Chapter 23: Happy Christmas and all that, Snape.
Percy blinked at his younger brother from behind his horn-rimmed glasses, his cheeks bright red from the cold wind, his normally perfectly wavy hair blown into undignified tufts. "Is that any way to greet your older brother, Ron?" He asked in what was meant to be mock severity, but came out in his usual pretentious tone making him cringe on the inside.
Ron frowned and muttered, while George and Fred bounded over to their brother, pounding him heartily on the back, causing him to drop the worn carpetbag he was carrying, and messing up his hair even further.
"Percy! Great to see you, old chap!" Fred gushed.
"Indeed! It's simply smashing you could make it, dear brother! Tell us, how go your reports on the unraveling flying carpets? Or was it the properties of cabbages and their influence on the British wizard economy?" George piped up, his eyes gleaming mischievously.
Coughing slightly, Percy managed to disengage himself from their "affections" giving each a severe glare. "Actually, I am taking some time off to visit my brothers and sister during Christmas."
"Did you say you're taking time off? Good heavens! That's it, where are the flying pigs and someone take a look outside and see if the sky's green." George exclaimed while Fred collapsed to the floor in a faint, an arm thrown across his forehead dramatically. Ron and Harry laughed, Ginny just shook her head, and Percy rolled his eyes heavenward as if searching for patience.
"Anyway, I must first go speak to Dumbledore. Is he around?"
"Yeah, I think he is." Harry managed to say above the laughter.
"Thank you, Harry." Percy said solemnly before casting his still laughing siblings a glare and walking in the direction of the Headmaster's office.
The four remaining Weasley's looked at each other in slight shock.
"That was interesting." Ginny finally said.
"Yeah," Ron agreed, "I don't understand why he would want to visit us. I thought he would have been working all through vacation. Hell, that's what he's done all his life."
"Maybe he's just doing the brotherly thing," Harry said in a somewhat wistful voice. Truthfully, he felt a spark of jealousy that Percy cared enough about his family to take a break from the thing he cherished so much to visit them at Hogwarts. He felt like that was the type of thing he'd want to have a sibling do for him, if he'd ever had one. However, the Weasleys were the closest thing to a family he had, other than the Dursleys and Sirius, but then again, the Dursleys never cared a bit for him, and Sirius, as much as Harry knew his Godfather loved him, it was impossible for Sirius to be around him constantly.
"Oh well. Hey, let's get moving! Time for Hogsmeade!" Fred said enthusiastically, running out the front door and the others followed quickly.
Alex was standing at his window again, watching the small procession of students as they made their way to the town of Hogsmeade. A ghost of a smile flitted across his face as he remembered his own time spent in Hogsmeade, stocking up on sweets from Honeydukes and pranks from Zonko's, and sipping on butterbeer in the Three Broomsticks. I bet the twins are going to do some stocking up of their own at Zonko's. I had better keep a watch out for any little surprises they may have in store. It had taken all of his self-control not to whip out his wand and throw every curse he knew when a bucket of freezing cold water fell on him in the middle of the hallway one day. As Peeves had been nowhere in sight, he could only assume it had been the only two other people capable of such classic practical jokes.
There came a knock on the door, pulling him out of his musings. Without turning around to see whom it was, he simply called out, "Come in."
"Professor Dumbledore told me you would be here." The voice caused Alex to spin around in surprise. Percy stood there, a nervous smile on his face.
"Hello, Percy." Alex allowed a small smile to peek out, his voice as reassuring as he could make it. Percy's smile widened some more, and Alex moved forward, extending his hand, which Percy accepted and shook.
"I trust getting here wasn't too much trouble." Alex said.
"Oh, no trouble at all. I explained the situation to the Minister of Magic." Alex froze at these words, his eyes widening in slight fear. Percy, realizing his mistake quickly stammered out, "That my parents were out of town and I felt it to be my duty to visit them over the holidays." Alex let out a small breath of relief, the corners of his mouth once again twitching into something that could possibly be called a smile.
