Chapter 10

Laying sleeplessly in bed, she let her mind wander. He was back at Hogwarts, his home away from home, and she couldn't help but be jealous of all of the people who would now see him on a daily basis. Her heart longed to see him again, to get lost in the depths of his obsidian eyes and to feel his sinewy fingers lace around her own, and yet she was still in Cokeworth. A tapping on her window jolted her from her thoughts. Walking across the room in two strides, she opened the window and let the owl in. The owl was a deep grey in color with golden eyes. Around his foot was a rolled piece of parchment that she immediately took off and opened. Reading his letter, she smiled at his sarcasm and his humor that most people considered rude. Shaking her head, she looked up at the owl that was still sitting on her windowsill and pulled a piece of parchment out of her old school bag. Grabbing her quill, she grabbed the book she was currently reading to bare down on and began scribbling back a response.

Severus,

Now you know that Potter doesn't purposely find his way into trouble...it's as if he's a magnet and he can't help but be drawn to it. In saying this, I hope that nothing horrid comes from this tournament.

Speaking of the tournament, what does it entail? It sounds entertaining, if only I could compete. I've recently bought a book about wandless magic, it's quite interesting. Maybe I'll have mastered it by the time I see you again. When will I see you again?

Like you mentioned, November isn't too far off. Honestly, it's only two months and nineteen days until I turn seventeen, so I mean, I'm practically there.

Anyway, I hope you're settling in well.

Meredith

Attaching the letter to the owls foot, she shooed it out the window to make its journey back to its owner.

Laying back down in the bed, she drifted off into a restless sleep, dreaming vaguely of Severus and of her father, both apologizing for their past.

The following morning, he stared sourly at his toast and tea, hearing all of the hubbub that was floating about the Goblet of Fire. Students putting their names in, students wishing they were old enough, students craving fame and glory...it was all hogwash. The screeching of the owls bringing the post brought him from his reverie, almost making him fall out of character when he saw one swooping towards him. Dropping the rolled parchment before him, he hid his smile and opened the letter just a peak to see who it was from. Meredith. He shoved the letter in his robe pocket and left the Great Hall and made his way to the dungeons.

He walked with a purpose, making students dodge him as much as they could. He opened the doors and strode in, knowing he had a full thirty minutes before students would begin arriving to class. He unrolled the letter and began reading, smiling to himself all the while. Reading her letter, he could easily forget the age difference between them and just imagine that they were equals. He wouldn't wish to be seventeen again, although he couldn't imagine wishing that she was thirty-four either. Pondering her question of when they would meet again, he pulled out the list of all of the Hogsmeade dates. He would be forced to go to at least one of them as a chaperone, might as well meet her there and make it bearable. Pulling a fresh parchment out, he jotted to her:

Meredith,

We will be going to Hogsmeade on the twenty-sixth of November. Should you fancy meeting me there, I will be chaperoning at The Three Broomsticks. Maybe if you come, we can discuss your apprenticeship and your wandless magic.

Severus

He placed the folded letter in his robe pocket, making a mental note to go to the owlery later that day to send this to Meredith. Picking up his wand, he wrote the directions of today's potion on the board and waited for the students to come fill the room.

The following two months were filled to the brim with letters flying back and forth. The letters ranged from simple updates to ideas for the future, both helping them to understand each other better. Severus watched as the students prepared for the tournament, the first event happening a mere two days before the Hogsmeade weekend, while Meredith practiced wandless magic and worked endless hours at Flourish and Blotts. In the end, they'd both been marking the days down on their calendars for their weekend together.

Flooing into Hogsmeade, she arrived in Tomes and Scrolls, a sister bookstore to Flourish and Blotts. She brushed off her winter robes, a deep golden rod color that flashed the epitome of Hufflepuff house pride, and walked out onto the streets. She followed the signs until she found herself directly in front of The Three Broomsticks. Taking a deep breath, she opened the door, signaling her arrival by ringing a bell by the door, and walked in slowly. Looking around, she saw a few familiar faces from when she was at Hogwarts, her professors remembering her and waving from their tables. Smiling and waving back, her eyes still scanned the room for the one person she was looking for. Sitting in the furthest corner, she noticed the tell-tale sign of his black outer robes and his dark hair. She strode over and took a seat directly across from him, facing the door.

