Chapter 13: The Invitation

Hogwarts had a different air around the holidays. The students and professors spread a spirit through the halls...excitement, joy, and anticipation for their holidays away or rather at home, for Hogwarts to them was the "away". To Thena, it felt more like home with each passing season.

Her relationship with her father had always been skewed. He just didn't seem to understand the relationship Thena and her mother had. Thena had felt her father's resentment, coldness, and perhaps jealousy- a prideful man upset that the only part of his legacy that seemed to live within her was his muggleness. The distance between them grew even stronger after her mother's death, as Thena felt her father had somewhat won...almost as though he felt vindicated by her death. Almost as though he wanted to be so right yet again, "your mother is reckless...doesn't think about the consequences of her actions"...it was like this was the final I told you so-moment he had been waiting for.

Now that the halls were empty, Hogwarts felt like Thena's home-home after her mother died. No sing-song laughter echoing the halls, now there was just the ringing of the damp air, that seemed colder now, brisk even. Every single sound could be heard..the water dripping off the icicles hanging from the window sills...the soft wind whipping through the cracks in the stone walls...quickened footsteps approaching…

"Hi Severus...erm good morning." She glanced at the ground well after seeing his face, his expression which looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"Yes, Thena. I didn't realize you would still be in the castle." He stopped walking and placed his hands behind his back. He seemed to be shuffling uncomfortably.

Hadn't she told him she was not going home for the holiday?

"Do you have any engagements tonight?" His voice turned to whisper. Thena grimaced. All this thought about holidays and home didn't make her want to practice her memory.

"No, but I don't think.."

"Would you like to have dinner in my quarters, 8 o'clock?"

"Dinner?" She could hide just how shocked she was. Was Severus really inviting her to dinner? Was this really a social call?

"Yes" He whipped his words quickly, "I have been here for holiday dinner many times before. Company at such an event is usually just Finch, which I don't know if you have ever tried to have a conversation with the bloke, but it is...sad. A very sad dinner indeed. In recent years I have resorted to taking dinner into my quarters or Dumbledore's…" he trailed off. His eyes darted nervously at her almost as though he were waiting and ready for an attack.

"Yes." Thena felt the need to release the air out of him before he burst into a thousand small pieces right in front of her. "8 o'clock sounds great."

The day went by so slowly, it was almost painful. Thena couldn't decide how she felt about tonight…terrified? Intrigued? Excited even? Was she really going to attend a social engagement in Severus's quarters, alone, just the two of them? Without any constructive exercise or academic function? She thought again about the encounter they had in the hallway leaving Minera's office, the encounter that started this all... His hands-on her lower back, his weight pushing her into the cold stone of the archway. Severus's mouth and tongue feverishly meeting her's. How her body felt possessed…out of her control. She often thought about it when falling asleep, so often that now it seemed like a distant dream like her mind had concocked the entire moment. Sometimes Thena had to search within herself to discover if it really happened for certain because Severus's behavior afterward and regularly was completely opposite. He acted as though she was the most repulsive thing he had ever laid eyes on. But of course, there were also those few moments…the few times where it seemed like Severus himself was having an out-of-body experience, where he wasn't himself when he wasn't maligigment and full of disdain, but something softer. Those moments were the evidence that solidified Thena's memory of the hallway kiss into reality.

As a quarter to 8 came, Thena closed the door of her quarters, drawing her wool coat around her as chilly air from the hallway greeted her. She was wearing a deep blue silk dress. It wasn't the most winter-friendly dress in her wardrobe, but it was the twentieth garment Thena had tried on that day in preparation and she was defeated.

She knocked on Severus's door and it opened in response. Peering inside his quarters looked different. The familiar fireplace was crackling, but books and scrolls were no longer skewed on every surface. Where the large desk sat, there was now a small table with two chairs. The room was strangely inviting and even felt a bit festive, though there was no evergreen or holiday cheer insight.

"Good evening, Madam Abbott." Severus came to Thena's side "May I take your coat?" Thena nodded and turned, suddenly too nervous to speak.

"Aparto" Severus muttered. Thena's coat slipped off her shoulders and floated to a nearby armchair. She felt herself breathe a sigh of relief that he used magic and hadn't taken the coat off himself.

"Dinner is served. Shall we?" He sounded bored of the whole ordeal already.

Thena nodded again and followed Severus to the table. She was chastising herself the entire way to the other end of the room. "What are you doing?! Did you forget how to speak? This is only Severus…why are you so nervous?"

They stood, each at one end of the table. Severus waved his wand and her chair was brought behind her and pushed her in.

"Thank you." She said finally. He nodded and sat down across from her. With a flick of his wrist again, his mouth barely moving, lit candles appeared above them, floating a few feet above a feast of cornish hen and other holiday fixings.

"Drink?"

"Yes. Please." She choked out. A chalice of red wine appeared. She took a quick swig, hoping it would loosen her throat. "Thank you."

"I didn't know you would be so well-mannered," Severus remarked taking a bite from his dinner. The corners of his mouth twisted upwards into a small smirk.

"It really depends on the company." Thena jested. "So…no family to see during the holidays?"

"Hardy. I am an orphan. And you?"

"Similar…well my father is still living, but we don't really speak."

"He's a muggle, correct?"

"Yes."

Severus seemed to ponder this and have something else to say, but he took a drink of his chalice instead.

"So he doesn't really understand why I am here or why I want to be back I guess."