"Of course, Percy, please forgive me for underestimating you."
"I understand perfectly why you would be worried. But trust me Alex, I would be the last person to want to cause you any harm, inadvertently or otherwise." Percy took a step back, his eyes sweeping over the room. "It seems you've settled in nicely here." He commented lightly.
Alexander shrugged. "It's not to be my permanent room. I'll be moving into Professor Lupin's old chambers on Monday." The werewolf professor had left for Romania the day before, and Alex was still pondering Lupin's parting words, 'It is a strange thing. You spend all your life hiding yourself from people, and suddenly you find yourself among strangers who've all done the same thing.' He knew Remus was referring to himself, of course, and he wondered if perhaps the werewolf realized that his constant rejection by society was something experienced by almost everyone at one time or other. Alex thought that could possibly be it, or if Remus were referring to him, the once convict who'd been forced to hide himself behind stony walls, and who now really didn't know how to act among those strangers…
Alex shook himself from his thoughts and faced his cousin. "Well, have you unpacked already?"
"Yes, Professor Dumbledore was kind enough to provide me with an extra room." Percy said, nodding his head slightly.
"I should well hope he did, as you are a guest here." Alex gave a dry chuckle, "As you have already settled, how do you feel about paying a visit to Hogsmeade? I have one last Christmas present to pick up."
"Sounds like a good plan." Percy said in what hoped was an enthusiastic voice, "Perhaps we could stop by the Three Broomsticks and get some butterbeer."
"Now that's something I've longed for since I've gotten here," Alex said longingly as he swept his cloak over his shoulders, "One of Rosemerta's marvelous butterbeers. There's nothing quite like them."
"Hey, Ron, isn't that Percy?" Harry asked pointing out his friend's brother across the Three Broomsticks. Ron followed his finger, his jaw dropping at the sight.
"No way. Percy never went into Hogsmeade when he was in school. And he's with…Burdock?!" Harry wanted to laugh at Ron's imitation of a fish as his mouth opened and closed rapidly.
"That is so weird." Ron finally sputtered, never tearing his eyes away from the two figures.
"I don't see what's so strange about it." Ginny stated, "They probably just met in town and decided to have a drink or something."
"Are you implying our brother's g…g…" Ron stuttered.
"Gay, Ron?" Ginny helped, looking him straight in the eye. When he nodded, she continued. "No, I am not implying that he is gay just because he's having a drink with another man. Besides, I thought that's what all you guys did in some peculiar form of male bonding."
"Not true!" Ron protested, "We don't bond by going to a bar together…alone…and having a drink…that's what you do on a date."
"Oh come on, Ron, are you honestly saying that if I weren't here, you wouldn't come have just come and had a drink with Harry instead?" Ginny asked, her voice now traced with irritation.
Ron looked uncomfortable. "Erm…well…if you put it that way…oh, come on, Harry and I have been friends for years! No one would ever suspect us of being…well, you know…"
"So, you're saying that because Professor Burdock and Percy haven't been friends for years they shouldn't be seen having a drink alone together?" Ginny said incredulously. When Ron nodded, she snorted. "Ron, that's absolutely ridiculous. I never knew you were so homophobic."
"I am not!" Ron declared stoutly. He turned to Harry, "You don't think it a bit odd for two men to suddenly show up at a bar together…and sit the way they are sitting…" he pointedly emphatically at where said men were sitting across the room, each leaning forward over their butterbeers in deep conversation, "You would say that none of that looks even remotely close to a date?"
Harry shifted uncomfortably as his two best friends stared at him. "Erm…" He glanced at the two men, "Well, you have to admit, it is kind of surprising for Percy to have come to Hogsmeade at all, especially with someone he hardly knows, I mean, someone no one actually really knows. And they do seem to be leaning in pretty close…but that could be because of all the noise in here, and they just are doing it so they can hear each other better. Honestly, I wouldn't have thought anything of it if you hadn't mentioned it, Ron." Harry watched his friends' respective reactions. Ginny smiled, obviously pleased with the answer, while Ron's face turned its characteristic redness; though from embarrassment or anger, Harry couldn't really tell.
