All the Pretty Horses: It's not going to take much longer at all. In fact, there's something new happening in regards to those two. I really hope things are getting a little better for you. Any time you need to talk, send me a PM
ShiningGalaxy: And she wants to protect him, and you're right, it is very sweet. Thank you for the review
Who dunit why I dunit: Keep Fluffy away from me! That beast needs to be locked up far far away. I'm so glad you love the story, and I hope you enjoy this chapter as well. Thank you very much.
Currently unbeta'd, so all mistakes are mine.
ooOoo
The Daily Mail says the enemy's among us, taking our women and taking our jobs. The reasonable fool is being drained by the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood. So I go hunting for witches, I go hunting for witches, heads are going to roll.
Hunting for Witches- Bloc Party
ooOoo
He opened the bedroom door about an hour later to find Allison face down on her desk. She'd had a file folder open, clearly labeled 'Hogwarts', and appeared to be holding a copy of her O.W.L results in her hands.
He gently pried the parchment from her hand, careful not to wake her.
ORDINARY WIZARDING LEVEL RESULTS
Pass Grades:
Outstanding (O)
Exceeds Expectations (E)
Acceptable (A)
Fail Grades:
Poor (P)
Dreadful (D)
Troll (T)
ALLISON MEREDITH MCCORMACK HAS ACHIEVED:
Astronomy: A
Charms: E
Defense Against the Dark Arts: A
Herbology: A
History of Magic: D
Potions: E
Transfiguration: A
Ancient Runes: P
Why would she be looking at these if they were over two years old? By the time she turned eighteen she'd nearly age out. Some of the students had returned to Hogwarts after the war to complete their N.E.W.T. levels for their seventh year, and by some he meant less than 20 percent. Out of all the dunderheads to return, the only noteworthy students had been Hermione Granger and perhaps Edward Flatley. Flatley had graduated at the same time Allison would have, and as much as he loathed the fact that he was still teaching some of the stupidest people he'd ever come across, he could not deny that both Granger and Flatley were exceptionally gifted. He'd never admit such a thing, even if it were true.
Setting in back on her desk, he went back out into the hallway and Disapparated.
He arrived back in Spinner's End to find what Allison had said what true. The magic he'd placed on it was indeed, dead. The place was falling apart, but it was still his home. He'd never been happy there, but he was not yet ready to move in with Allison, nor was she ready to move in with him. As much as he loved her, he could not bring himself to share his space with her in such a way.
Yes, they had progressed quite a bit in a little over a year, but they still had a lot of work to do. To know that he still could not leave Lily behind would completely destroy what he had with Allison. She had told him numerous times that he was all she had, and as much as he hated to admit it, the reverse was also true.
He then heard a distinct POP and felt Allison slip her hand into his.
"I told you it was in ruins," she whispered.
"I never doubted it, Allison," he answered, squeezing her hand.
She smiled.
"Why are you here?"
"You really need to ask me that question?" she chuckled. "I love you, and I thought you may need a little support when coming back here."
"I've never needed anyone."
"No one is supposed to go through life alone," she shook her head. "Everyone needs someone, no matter who they are."
He clenched his jaw.
"Let me tell you, when all this started…"
"Allison…"
"Let me finish," she cut him off. "No matter what, Severus, I came here because I love you." She stepped in front of him, not letting go of his hand. "I just… I need you to know that I love you."
"I know," he nodded. He pulled her back toward him. His arms wrapped around her, her head resting against his chest.
ooOoo
Allison curled into bed that night, exhausted. She knew she couldn't hide from Lestrange and Greyback. Sooner or later they'd find her, and if she resisted she'd never survive. It didn't matter that Severus was now their main target, they still wanted her dead.
She spent the night staring at the ceiling, not wanting to call on Severus so late at night and not able to clear her mind. By the time she closed her eyes, it was nearly 5 in the morning. Attempting to make a decision on a fuzzy head and an empty stomach was not usually recommended.
Severus would insist that she hide, but there was no way she could leave him to Lestrange and Greyback. They'd kill him for sure!
Once she'd gotten some tea and a few bites of toast and jam into her stomach, her head cleared. She knew for a fact that she wouldn't go into hiding; she did not know the meaning of the word hide. Her father had taught her that no matter what; she had the means to protect herself. Professor Dumbledore had given her two days to think over his request, and, in truth, she didn't need it.
A handsome tawny owl tapped on the kitchen window, breaking her concentration and turning her attention to something other than Death Eaters.
Miss McCormack,
Would be kind enough to meet with me at Hogwarts today at 2:00pm? We have much to discuss.
Sincerely,
Albus Dumbledore.
P.S. Cockroach Clusters have a most delightful crunch.
She shivered. Cockroach clusters were not necessarily the sweet she would've eaten on a regular basis, why he'd include that in a post-script…
Of course! That was the password to get past the stone gargoyle that guarded his office! Duh, wake up! She chided herself. Giving her head a shake, she hurriedly scribbled a response to Dumbledore and sent the owl on its way.
Two in the afternoon came far too quickly for her liking, as she Apparated to the Hogwarts gates, and was greeted by none other than Mr. Filch.
"Come on, The 'Eadmaster's told me to take you up. Let's go, I got too much to do to be chasing after you."
"Yes sir…" Allison rolled her eyes, listening to his random mumblings as they walked. It would take them less than ten minutes to make their way to Dumbledore's office, but what she didn't understand is why Professor Dumbledore had asked Mr. Filch to collect her at the gates when he didn't have any magical powers. How would the Hogwarts entrance gates open for him if he were not a wizard?
