Chapter 11: Hell…

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, if I did, Severus Snape he most would never have died.

-"Mademoiselle Dumont, I would like to confer with you about some formulas. Can you meet me this afternoon at the library? Severus Snape has just crossed her in a corridor. She was with some of her students, on her way to have lunch at the Great Hall. "Of course, Professor Snape… I will be there."

They had managed to settle down into a rational routine ever since school started again. They had most of their meals together, along with the rest of the staff. They didn't talk much, if it wasn't about the weather or some potion that she could be having problems with. It was agony. They had a brief encounter after a couple of days after New Year's at his office, but were almost discovered by a student. Draco Malfoy decided to visit his godfather, just to find that a very agitated Professor Snape that didn't have time to talk to him. Draco could have sworn that he smelled lavender when he opened the door. So they decided to stop acing their age and not like their students. This was almost three weeks ago. "It's better this way…" he kept repeating to himself.

After his afternoon classes, he went to the library and sat down at the farthest table he could find, away from a couple of students. She finally came in. He rose up like a gentleman as she took a seat right in front of him. "Here I am, Master… How may I be of service?" She said, smiling.

- "I want it to ask you something… do you remember the time you were at my ingredients cabinet… before the ball?

-" Comment pourrais-je oublier?"

-"Miss Dumont…" clearing his voice. "What was the material you notice that was missing?"

Noticing his stern tone about the conversation she replied" Fluxweed, I think… why?"

-"Nothing in particular, I think. I was doing inventory and I haven't been brewing anything in particular, neither have you, but still, the volume of certain ingredients is thinning.'

-"What…? Which ones?"

-"That is the thing. They are all ingredients for brewing the Polyjuice potion… Do you know about it?

-"Oui… but, who could be doing that?"

-"I do have my suspicions… Couple of years ago, a student managed to steal enough for a batch and did it… brilliant for a second year student, I have to admit…"

-"A second year? Who was it?" she asked, almost excited.

-"Granger, the brains behind the Potter boy"

-"Yes! I had heard brilliant things about that girl, from some of my students and your colleagues as well. I think I would like her… And I also heard that you could be really mean with students…"

-"I know… but sometimes, well, I just can't help myself… that's no excuse, though… The thing about the potion is that… Well, I see no use for it… They have been busy with the tournament, and don't see the use of Polyjuice in the second task… But you never know when dealing with the golden trio…" As he said this, he didn't notice how a vein in his forehead started to pulse.

-"What is it? And what is this about this golden trio? She took his hand across the table.

-"Never mind them" Her touch has just calmed down his temperament. "I know Moody has searched my office a while after he came to the school, Auror's privilege, I supposed. I still don't know." He leaned now closer to her, still holding her hand. "If you need something, just ask. I had changed the security wards, you let me know and I will tell you how. I am changing them almost every day."

-"Thanks, ma chère Severus…"

-"Stop that… It's been hell all these weeks… so close and yet…" grunted Snape in a very low voice. She let go of his hand when they heard voices.

-"I know… some of the students had noticed." His jaw almost dropped. "I heard that you were back to your usual self, the other 3 houses lost around 50 points each in the last… three weeks?"

He rolled his eyes at her.

-"There is something that I want to show you, Professor… at the Restricted Section of this library… about a snake"

-"What? ..." He didn't quite understand, but followed her. She hurried up, zigzagging around the bookshelves, until she reached the very last.

-"What did you find, Roxanne… I believe I had all the information I could about sna…" She silenced him with a kiss. "You are right, Severus. It's been hell… I am sorry…" She kissed him again and he responded.

-"But I did want it to tell you something about your research. I've been reading your notes and noticed that although there's been crossbreeding between regular snakes and magical ones, there is little done about combining antidotes from Muggles and those of magical compounds."

-"Some Muggle medicine had been tried on magical maladies without success. What are you saying?"

-"I'm just saying that if the breeding is possible, then, the antidote should be combined. If you let one of them out, that would be the strength of the venom…"

-"It does make sense… my brilliant witch… I think I…" Said Snape, but suddenly stopped.

An awkward pause fell between them, but before long, Snape asked "Do you want to have dinner, at Hogsmeade, tonight?"

-"Love to… "

-"Meet me in the gardens around 6:00…" he said to her after a soft kiss on her hand.

-"Looking forward to it… Leave now… I'll be here and look for something… we don't want to push our luck…" With a little nod, he left. Roxanne was left between old books, and some questions in her heart.

Six o'clock came by and he was already by the gardens, near the fountain. He tried to disguise it, but couldn't help it but to look around for her, after more than 20 minutes had passed and she wasn't there. Close to 6:30, a small post owl arrived at the fountain with a note.