"Fine, point taken." Ron muttered into his butterbeer.
"Wonder what they're talking about that's so interesting?" Ginny pondered aloud.
"Here, this should help," Ron announced proudly, pulling a long, flesh colored string from his pocket.
"Ron! I thought Mum had made Fred and George get rid of all those!" Ginny said, thrilled.
Ron chuckled. "Yes, she made Fred and George get rid of all their Extendable Ears. But she never thought that the rest of us might have had them. George gave me the ones he managed to hide for safekeeping."
"Well, don't hog them, give me one!" Ginny demanded. Ron tossed her one, before sticking the end of another into his ear and letting the other end drop to the floor.
"Hey, do you have another one?" Harry asked. Ron pulled one more out and handed one to Harry. Ginny pulled out a rather heavy looking book she brought with her and put it on the table, and all three leaned in, pretending to look at it, while they actually focused to the conversation from across the room that now flowed into their ears as clearly as if the two older men were sitting at the same table.
"Well, Percy, I'm sure there are many questions you want to ask me. I know I have quite a few to ask you." Alexander said.
Percy shifted forward. "How much is there that I can say while we're here?" He looked around at the bustling bar pointedly.
"Call me Professor Burdock, keep all sentences suitable for the situation. There may be some prying ears as I'm sure we're quite the odd couple and naturally cause some curiosity." Alex felt terrible having to be so brusque with the only relative he had who knew he even existed. But Percy didn't seem offended. He merely nodded.
"Right. Well, for one how long are you going to be teaching here?"
"I honestly don't know. Truthfully, I would rather it would be as short a time as possible. I don't wish to cause any inconvenience for Professor Dumbledore. He's really been more generous than I remember anyone being towards me…" Alex pushed away the image of Snape carrying him home after his collapse near the ocean, "and I owe him more than putting him in danger."
"But Professor Dumbledore is a powerful wizard," Percy protested, "He's more than capable of protecting himself and you at the same time. Look at the hundreds of students he manages to defend each year…and they don't even realize it. I know I didn't when I was still going here. I doubt that even his own professors realize just how much Dumbledore manages to fend off…of course there were a few incidents, but those were due to his inability to foresee them, and he's definitely not a Seer or mind-reader."
"Very true…though I have suspected him of being a mind-reader from time to time." Alex said a smile ghosting across his face, "But I've come to realize that there is much people can give away by their expressions alone. Dumbledore is no mind reader: just a very shrewd man with a sharp eye. In any case, I must ask about the family. How are they doing? What are they doing?"
"Well, as you can see, Ron, Ginny, George and Fred are all attending Hogwarts. Ron is a prefect this year, and I can tell you, Mother is bursting with pride. That makes four prefects from the family now. Maybe he'll be made Headboy as well. I certainly hope so. Then there would be three Headboys from the family. Fred and George haven't been made prefects or anything like that. They're too busy with Quidditch and setting up that Weasley Wizarding Wheezes shop of theirs. I must admit, though it's not a very practical route to take, they seem to be doing quite well with their recent products. A word to the wise, do not accept any sweets they may offer. A Canary Crème caught me last year over Christmas Holiday. I was molting until May." He smiled a bit, despite his attempt to look disapproving and Alex let out a short bark of laughter.
"That must have been quite a sight to see." Alex realized with a start that he was feeling more relaxed conversing with Percy over butterbeers than he had felt since he'd left Azkaban.
