1 Silent Reflections - Severus' Thoughts

Disclaimer: I'm too depressed about the fact that I don't own them to put in a proper disclaimer.

AN: Thanks goes out to ThreeOranges for the suggestions! Normandie, I know what you mean about Alan and Ian. Yummy! This chapter and the next are actually one big chapter. I was going to put them in one chapter, but I got a little carried away with my writing and ran out of time. Basically this and the next chapter both take place at the same time, and then I get back into plot movement.

He was in a foul mood. In itself, that wasn't unusual; that Patricia was part of the reason *was* unusual. He briefly smiled as he sat in front of the fire and remembered the look on her face when he had finished kissing her for the first time. It was amazing how that woman made him feel. He didn't believe in love at first sight, but he had held her in very high regard from the moment they first met. Her obvious intelligence; the way her face lit up when she smiled; the way she didn't let past bad decisions or past pain stop her from getting what she wanted; her lovely, biting sense of humor. The woman was truly one of a kind. She wasn't perfect, but he would change nothing about her. Well, except her choice in husbands. The worm. How could he justify leaving her here while he went out and risked his neck? She would have willingly gone with him, had he asked. Probably would have gotten herself killed - that girl attracted trouble like no other - but she would have gone. Out of love. Severus' lip curled at that thought.

*She still doesn't know what real love is* he thought savagely. *I've shown her real love for the past nine glorious months, and she still goes back to HIM* He took comfort in the words she had murmured in her sleep a few nights ago. Subconsciously she knew with whom she shared a true love. Patricia may have looked at her husband tonight with the eyes of a less- than-devoted wife, but she had looked upon *him*, Severus Snape, one of the most skilled and talented Potions Masters in the wizarding world, dark mysterious, and all-around bad guy (or so it was assumed) with the eyes of a fully devoted lover *and* wife! The happiness they could create; they children they could produce. He would be willing to bet all the nights of pure pleasure and love she had given him that Jason Quirrell would never again have those luxurious black eyes turned towards him in such an expression of intelligent (rather than hopeless) devotion. She was *his*: Quirrell had lost her the moment he left Hogwarts.

Quirrell. what was up with him? He acted as if it was Patricia's fault their friendship was torn apart. It had been Quirrell who left, not Patricia; it had been Dumbledore who, in all his irregular wisdom, had stuck Slytherin with two Heads of House; it had been Severus who had seen how upset and lonely Patricia was. It had been Severus who had realised that Quirrell was nothing but an idealistic worm that had no idea how the real world worked. No, Patricia wasn't at fault.

There was something different about him though. There was more. confidence in his face. Like he knew something nobody else knew. There had been a possessive look in his eyes when he regarded Patricia. And yet, at the same time there had been love. The shock that had appeared when she snapped at him had been genuine. (Severus had enjoyed that immensely.) The man looked like a hunted animal. The very same look that Severus had seen on his own face a million times when "Old Voldie", as Patricia insisted on calling him, had still been around. But "Old Voldie" was gone. All because of Potter's boy.

Harry Potter. what was so special about the kid? The boy had that same "I-love-being-in-the-spotlight-so-give-me-something-heroic-to-do-and- I'll-do-it" look his father used to have. Ugh; he'd have to keep an eye on that boy.

Severus' eyes snapped open as an unpleasant thought struck him rather violently. Quirrell had been in Albania, hadn't he? And hadn't Dumbledore recently told him that "Old Voldie" - or whatever was left of him anyway - had last been reported skulking around Albania? No, he wouldn't have. Quirrell had more brains than that. Didn't he? It would explain the hunted animal look though. And it would certainly explain the look of pure hatred he had shot at Potter.

His train of thought was abruptly interrupted as his door flew open, whatever locking charms he had placed on it being utterly destroyed in the process, and he found himself staring into the yellow eyes of the trembling black panther that was -

"Patricia?"