Disclaimer:
All things not Allosia and Gabriel belong to JKR.
--------
With Allosia away, everyone suddenly seemed to become both more and less helpful when it came to Gabriel. They offered advice, but they didn't offer to watch him. It was clear to Snape he was intentionally being given a lesson in the life he had somewhat abandoned his wife to.
He had nearly had to bring Gabriel to a seminar meeting when Dumbledore had miraculously appeared to rescue him. Secretly Snape had nearly wept with relief. The thought of bringing a baby into the classroom when he was teaching horrified him. Talk about the best way to eliminate his authority for the rest of eternity.
Having the responsibilities of Gabriel all to himself didn't quite make Snape miserable and didn't quite terrify him, but it was certainly close, on both scores, and more than anything else, he absolutely hated that everyone knew it.
Allosia Hemrand on the other hand, was having a grand time on her small vacation. Just to have quiet, just to lie on a soft bed she didn't have to share with anyone, behind a locked door no one would knock on was a profound, and nearly sinful pleasure for her.
To a certain extent, she did worry about Gabriel and Snape being all alone with each other, but she was fairly sure that her husband was far more at risk than their son was. She chuckled to herself. She knew he would try to hide any difficulties he had with the boy, and then would wind up blurting them all out in a torrent of fury and insecurity at her. The woman that had drugged him and interrogated him couldn't wait. She liked watching people lose control, which is why she had always spent so much time provoking him, in and out of both the bedroom and the classroom.
In many ways he usually won. She would give up on arguments out of boredom or weariness, and acquiesce to him on all sorts of small points to keep the peace. And while she knew that his intellect was more impressive than hers, at least in an academic sense, she also knew she had a competence at merely living life that he never would. They went head to head, but they did not compete directly in most things, and that was without question a good thing.
In the bedroom, he was usually the aggressor applying his calculated and sometimes frightening self-control to making her feel deliciously desperate before him. She didn't mind, and it made those rare times when he was at her mercy all the more amusing. He had a capacity to get lost like no one else she had ever witnessed or even speculated about. It told a great deal, but of course, she was the only one listening. With the right cadence, the right touches, the right glances, she could make him loose words, and with a man like him, there was no higher honor, or pleasure. That he would be ashamed, had anyone even guessed at the ways she had taken him, had anyone even suspected the need he was capable of with her, was what took it from artful to perfect. Thinking about it, Allosia smiled and then laughed. The best thing about being alone for a change, was having time to muse.
She had talked to him over the floo after she had checked into her room, and he seemed glad to hear from her. Allosia could tell thought that it was more about her following his rules on the matter, than about the neurotic and aggressive concern he had plagued her with when she first came up with the idea of taking the trip.
Afterwards, she went to a muggle restaurant for dinner, dressed in a dark, empire-waist long sleeved dress. Close enough to robes for her to be comfortable, but close enough to muggle garb to help her avoid excessive scrutiny. She read the muggle papers as she sat there learning about the small events of a small world, taking time to relish every bite, to experience again the glory of food without interruptions. She thought of Philip then and the role food had played in their lives, so different than in her life with Snape. For her and Philip, consumption had been everything, which of course is why it hadn't worked out in the end. Actually, thinking about it now, Allosia wasn't even sure it had worked out in the beginning either.
When she finally concluded her meal, Allosia contented herself by strolling through the city both muggle and magical that had once been her home. After an hour of this, she returned to her inn and turned in early. Sleep was such a pleasure, besides, she had a huge day of shopping planned to start first thing in the morning.
Before bed, she stood naked and looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment. She was still small, and slight enough, but she had changed, her body no longer had the static hint of youth to it. It didn't sadden her, or quite surprise her, but she couldn't help but feel some small awe at the degree to which Snape had managed to reshape her, yet again, this time without potions.
All things not Allosia and Gabriel belong to JKR.
--------
With Allosia away, everyone suddenly seemed to become both more and less helpful when it came to Gabriel. They offered advice, but they didn't offer to watch him. It was clear to Snape he was intentionally being given a lesson in the life he had somewhat abandoned his wife to.
He had nearly had to bring Gabriel to a seminar meeting when Dumbledore had miraculously appeared to rescue him. Secretly Snape had nearly wept with relief. The thought of bringing a baby into the classroom when he was teaching horrified him. Talk about the best way to eliminate his authority for the rest of eternity.
Having the responsibilities of Gabriel all to himself didn't quite make Snape miserable and didn't quite terrify him, but it was certainly close, on both scores, and more than anything else, he absolutely hated that everyone knew it.
Allosia Hemrand on the other hand, was having a grand time on her small vacation. Just to have quiet, just to lie on a soft bed she didn't have to share with anyone, behind a locked door no one would knock on was a profound, and nearly sinful pleasure for her.
To a certain extent, she did worry about Gabriel and Snape being all alone with each other, but she was fairly sure that her husband was far more at risk than their son was. She chuckled to herself. She knew he would try to hide any difficulties he had with the boy, and then would wind up blurting them all out in a torrent of fury and insecurity at her. The woman that had drugged him and interrogated him couldn't wait. She liked watching people lose control, which is why she had always spent so much time provoking him, in and out of both the bedroom and the classroom.
In many ways he usually won. She would give up on arguments out of boredom or weariness, and acquiesce to him on all sorts of small points to keep the peace. And while she knew that his intellect was more impressive than hers, at least in an academic sense, she also knew she had a competence at merely living life that he never would. They went head to head, but they did not compete directly in most things, and that was without question a good thing.
In the bedroom, he was usually the aggressor applying his calculated and sometimes frightening self-control to making her feel deliciously desperate before him. She didn't mind, and it made those rare times when he was at her mercy all the more amusing. He had a capacity to get lost like no one else she had ever witnessed or even speculated about. It told a great deal, but of course, she was the only one listening. With the right cadence, the right touches, the right glances, she could make him loose words, and with a man like him, there was no higher honor, or pleasure. That he would be ashamed, had anyone even guessed at the ways she had taken him, had anyone even suspected the need he was capable of with her, was what took it from artful to perfect. Thinking about it, Allosia smiled and then laughed. The best thing about being alone for a change, was having time to muse.
She had talked to him over the floo after she had checked into her room, and he seemed glad to hear from her. Allosia could tell thought that it was more about her following his rules on the matter, than about the neurotic and aggressive concern he had plagued her with when she first came up with the idea of taking the trip.
Afterwards, she went to a muggle restaurant for dinner, dressed in a dark, empire-waist long sleeved dress. Close enough to robes for her to be comfortable, but close enough to muggle garb to help her avoid excessive scrutiny. She read the muggle papers as she sat there learning about the small events of a small world, taking time to relish every bite, to experience again the glory of food without interruptions. She thought of Philip then and the role food had played in their lives, so different than in her life with Snape. For her and Philip, consumption had been everything, which of course is why it hadn't worked out in the end. Actually, thinking about it now, Allosia wasn't even sure it had worked out in the beginning either.
When she finally concluded her meal, Allosia contented herself by strolling through the city both muggle and magical that had once been her home. After an hour of this, she returned to her inn and turned in early. Sleep was such a pleasure, besides, she had a huge day of shopping planned to start first thing in the morning.
Before bed, she stood naked and looked at herself in the mirror for a long moment. She was still small, and slight enough, but she had changed, her body no longer had the static hint of youth to it. It didn't sadden her, or quite surprise her, but she couldn't help but feel some small awe at the degree to which Snape had managed to reshape her, yet again, this time without potions.