"Yes, well, Mother has been trying to put a stop to that for quite some time now, though with little luck. They always manage to find ways around her, and of course being at Hogwarts gives them an ample opportunity to test and sell their latest goods. They have quite a black market among the students. Thankfully none of what they make is really harmful. Now, let me see…there are Bill and Charlie, both off in different countries. Charlie's in Romania working with dragons. Last year he brought four dragons he'd raised personally to the Triwizard Tournament. He is absolutely in love with the scaly things and is working to get a law passed with Ministry of Magic that will expand the limited space allowed for the dragon preserves. I personally think he would be able to get it, that is, if Professor Dumbledore were the Minister of Magic. However, with Minister Fudge being the one who makes the decision, I'm afraid it's a bit of a toss up, really."
"Fudge deserves to be set loose wandless in one of those dragon preserves." Alex gritted.
Percy looked down at the tabletop. "I'm sorry about the way he treated you. I remember when we visited…well, I remember that he hit you."
"It was probably a good thing he did, otherwise you two could have left and I wouldn't have realized it or remembered to give you that message. I wasn't really…in the right state of mind at that point, as I'm sure you are aware." Alex shuddered slightly at the memory of crouching on a filthy stone floor.
"I would have stopped him. In fact, I should have stopped him." Percy sounded guilty, "but I must admit I was slightly in awe of the man. No, not slightly. I was tremendously in awe of him. I thought that I wanted nothing more than to be as powerful as him. But now I know that power does not come from status alone…though it certainly does help."
"Percy, I don't blame you for not stopping him. Goodness knows if I were in your shoes, in that particular situation, I would have done nothing. I would only be thinking about how quickly I'd want to get out of there. Is Mister Fudge still as disbelieving?"
Percy nodded sadly. He knew exactly what Alex was referring to.
"Damn him." Alex hissed, running a hand across his face in a tired motion. "So many innocents gone…they had done nothing to deserve such a horrible end…" He stopped himself before he could give any more away.
"Well, I suppose all we can do now is depend on Dumbledore?" Percy asked hopefully.
Alex nodded. "Truly, without Dumbledore we'd be lost. Well, we can discuss that further at another time. Right now, I would like to hear more about you and what has been happening."
"Oh, right. I almost forgot about Bill. He was working as a cursebreaker for Gringott's in Egypt, but he's been transferred to a branch in England. I've heard that he's been giving a few private English lessons to a French girl called Fleur Delacoeur. Rumor is she's part veela and quite striking. She was one of the champions last year at the Triwizard Tournament. I remember her a little bit. Long silver hair, blue eyes. She and Bill seemed to hit it off right away, so I'm not all that surprised that things have progressed. Mother and Father are currently working fairly hard at something I can't mention here. Father is still working at the Ministry of Magic in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Department. He's absolutely obsessed with Muggles. He thinks they're precious, and is constantly trying to understand how they get on without magic."
"Ah, yes, I remember Un…Arthur's obsession with the Muggle world and everything in it. He used to question me relentlessly. Molly would have to order him to stop so I could get to sleep or eat some food." Alex smiled slightly at the memory, though he was cursing himself for nearly blurting out "Uncle Arthur." He stole a glance over at the table where Ron, Harry, and their other friend sat. They seemed to be rather absorbed in a book placed in the middle of the table. "In any case, tell me more, please. I would like to be fully caught up, before, you know…"
"Of course." Percy smiled then remembered something. "I found something I think you'll be interested in." He pulled a small leather bound book from one of his pockets. "I came across it before coming here. It was hidden in the back corner of our attic. I'll tell you, the family ghoul wasn't too happy with me poking around. Had to fend off some flying piping."
Alex chuckled and opened the book. It turned out to be a scrapbook. On the first page was a picture that made him catch his breath. It was moving, of course, as all wizard pictures do, and it was one of his mother and father holding him in between them when he was only a baby. A dizzying wave of emotion flooded over him, catching him off-guard. "Percy…" His throat seemed to be closed, making words difficult. He tried again. "Percy, thank you…you have no idea how much this means to me…I think I'll look at it more closely when I'm on my own, alright?"