They entered the castle, Filch leaving her at the stone gargoyle that stood in front of Dumbledore's office.
"Now get up there and be quick about it," he turned and walked away, his moldy trench coat swinging behind him.
Whispering the password, the staircase revealed itself, allowing her access to Dumbledore's office. Knocking on the door, she waited for the door to open.
And with Dumbledore's soft 'Come in,' the door swung open to reveal Dumbledore sitting at his desk, calmly looking over a stack of school forms.
"You wanted to see me, sir?" she asked, closing the door behind her.
"Yes indeed, Miss McCormack," he turned, noticing she wasn't moving. "Come over here, child, you needn't be scared of me."
Allison cleared her throat and stepped toward the desk. She took a seat across from him, watching his eyes scan the form intently.
"I assume you've considered my offer?" he set the form down and leaned forward. She'd never noticed just how generous his eyes were.
"Yes I have, Professor, and as appealing as the offer is, with you offering to be Secret Keeper, I've decided I'm not going to take you up on your offer."
He nodded. "Can you explain why?"
"Well, if Lestrange and Greyback want Severus, I mean…"
"That's perfectly acceptable, Miss McCormack, he is, after all, your betrothed."
"Right," she cleared her throat. "If the Death Eaters want Severus, they want me as well. They were using me for bait the last time they got their hands on me. If he's going to fight them, I'll do the same. Despite everything, sir, I love him, and I want to protect him as much as he wants to protect me. Great, I'm babbling again…"
"No, Miss McCormack, you are not babbling. What you are saying is understandable. However, it is not the most reasonable decision on your part."
"I think we've all experienced love and passion that is not in any sense reasonable, Professor," she answered. "I can not resort to hiding while Severus is out there on his own. He disappeared for four months and I gave him up for dead. I can't bare to have that happen again."
"I fear he feels the same about you."
"Why is it something to be feared?" Allison leaned forward, resting her arms on Dumbledore's desk. "Why should someone be afraid to love?"
"I never insinuated that love should be feared, Allison," Dumbledore answered, using her given name for the first time. "In fact, I'm rather glad that you and Severus have learned to accept each other. He asked me if I could protect you…"
"A generous offer, Professor, but I'm going to decline," she repeated. "Hiding will not solve anything. I know Severus believes he should do it on his own, but if he does I could lose him again."
He nodded. "If you change your mind, Allison, I can still hide you, like I did for the Potters."
Allison's ears burned at the mention of the name 'Potter'.
"Fat lot of good that did them," she blurted, unable to stop herself.
Dumbledore glared at her.
"Right," she cleared her throat again, looking down at her feet in shame. "That was uncalled for, I'm sorry sir."
"Apology accepted," he answered, standing up and silently offering to walk her to the door. "There's nothing else to discuss, Allison, thank you for responding so promptly."
"Thank you, Professor."
"Good luck," he answered, closing the door behind her.
ooOoo
Once she had Apparated home, Allison trudged up the stairs to her room, threw open her door and bumped her hip on the desk, accidently spilling the contents of her Hogwarts folder on the floor.
Huffing, she bent down to her knees and gathered what she could into a pile. Dumping them unceremoniously back on to the desk, she massaged her temples, hoping for some sort of relief. She knew she'd need to tell Severus sooner or later, but at that point she was not ready to do so.
Severus would be furious at her for refusing Dumbledore's offer, but she was fully prepared to deal with him. What would it take for him to understand that she could not and would not leave him to track down Lestrange and Greyback on his own?
"What are you doing?" she asked herself, standing up and feeling the room spin. "Ooh, okay I stood up too fast," she shook her head and focused on the wall. Blinking a few times, she straightened herself up and made her way toward the kettle, turning the radio on as she went.
London Bridge sustained another attack today as thousands of people made their way home. The mid-section of the structure itself was blown apart, leaving at least three cars dangling by their rear tires and about fifteen others careening into the water below. At least twenty are dead and another eight injured. Police have given no comments as to what caused the explosion but reassured us that they will be launching a full investigation. This new attack comes just a little over a year after a statue of none other than our Prime Minister was found lying across three lanes of traffic, the head sawed off and a trail of blood leading toward the side of the bridge.
"Jesus, you really have to wonder about people today…" she muttered.
Just as the water boiled, there was a hard knock at the door.
Shrugging, she went to the door and opened it, finding Severus standing there.
"What the hell do you think you're doing?" he hissed through clenched teeth, stepping in the door.
"And a good afternoon to you too," she replied with a vein of sarcasm running through her voice. She shut the door and shook her head at him. "What are you on about?"
"You know very well what I'm talking about, Allison," he hissed.
She nodded and shrugged her shoulders.
Un-fucking-believable, he mused.
"What do you want me to say, Severus? You already know the answer."
His tight jaw clenched even tighter. "You would refuse Dumbledore's offer…"
"Come on now, is it really that difficult to believe?" she asked, stepping closer and placing her hand over his heart. "You knew I wouldn't accept the offer, and as soon as I heard it I knew the connotations behind it."
He raised his eyebrow.
"Did you stop to think that perhaps I could help you?" she continued. "I want to protect you as much as you want to protect me. Severus, if I lost you…"
He laid his hand over hers.
"Besides, things aren't so hopeless."
"What are you talking about?"
She went into the kitchen and came back with a copy of the Daily Prophet.
"Someone blew a portion of London Bridge apart this afternoon. I heard it about ten minutes ago, just before you knocked. I hadn't even looked at the paper yet, I just caught the headline now."
"And this will help us because…"
She unfolded the paper and shook it, revealing the entire front page.
His eyes went wide.