"I won't be able to have dinner with you. I am not feeling well, I better stay in and rest. I am sure it will pass soon.

Until then,

Rx."

He clutched that little paper tight in his hand and went back inside the castle. He stopped at the first landing on the marble stairs, and thought about going to the guest's chambers. "No" he said to himself. "It's nothing serious, if it was something more, he would have mentioned Madame Pomfrey or call on me." He headed straight to his office and sent a note back to her, wishing her well and expressing his disposition to help. It was a rather cold note, but like she said, they shouldn't try to push their luck. After trying to grade some potions, he decided to go to bed early.

He had expected to see her at breakfast, but she didn't go or lunch, either. He started to get anxious and didn't have any way to ask for her without showing his true feelings. After sending the small owl with a note in a period between classes and not getting an answer, he climbed the stairs, to Madam Pomfrey's office.

-"Severus, how good to see you, how can I help you" greeted the healer, very cheerfully.

-"Aaahh, yes Poppy, how do you do?"

-"Very good, Thank you. And to what do I owe this honor?"

-"I was wondering if you…. needed any potions, you know, with the tournament and everything…"

-"Oh! Not really, Actually, it's been really slow, due to the fact that there is no Quidditch… So kind of you…"

-"Good… good… Well, if you or… Miss Dumont would need anything… just ask…" He just didn't know how to inquire about her.

-"Of course, thank you Severus, but… you don't know about Miss Dumont? He turned around very promptly, startled.

-"What… had anything happened, is she well? "

-"Oh yes… She just had to leave, suddenly this morning, back home. Her father, you see… had some kind of an accident, though I have no more details…"

-"I see… Thank you, Poppy…" He wanted to leave, but couldn't move… his mind, wondering. "Do you have any address where I could… inquire about her? ... I would like to offer my help…"

-"I'm sorry Severus, I don't…"

-" In any case…Thanks Poppy…"

Severus Snape didn't know what to do. His first impulse, while coming down from the Infirmary tower was to just to go over there, just appareate in Paris. But also, his mind was already analyzing what's and the why's. "What kind of accident? Why didn't she tell me, or write to me?"

Trying not to run to his chambers, he was stopped by Professor Dumbledore. "Slow down, Severus, I need to talk to you"

-"I am sorry, Professor, but I need to get to my office… urgent matter, you see…"

-"I walked with you then…"

Severus was very annoyed with his headmaster but then he realized that, maybe he knew something more about Roxanne…

-"How can I help you, Headmaster" Snape said to him, trying to calm down.

-"You can't go to Paris… or write to her while she is back home…"

Severus Snape was taken aback. "What are you… What do you know about… her?"

-"I'll be quick and to the point. Her father, you see has been… attacked… by Muggles." Spit out Albus Dumbledore.

-"What…?"

-"Yes, the circumstances are quite suspicious. The nursing home where he lives is in an area unknown and concealed to Muggles, and yet, this pair found their way there. A nurse just left him by himself in the gardens, like every afternoon, and these two youngsters, well, attacked the old man, rather vicious, I may say…"

-"How was that possible? I still don't understand why I could not assist her in some matter?"

-"You mustn't !" Dumbledore had raised his voice. Taking a deep breath he continued. "Maybe is nothing, but you have to agree that the circumstances are very strange. They got the attackers and had been found to be under the Imperius curse. Also, their memories had been whipped… so radically that they haven't found out who are they.

-" And I still don't understand, Albus…"

-"The authorities don't know who is responsible and what the intentions are. You have to admit, Severus, the circumstances are very odd…"

The Potions Master stood still by the fire, after arriving at his office

" I know you have been… cautious about your… relationship with her, but you can't be too careful. Maybe… someone is trying to send a message to her…

-"For her?" Snape has started to pace around his office, like a caged animal.

-"I don't know about the nature of your relationship with Miss Dumont but I have come across some information, while talking to my contacts in France, about her father. They have reason to believe that it could be a message for them as well. So you see, until we have more information, it will be wise to just … stay… put…"

-"His father? But… she hasn't said anything to me about …"

-"Exactly! And I am sure you have been prudent as well, about… "

-"Yes, Albus… I know…"

-"Let her deal with this on her own and wait if she comes back…"

-"If?"

-"It would prudent that the nature of your relationship does not become more that what it is in reality… for her security… or yours".

Looking at the almost somber face of his potions teacher, he added:

-"I am sorry, dear boy… I really am. I promise I will tell you anything else that I can find out…"

Albus Dumbledore left at the dungeons a very troubled and distressed man. His mind was filling up with questions. His heart was full of doubts. After achieving a good haze of firewhiskey, he summoned some lavender springs and put them in the crystal vase, along with the white lily and fell down in his bed.