Percy nodded understandingly. "Of course. Well, look at the time, we should get back before it gets too cold and dark. There should be a proper Hogwarts feast waiting for us when we get back. Oh, I meant to ask, whom do you have in mind for that present? It's quite an odd choice of gift, and I'm not sure I can place who it would be for, if it's a professor, I mean."
Alex's ghost smile drifted across his face. "Oh, it's for a professor. And I think it's perfectly suited for the recipient." With that he and Percy stood, placed a handful of sickles on the table to pay for their drinks and walked out the door still chatting quietly.
Harry and Ron stared at each other after the two men had left.
"Well, what do you make of that?" Harry asked pulling the Extendable Ear out and handing it back to Ron.
"Why would Burdock want to know all that about my family? And how come he seems to be so familiar with Percy?" Ron seemed stunned.
"And how does he know Mum and Dad? And why does he think that he's endangering the school? Is there someone after him? And since when did Percy become so open about his family life?" Ginny appeared as lost as her brother.
"Also, why would Cornelius Fudge have visited him and hit him? Remember? It's not really like him to be violent, especially towards another wizard. I mean, he may be a bit close-minded and blustery, but Fudge would never strike anyone. Would he?" Harry ran a hand through his hair, causing it to stick out even more haphazardly than usual.
"It's a right mystery, I'll say that." Ginny said.
They sat in silence, each trying to figure out the new puzzle that had been put before them.
That night after dinner Alexander paced his room nervously. He wasn't really sure what he had been thinking when he'd decided on the present for his "Secret Santa" earlier. Probably nothing. Well done, Weasley. You'll be given top marks for this brilliant idea. The box, which held, said present shook slightly and he watched it dubiously until it stopped moving. There's really only one thing to do, in order to spare both of us any humiliation tomorrow in front of everyone. Before he even fully realized what he was doing, he'd picked up the box and walked quickly from his room. Within a few minutes he was standing in front of a door he'd come to know rather well recently. With slight trepidation he raised his hand and knocked softly.
A moment later, much faster than he'd have preferred, the door opened and the person who lived in the room stared at him in slight surprise.
"I decided to bring you your Christmas present early." Alex said without preamble. "I wasn't thinking about getting you a gift at all, but then I pulled your name from the hat and ended up buying you something anyway." He held out the box, but the inhabitant of the room just stared at it before taking a step back.
"Come in."
Alex would rather have simply handed the gift over and returned to the relative safety of his own chambers than walk into that room, but he gritted his teeth and entered.
"Well, Weasley, I never would have suspected you to enjoy that interesting phenomenon called Christmas Cheer." Severus said in his usual snideness.
"Neither would I. Especially as this is the first Christmas I've celebrated in seventeen years." Alex said bitterly. Severus' sneer faded, albeit slightly.
"Poor you." He said, though Alex detected the comment was more of a reaction than actually meant to harm.
"In any case, here's your present. Happy Christmas and all that, Snape." Alex handed him the box. Severus took it slowly, but didn't open it.
"I have a present for you, too, Weasley." He put his box on a small table and walked over to his cupboard. "It was rather difficult to figure out what to get you. Especially as I didn't owe you anything. And what could an ex-convict possibly want?" Alex's breath hissed slightly as he fought to maintain his temper. Severus turned back around, seemingly unaware of anything wrong he'd said, an oddly shaped parcel in his hands. "And I decided that this might best suit you. Took me awhile to find one, though I'm sure I'll regret the time I spent searching for it." He handed it to Alex who held it gingerly, unsure of whether to open it here or wait until he'd returned to his own room. "We can open both of our presents here, if you'd like, Weasley." Severus said as if he'd read his mind. "Have a seat." He gestured to a rather comfy looking leather armchair next to the fire.
Alex sat and waited for Severus to take his own seat. "Open yours first."
"Why?" Severus sounded suspicious. "If this is Weasley Wizard Wheezes product, I'm refusing here and now to even touch this box."
"Pity, and here I thought you would fall for it." Alex said sarcastically, "Just open it, Snape. I promise you, it's not one of Fred and George's little masterpieces. Hell, it's not even from Zonko's."
