miss Sellick. However, I doubt the reason you asked to speak with me was because you simply wished to chat. What is on your mind, my dear?"

Julia shifted nervously. "I've been thinking about the future, sir. The immediate future, I mean. I don't know what I'm supposed to do after Hogwarts. Obviously, I cannot get a magical job considering I'll have had about nine months of magical training. I can work in the Muggle world, of course, but I would really like to advance my magical education. I can do that on my own, but..." She was rambling, and she only rambled when she was nervous. Dumbledore was smiling at her indulgently.

"My dear, do you honestly believe I would send you out without any preparations? I'll make arrangements for you. I will find you a job and a home, so you need not worry. You have a few more months to relax. As far as furthering your education, you have plenty of time to do that."

Julia smiled bitterly. "Yes, I know. I try not to dwell on that," she said.

"It's a good take on life, Miss Sellick. I hope you can impart some of that perspective on Mr. Snape, as well," he said with a knowing smile, his eyes twinkling.

Julia blinked in surprise. "How did you... On second thought, I'd rather not know. Severus is his own person, Professor, and I'm not trying to change him. Goodnight, sir." She stood up and left the office. Dumbledore's last comment had given her something to think about.

Could it be possible that her association with him had changed Severus? He had become a bit more civil towards her, even bordering on nice. She wondered if she had something to do with it, or if it was just Severus warming up to her. Either way, she was involved. Severus seemed to be a different person around her in that he always relaxed his stiff facade and treated her almost like a friend. He had even shared a little of his past with her, which Julia was sure was a sign of trust. Julia hoped this was true. She needed Severus' trust to accomplish what she was trying to do. She knew it was going to be a long, hard path, but she was willing to brave the rough road if it meant Severus would survive the war and be free.

Author's Note: Only a couple more chapters at Hogwarts. I'm not sure when I can update again, so I hope this will hold you over for a little bit. Thanks for the wonderful reviews. Keep up the good work. Thanks for reading.