"Hello Severus."she smiled.

"Hello, Love." he replied with a quiet smile touching his lips. He reached his hands across the table and wrapped them around hers.

"I've ordered you a butterbeer, if that's okay."

"Yeah, of course. That's great," she stammered.

They looked at each other for a few moments before she bust out laughing.

"To think that we've both been looking forward to this as long as we have, and we are both terrified to say the wrong thing now that we are in person. It's preposterous."

Her words brought a smile to his face. Their drinks came and they both stopped to order a bit of lunch. While eating, they resumed where they'd left off from all of their letters, falling into conversation perfectly.

"So, you've mastered wandless magic?" he said astonished.

"Well, don't sound so surprised. I might get offended." she quipped back.

"That's no small feat, Meredith. Many wizards and witches practice their entire lives and never fully get the hang of it."

"Is that so," she smiled, "Accio," she muttered as one of his chips floated off of his plate into her empty hand.

Laughing, he reached into his robes and pulled out a small box. Looking confused, she went to open her mouth, but he held his hand up.

"It seems, Meredith, that I missed your birthday, which was the twentieth, am I right?"

Nodding, she still looked confused.

"I simply couldn't let it go by without a gift." He slid the small package over to her, "Happy Birthday love."

Opening the package she saw two things. One was a daintily made silver bracelet, embedded with emeralds. The other was a key.

"This is lovely, Severus. But what is the key for?"

"I know how badly you've been wanting to leave your aunt's. Although Spinner's End is still in Cokeworth, I figured you might not hate having my house to yourself, except of course when I come home from Hogwarts."

"You're giving me a key to your house...so I can live there...so I don't have to stay with Contiga...eep!" she squealed and lunged across the table, wrapping him in a fierce hug.

Chuckling softly, "Yes, my dear. But don't show everyone my soft side...they might start thinking that I'm a good person, and we can't have that rumor floating around."

Smiling, she put the key in her pocket. Reaching across the table, she held her wrist out so that he could attach the bracelet around it.

"Severus, what are we."

"We are two people who have extremely similar opinions on life."

"Oh," she muttered.

"I happen to think that we are more though. That's what I tell myself when I think of you, which I do, very often. I think of you as a piece of me, as the better half of me, so to speak. I think of you when I wake up, when I eat lunch, when I go to bed. Hell, I even think of you when I'm drinking tea, because I can hear you saying how much better coffee is than tea." Smiling, " I think we are much more than we have labeled, but I didn't want to scare you away before you were ready."

"Oh, I'm ready, Severus. Hell, I love you. I don't know if you knew that, but I do."

"I love you too, Meredith." His voice nearly cracked, so he took a large sip of firewhisky to steady his words.

"So, does this mean I can call you my boyfriend, Severus?"

"I am not a boy."

"Then, my man-friend."

"That makes me sound like a sordid lover."

"Then what in the world do you want to be?" she said with exasperation.

"Whatever you need me to be."

"Then I shall call you my love, because that is exactly what you are to me Severus."

Smiling, she leaned across the table and placed a butterfly kiss on the top of his cheekbone. Smoothing his finger across her cheek, he pulled her in for a deeper kiss, making her insides scramble like eggs. Breaking apart to breathe, she walked around the table and sat curled up beneath his arm, which he had rested across her shoulder.

"Okay, love...what's next?" and with that he walked her out of The Three Broomsticks and walked around Hogsmeade until it was time for him to escort the students back to the castle. Leaving her at Tomes and Scrolls, he kissed her once on the lips and then once again on her forehead. Smiling, she floo'd back to her aunt's house, only long enough to pack up her meager belongings and move down the road to Spinner's End.