Severus lifted the box to his lap and pulled off the string. Slowly he inched open the top, as if waiting for something to explode from the box. But all that came from it was an irritated mew, followed by a small black head and pointed ears. Severus stared at it, his gaze met by a pair of unblinking green eyes. "A…kitten." Was all he could say. He looked up at Alex. "What in the world…Weasley, what is this?"
"You said so yourself, Snape. It's a kitten." Alex said, allowing a small grin onto his face. Severus stared at him disbelievingly. "I couldn't think of what to get you, and then this little guy fell right in front of me. Literally. Fell right out of a tree. He's okay though. You know how cats are."
"Why, Weasley?" Severus managed to sound disbelieving and suspicious at the same time.
"Because he's adorable. Because everybody needs something fluffy in their life. Yes, even you and me, Snape." Alex leaned back in his chair, content to watch Snape dubiously pick up the kitten and hold it up as if inspecting it carefully for hidden booby traps. The kitten meowed in complaint and batted at Severus' hand. After careful inspection Severus put the little black ball of fur on the seat next to him, where it promptly attempted to climb into his lap. "I think he likes you." Alex observed amusedly.
"You should open your present." Severus said trying to extract the kitten from his lap, a difficult task considering it had buried its claws deeply into the folds of his robes.
Alex picked up the parcel Severus had handed him and opened it slowly. A glint of gold caught in the firelight and with a gasp he let it fall into his lap where it seemed to glow softly. "A…a time turner…" He barely whispered his throat closing for the second time that day. Severus watched him, his black eyes expressionless. "Why…Snape…when I've done nothing to deserve…how on earth did you manage to get hold of one?"
"Well," Severus said slowly, "I must admit that this is not entirely legal. But through the good graces of Dumbledore and a few of my own connections, I managed to come across one. The Ministry of Magic isn't really aware of its existence, so anything you do with it must be meticulously planned and thought out."
"I could…" Alex swallowed as the true enormity of the present's meaning sunk in, "I could go back…to that night…and…I could change everything…"
"Sadly, for you and the rest of us, Weasley, that's exactly what you can't do." Severus murmured finally dislodging the kitten and walking to the fireplace.
Alex stared at his profile, his haunted eyes beginning to flash with the anger that seemed to be reserved for Severus alone. "What are you talking about? Are you saying that I will just have to sit back and simply watch everything happen again? That my past self will have to relive that place again and again…even though I have the chance to stop that? That my uncle will lose his memory again, and I will have to watch my wife…then why the hell would I want this, Snape? Why? Why torture myself? Even for you, this is a pretty atrocious thing to do to someone, Snape. Why would Dumbledore allow you to…?" Alex wasn't even really aware of what he was saying. His mettle was up, and Snape was the only person in the room to receive the brunt of his anger. He picked up the time turner by its long gold chain and waved it in the air. "I should just throw this thing in the fire! It's no good to me, or to anyone else for that matter. What is the point of having it if I can't change what's happened to me…what's happened to others? I could end Voldemort and finally expose his followers. But I can't!"
Suddenly the time turner was snatched from his hand and Snape was leaning down nose to nose with him, his expression one of extreme disgust. "I should have known better than to waste such a gift on a Weasley. Especially you. Think about all the damage it could cause if you were to interfere. Things happen for a reason, and knowing this has allowed us to create a successful time turner. Otherwise we would only keep trying to change a past that we couldn't. What is meant to be will happen, whether we would change it or not. It's not for us to decide. I am sorry you went through what you did. But everybody suffers in their lives." Alex gaped at him. It was the first time Severus had shown any sort of sympathy for his time in Azkaban, but it was a hard sympathy, traced with the understanding that his past misery was only a tiny taste of what the entire world endured. And at that moment a realization hit Alex. He and Snape both viewed the world with the same bitter tiredness. Even though Snape had not been through Azkaban, he had undergone a torture nearly as bad. Alex stared speechless as Severus continued. "But instead of trying to change what you can't, why not take a lesson from it? It is possible to return to those days and learn what you were unable to see the first time. And perhaps…perhaps, you will become a wiser man from it. It is really entirely up to you. Do you wish to understand? Because if you don't, then be my guest and chuck this thing into the fire or into the lake for all I care." He straightened and held the time turner out to Alex who paused before taking it from him.
