A/N: I am so glad to have over one-hundred reviews! I really am delighted that a lot of people are enjoying this story, it is my pleasure to write it. I am also going to leave the Baby Snape poll up for two more weeks, chapter thirty-seven will have the revealing. As always, I do not own Harry Potter, just my OCs. Please do not forget to review! –Maiden of the Heavens (MOTH)
Chapter 34
Severus took a slow and calculated sip of the Calming Draught he had crafted under the watchful eye of Professor Slughorn, every time Severus entered the dungeons Advanced Potions lab, Horace looked at him with concern and a twinge of worry. The Slytherin boy had continued to use this potion to help him through his studies and to help him deal with the lack of information about his father from his mother. It had been a week since he heard anything, a week since he and Annette had somewhat of a fight, a week since neither he nor the Hufflepuff wanted to express their hidden feelings that they had for each other. The tension and unspoken words were like a thick curtain that hung between him and Annette, they still continued to help each other study. Annette helped him with Care of Magical Creatures and he helped her through Potions, they both aided each other in the mounting homework that was trying to drown them, and studying so they did not fail their O.W.L.s. But they never spoke about the night they had been in the Astronomy Tower.
The snow had melted and gone enough, and the weather had grown warm so that instead of hunkering down in the library, Severus and Annette would meet underneath a weeping willow tree that was beside the Black Lake. Today he found her there, her hair was pulled up and away from her face with the help of a messy bun and her black and yellow Hufflepuff tie, using it to hold her hair in place, even though two wavy curls had come loose and were framing her face, while her growing fringe almost covered her eyes completely. She had her broom leaning against the trunk, her hands were wrapped up tight in bandages, twisting around her knuckles and almost all the way down to her wrists. The bandages were slightly stained through with dried blood, she was holding a quill gently in her hand as she struggled to write down notes for History of Magic about the Giant Wars.
Severus rushed over to her allowing his bag to slouch on to the grass and off from where it had been hanging on his shoulder, he gently took her hands in his own, the black swan feathered quill slipping out from between her fingers and on to the grass.
"S-Severus…what are you…?" Annette stumbled for words as he began to unwrap the bandages from around her hands, underneath her knuckles were bruised and blooded.
The Slytherin Potions Protégé took out his wand, from where it had been tucked in his school robes. "Episkey." The pain that had left her hands throbbing vanished in almost an instant, before she could stop him, Severus spoke another spell in a whisper, "Vulnera Sanentur." The deep gashes that opened along her knuckles healed completely, leaving Annette without any pain at all.
Before Annette could ask Severus about the second spell, the one that she had never heard of or had studied or found in any book, his face turned into one filled with anger and worry. "Why would you hurt yourself like this?"
"I-I didn't mean too. I forgot my gloves…I thought my hands were going to be okay…but I kind of took all my stress out on the bag…" Annette tried her best to explain, but she could tell she had only confused Severus even more. "I was boxing…"
"Boxing? Why would need to know how to punch someone?" Severus could not help his curiosity, he still had not let go of her hands that were still cradled in one of his own, the other still clutching his wand.
"It's for Quidditch, Ennis was able to convince Professor Sprout to let us use one of the empty classrooms as a gymnasium of sorts." Annette said, she was blushing now, she was enjoying the fact that Severus was holding her hands in an almost loving manner. "I'm punching and kick-boxing to keep myself a lean and mean Beater."
Severus sighed and finally released his hold on Annette's hands, tucking his wand away, he finally sat down beside her, instead of continuing to sit in front of her on his knees. "Please don't forget to wear your gloves anymore, promise me." He hated seeing her beaten and wounded, it reminded him far too much of his mother.
"I promise." Annette said and leaned her head on Severus' shoulder, her fingers slowly found the top of his hand and wrapped around it. "What was that second spell you used? I've never heard it before…"
"I…um…invented it." Severus admitted and the Hufflepuff girl simply looked at him in awe.
"Severus, you must be some sort of genius! Have you told or shown Professor Slughorn yet?"
"No, no one is supposed to know about that spell, not any of them actually…"
"Then why did you use it on me?" the question slipped out of her mouth before she could stop herself and she looked at her hand, the one that Severus had healed, still wrapped around her Potion Tutor's own.
"Because...Annette, I care about you, I care about you very much in fact…" Severus admitted in a whisper, "I never want to see you hurt…" it pained him to realize that he had been the last one to hurt her, the last one to make her cry. "Annette, I am so sorry…"
The Hufflepuff girl shook her head, the bun came entirely loose then, the tie landing on Severus' lap in and untidy heap. She quickly grabbed it, her cheeks heating with embarrassment when her fingers swept across the top of his, and put it into her satchel, packing up everything else that she had taken out of it. "It's alright. Do you want to go up to Owlery and see if there is any word from your mother?"
"If you don't mind, I would like that very much." Severus said, he had already righted himself, his own messenger bag over his shoulder.