"Does he just want you to forget you have magic and become a muggle instead?"

"Yes, he would like that very much. And I'm starting to think that would have been the easier option. I mean in attempting to use my magic again, I am more of a muggle than magic now."

"I would not discount your magic so quickly, Madam." Severus lowered his voice "De-manging is a horrible act that would stunt the most powerful wizard…let alone child…"

"Yes, well if you find your book and we come to discover that Dumbledore, in fact, didn't de-mange me- then what will be my excuse then?" Thena shook her head absently, snapping back into the present. She raised her glass, "Should we cheers to him? To Dumbledore?"

Severus raised his glass but visibly shivered. "To Dumbledore."

As dinner dwindled, more conversation followed. It became a little easier, because of the drinking or initial nerves wearing off, Thena didn't know. They talked more about Thena's childhood, or rather what she remembered of it, and Severus's parents as well. Most of the conversation surrounded their work and focused-academia to that work. To anyone outside, it might have seemed that a drone conversation, simple small talk, but it provided Thena such relief. It was the first normal interaction she had had with Severus this school year thus far. Humanizing him seemed to put her at ease. He also seemed a little less stiff or strict as the conversation flowed, or again perhaps this was just the excess wine that started to have a small effect on Thena. After a few hours, her face was starting to feel flush.

"Thank you for dinner. I think I should excuse myself before I have any more of this." She pushed her chalice away from her.

"Very well." Severus had his hand in his chin, watching her leave from her chair. His eyes seemed to be drinking her in. "I have an item…for you."

She spun around "An item?"

"Yes." He gestured to the couch.

Thena reluctantly sat. This whole evening was just really out of place. Severus was human now, somewhat polite even, and with her total lack of self-confidence this evening- it was just too much. She wanted to retreat and analyze the evening in the safety of her own room.

He came up in front of her now, standing, Severus's chalice in one hand, his other in his pants pocket. Severus pulled out a square box wrapped in a single velvet brown bow. He placed it in her open hands and sat down next to her. Thena could feel the heat of Severus's body now beside her as she studied the box.

"Severus," She said questioning, "I didn't get you a Christmas present. I'm sorry."

"Shocking." He mocked, placing his chalice on the table beside the couch. "It's customary to open it, you know." It seemed like Severus made a point to enunciate each word.

Thena felt herself smile. What an additional surprise to this very bizarre evening. She gently untied the ribbon and the box, opened itself. Inside on a small velvet pillow was a crystal bottle that could fit in the palm of her hand. It had an even smaller atomizer.

"Perfume?"

He clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Not exactly."

She was puzzled and held it away from her, looking at Severus for permission. He nodded.

Thena squeezed the ball spraying the perfume away from her and a cloud of pink swirled in front of her. Instantly a familiar scent came to her nose. She knew immediately what the scent was, but before she could say anything, the cloud took on the shape of two characters, one larger than the other. The characters were laughing and twirling.

"My mum." She could feel tears coming to her eyes. "Severus...how."

Severus looked scared at her reaction and hesitated. "After seeing your memory, it was easy to extract from mine."

"The scent. It's her perfume."

"Yes. Well, simple potion work."

"Yes. Well, you're brilliant." Thena placed the bottle carefully on the table next to her and quickly wiped her eyes. "Severus, thank you." Avoiding looking at Severus's expression, perhaps because she knew his expression would give her pause, Thena threw her arms around his neck and embraced him. She could feel his body give a tremble, perhaps of shock, underneath her, but then noticed his weight slowly growing heavy, his hands finding her back, then her lower back. Thena felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up, almost like Severus's light touch sent an electric current through her body.

They pulled away from each other. Thena instantly felt a difference when their bodies were no longer touching, the air between them now seemed charged. They met each other's eyes for what felt like an eternity. Thena felt herself move closer again, like a slow gravitational pull. She felt herself put her hand on his neck and pulled herself in, gently brushing his lips with her's. With this, Severus let out what seemed like a sigh of relief or defeat and kissed her back eagerly. His hands, on the back of her neck and on the small of her back, pulled her closer to him. Thena was delighted in this. She took it as permission to take it further and moved her hands around his body. In response, Severus's hands grasped at her almost greedily mirroring the moment in the hallway. With every touch, she became more hungry. Severus appeared to feel the same way, as he started kissing her neck like her skin was the only thing that would leave him feeling satisfied. She wanted more. She tugged at his garments. He suddenly stopped kissing her and met her eyes. There was something unsaid at that moment that seemed to give them both everything they need to know. He suddenly lifted her on top of him, their eyes never leaving one another. Their mouths met again, the kiss nearly sucking the air out of Thena and she felt Severus's hands go up the sides of her dress. Her thighs felt like they were on fire. Severus lifted her to the couch again and Thena pulled him on top of her...

It was soon over as quickly as it began. Breathlessly they pulled away from each other. She fixed her gown and she heard Severus stand up, adjust his clothing, and pick up his chalice. He took a swig and walked to the table where they had just moments before eaten a very subdue dinner. Thena suddenly began to feel self-conscience again. Had she expected an additional invitation to a sleepover? She tried getting herself out of her head.

"Yes, well". She picked up the gift and its wrapping and headed to her coat. "I think I've overstayed my dinner invitation."

Thena quickly put on her coat and spun around at the door. Severus seemed to be staring into space at her feet.

"Thank you for this evening, Severus. Truly."