He sat for a moment tracing the hourglass thoughtfully before looking up again. "When I go back…will you go with me? I understand not to change anything…I just don't trust myself not to…well you know, I might see something that'll provoke my Gryffindor pride or something horrid like that, and I'll need someone with a cool head to keep me in check. I mean, you're pretty good with those body binds, and that might come in handy…"
Severus stared at him, stunned. "You can't possibly mean that, Weasley. Why would you want me of all people…?" He paused as Alex looked back down at the time turner, seemingly ashamed by his request. "Very well," Alex's head snapped back up, "I'll go with you. You're right, I've seen enough evidence of your Gryffindor pride to not let you go on your own."
"Thank you." They sat for a moment eyes locked in a sort of silent communication, and then it hit Alex. This was the first semi-civil conversation they had had since Snape had helped him out of Azkaban. "I would like to go now, if that's alright."
"Yes, I'm sure you need your beauty rest." Severus sneered with some of his old bite.
Alex shook his head. "No, I mean, I would like to go back to the past tonight. I'm not doing anything, you're not doing anything, so why not?"
"Why, Weasley, it sounds almost like you're trying to ask me out on a date." Severus grinned maliciously.
"No!" Alex felt his cheeks grow warm. I can still blush…? Wait, why the hell am I blushing anyway?
"I can understand my not being a desirable date." Severus' tone sounded more bitter than mocking making Alex stare at him. "However, I don't think we should go until you are fully prepared. And that you're absolutely positive you wish to go, without the slightest doubt. Also, we must make sure that you are prepared mentally for what you will see."
Alex closed his eyes, seeing once again the flash of white and then green light in the forest clearing and the high-pitched laughter before darkness encased him. Snape was right, of course. Seeing his wife die with his own two eyes would be a bit much to take unless he was completely ready for it. "Very well." He said. "I will let you know when." He stood and put the time turner on the table beside his chair. "Can I ask you to keep this until I am ready? I don't want to be tempted to go on my own before I should."
"That would be the first common sense you've shown since I met you, Weasley." Severus said derisively.
Alex shrugged. "Well, I think I'll go on up to my room, now. Good night, Severus." He left the room before Severus could say anything.
He stood for a moment staring at the path Alex had taken before whispering, "Good night, Alex…" A sharp pain in his ankle caused him to jump and look down. The black kitten gazed up at him owlishly from where it gripped Severus' ankle with its claws. Snape bent down and picked the kitten up. "Well, I suppose I should think of a name for you." The kitten mewed in seeming agreement. Severus thought for a moment before nodding. "You're a little hunter with those claws of yours. Not many would try to pounce on a wizard from a tree or be so bold against unprotected ankles…you'll be Hunter." The kitten mewed again and Severus gave a tiny bitter smile as a realization hit him. Alex's middle name was Hunter. "How fitting. You really are getting soft, Severus." He sat down in the chair Alex had recently vacated, holding Hunter in his lap. Pensively he stared into the fire while petting the purring kitten. After a few minutes he looked down at the little ball of black fur that kneaded his claws contentedly into Severus' leg. "He's right, I suppose. We all need something fluffy in our lives…too bad my fluffy has claws."
A/N: Hello! Why didn't anyone tell me that I had put Hermione in this, even though I had said she had gone home for the hols? Lazy readers, very bad! And lazy editing on my part. Shame on me. lowers head and toes dirt Well, it's kinda an update…I edited it…and soon there should be a chapter 24. I'm a senior in college, so let's just say that my senior thesis has taken over my life. Bleh.