The unspoken feelings still hung between them, thick and choking, relentless. But they both ignored it, how could admitting help either of them now? The stairs creaked underneath their feet, and Annette kept herself close to the stone wall, trying to keep herself from bristling with anger because Severus had not made up his mind about who his heart would truly belong too, her or Lily Evans.
He had been in love with Lily since childhood and had help to discover the Wizarding World, while they had drifted apart, he and Annette had grown closer. Sure they had only been acquaintances, only having a few classes together when they were younger, but once Professor Slughorn had assigned Severus as Annette's tutor, their acquaintanceship had become friendship, leading them into a relationship that neither of them felt ready to define.
The Owlery door opened with a heavy shove from the pair as they made their way inside, the ruffling of feathers and several hoots greeted them. Severus made his way to the back of the Owlery, where Slytherin House's mailboxes were. He dug his key from out of the side pocket of his messenger bag and used it open up his mailbox. Inside were two letters one from his mother and another from his aunt.
Annette decided to check her own box, the ones for Hufflepuff were on the right sides, and she opened up her mailbox to find letters from her future sister-in-law, her mother and father, and from Madame Caretaker Laetitia Amant D'animaux at Saint Francis's Sanctuary for Neglected and Mistreated Magical Creatures. She took all three letters and sat down on a cushioned bench that was inside the Owlery beside Severus.
The Slytherin Potion Protégé was sitting with his mother's letter in his ungloved hands, the knitted hand warmers shoved into one of the pockets of his robes. Truth be told he was almost too frightened to open it, instead with shaking hands, he handed it over to Annette.
The Hufflepuff girl undid the seal with the flick of her wand and took the letter out from its envelope, unfolding it gingerly.
Dear Severus,
I am writing you to let you know that your father's cancer is much worse than we were hoping it would be. Doctor Burdock has discovered that your father's lung cancer is at stage three. This means that the cancer has spread, it has spread from the lungs to other nearby tissue or far away lymph nodes. Your father has stage 3B lung cancer, which means that he only has a five percent chance of living though five more years. He will be going through treatments of radiation and chemotherapy, I will keep you updated on his recovery…
Please know that your father loves you Severus. I miss you, we both do. Best of luck with your O.W.L.s See you when your classes are finished.
All my love,
Mum
The letter was littered with dried tear drop splatters and some of the words were smeared. He found that he was pained when he realized how much his mother loved the man that helped create her only son. He wished that she didn't, he wished that would hate him, despise him, loath him as much as Severus did. Tobias beat Eileen, yelled and made her feel worthless. How could she still love the Muggle man after everything he had done to hurt her? He looked down to see that he crinkled the letter within his fist and that Annette was trying to gently release his strangling-like hold he had on the parchment. Severus slowly released it and watched as the letter fell in his lap, he opened up the letter from his Aunt with shaking fingers, while he struggled to remember to draw air into his lungs.
The letter had a few scraps of straw within it that smelled of sheep. His Aunt Calanthia must have still been in Ireland, he hoped that she would go and stay with his mother for a little while, so she would not be so alone.
To my only and dearest nephew Severus,
I am sorry for what is happening with your father, I hope that his recovery is swift and painless. Leopold is doing well at DurmstrangInstitute, his strongest class is Charms so far. As for Margaret, she is getting better at knitting and helping me take care of the sheep. Do not worry about your mother, I will be there to visit the two of you once I am able. Be sure to take care of yourself, don't get too consumed with your studies, your health is just as important.
Hugs and a kiss (on the cheek),
Aunt Calanthia
He could tell that his aunt was extremely angry more anything, the ink and quill she had used to write the letter had soaked through to the other side. His aunt was very pleased that his father was dying and somehow that made Severus angry with his mother's sister. He knew that his father was indeed a cruel man, but his father worked himself to the bone at the mill, in order to keep a roof over his family's head and food on the table. His father might not love his own son, but at least he loved his mother, or otherwise wouldn't they be on the streets already or crammed into the cabin that his aunt lived in, on their sheep farm in County Kerry, Ireland?
Severus could feel the Calming Draught beginning to fade, its effects slipping away. His hands were shaking so violently now that the letter had fallen on to the feather-covered ground of the Owlery, he grabbed the strap of his satchel and pulled it closer toward him. Annette looked up from where she had been reading the letter from her parents.
"Severus, are you alright?" Annette set the letter down on the bench and knelt down beside the Slytherin boy as he struggled to get the bottle of the Calming Draught from out his messenger bag.
His words came out choked, soaked with the tears that were starting to blur his vision. "No, I'm not. I'm not alright at all."
Annette embraced him tightly, feeling his tears starting to soak the sleeve of her robe just a little. It was odd for her to be the one comforting him, he was normally the one comforting her. They stayed up in the Owlery until Severus had stopped crying. But he did not remove his face from where it was buried in the crook of Annette's neck and shoulder, instead he lifted his face away just enough so they were touching nose to nose, and then he kissed her, both of their lips now damp with his tears.