Disclaimer: Same thing as last time
Chapter 14 - Choices
Severus Snape stood nervously, leaning against the cold, outer stone wall of the Castle, his shadowy eyes scouting the dark night for any trace of movement. His hands ran between hot and sweaty and chilling cold as he paced within the confines of the garden alcove. He had reached his present location a full ten minutes early, not wishing to risk losing a single moment due to lateness, and worried endlessly about the state of his appearance
The moon was hidden tonight, concealing her beautiful face from mere mortals such as he, preparing to renew herself over the next few nights, making it difficult to see, but all the better for meetings such as these.
She had promised she would come, squeezing that folded scrap of parchment into his palm in the hall between classes with a smile that would have lit the most stygian depths of the Underworld. He loved that smile, the one she awarded only to him when no one else was looking; felt more than seen.
His ears probed the mellifluous whisperings of the rose-scented spring breeze, keen for any hint of her approach. His heart was racing within his chest as he waited in eager anticipation, his mouth dry, his fingers toying with the chain of his watch, needing an occupation.
As footsteps approached from the grassy field beyond, he caught his breath, taking a few steps forward to greet the object of his affection, a weight lifting from his heavy heart.
"You kept your promise," he remarked, whispering softly with nearly hidden astonishment. It had been his worst fear, that he would remain for hours in the night, waiting for a dream that would not come to pass.
"Of course, Severus," she smiled warmly, stepping closer so that she came in to full view, drawing the hood of her cloak from the rich brunette tresses, allowing them to spill in soft curls down her back.
Severus sighed quietly, just allowing his lightless eyes to caress the soft curves of her face, coming to rest in those beautiful pools of green. He always had an affinity for green eyes. "Alessandre… even the moon hides her face, jealous of the light that shines from your eyes."
Alessandre Fortesque smiled amorously, gently taking Severus's hand in her own and leading him towards the nearby bench. "I would have thought you preferred the darkness," she spoke quietly as they sat amidst the fragrant roses.
"Ah, but what is the darkness without the light?" Severus asked, maintaining his hold upon her hand. "What beauty does the night possess without the moon held as a precious pearl in its velvet embrace?"
"And what does it feel to be held within that dark embrace, I wonder?" she whispered softly, her verdant eyes searching his. And with that, the future Potion's Master of Hogwarts wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her in against him, her head resting lightly against his chest and shoulder.
They sat in silence for a number of minutes, comfortable in each other's company. "You know I am going to marry you someday, Alessandre," he stated quite matter-of-factly.
"What makes you so sure of that, Severus Snape," she chuckled lightly, lifting her head to gaze upon the sable-haired boy beside her.
"The roses are whispering it in my ear," he said as he leaned in close, their lips gradually approaching….
"Professor?"
Snape's head quickly turned from the female student beside him, mere millimetres before their lips touched, glancing about for the source of the interruption.
"Professor Snape?"
Severus Snape blinked, startled, and desperately tried to focus his dark eyes, reality painfully thrust back upon him unwanted. He was in his office, sitting at his desk with his head propped on his hand. He had been planning his lessons for next week when he apparently dozed off.
Harry Potter was standing before him, a piece of parchment approximately two meters in length held within his grasp, filled with a multitude of lines (I will choose my actions more wisely) which he had to complete for his detention. Harry and Malfoy had gotten into a row earlier in the day and when Harry went to jinx Malfoy, it missed and hit another student instead, landing the student in the hospital wing, covered in boils.
Lines… I had given the Potter boy lines for detention, Snape thought to himself. Bloody Potter. . always Potter. Will I never have any peace?
"What do you want?" Snape snapped at the bespeckled boy, annoyed that Potter had torn him away from such a blissful memory. He did not have many such memories, and had kept this one hidden away for what seemed an eternity, until released from its prison by what he had seen at the Halloween ball a few weeks past.
"It's ten o'clock, Professor. Can I go now?" Harry asked hesitantly, longing to get back to Gryffindor Tower and out of the chilly dungeon. He had a game tomorrow against Ravenclaw, and needed to rest up.
Snape turned to the clock on the wall, and was surprised at how long he must have been out. Extending a pale hand, he ripped the parchment from Potter's grip and held it close to inspect it. Cold, black eyes glittered menacingly towards the boy, narrowing in the Potions Master's irritation. "Get out."
After Harry left the room, Severus Snape rested his head once more upon his hand, rubbing his forehead gently before drawing his hand down his face, wiping the last vestiges of sleep from his features. He had forgotten all about that night (how many years ago was it now?), when he had met his future wife out in the Hogwarts rose garden.
Part of him yearned to fall back asleep and continue with the pleasurable dream, to be able to feel his wife within his arms, even if only for one last time. But at the same time, he was disturbed at having so many memories breaking free of their chains, for they only reminded him of how happy he once was, and could still have been, if… things had been different.
What if I had never joined the Death Eaters? What if I could have had my family by me for these fifteen years? How different could my life have been?
It would be like asking,' what if your father hadn't been so abusive?' or 'what if Potter, Sirius and the rest of their ilk had left you be', he thought angrily. You can't control everything, Severus.
He stared down at the parchment, the lines written over and over again upon its surface suddenly striking a cord within the Potions professor. Gripping it tightly in his shaking hand so that it crumpled in one section, thinking about all of the choices he now regretted, he admitted remorsefully, but I could have controlled some of it.
Infuriated with himself, he balled up the parchment and threw it hard against the wall, striding from the office, out into the dimly lit halls.
The following morning as Harry and Ron were preparing to depart for the Quidditch pitch for their game against Ravenclaw, Hermione strode by them with her bag loaded with books, heading towards the common room door.
Ron glanced at her quizzically, setting down his broom and calling to her, "Hey Hermione, where are you going?"
"To the Library," she responded, continuing purposefully on her path.
"Hey, wait a minute," Ron yelled, dropping everything and running towards her, grabbing her arm, causing her to look around at him. "You're not coming to the game?" he asked, his brows furrowed with concern.
"No," Hermione answered, casting her chestnut gaze from Ron to Harry and then to the floor, her shoulders sagging slightly. "You guys are my best friends, and Gryffindor is my House, but I like Julius too. Who do I cheer for? Who do I want to win?" she said, looking back up towards Ron. "Understand?"
Harry approached his two friends and wrapped Hermione in a hug, a smile on his face, though his eyes were full of disappointment. "It's alright, Hermione, we understand. Just promise us one thing."
"What is that?" she inquired, grabbing Ron and pulling him into the hug too.
"Whoever wins, whatever happens, you'll always be our friend," Harry said quietly.
"Of course, sillies," she replied, squeezing them both even tighter. "Good luck today, alright?"
"Yeah," both Ron and Harry answered, watching Hermione exit through the hole in the wall.
The game itself was quite the match, with Ravenclaw in the lead for most time. Julius seemed to be on form once again, Harry noticed as he peered down on the rest of the players. The Chaser had scored three goals so far out of the seven total, with Gryffindor trailing behind with two.
The Banner Brigade was much quieter for this game and took up only a quarter of the tower. Harry supposed a good portion of the girls realized that Julius was taken, and had turned in their jackets. The Gryffindors however had formed their own banner guard to offset the Ravenclaw fanatics, and wildly cheered every time one of their team passed by their tower.
Hermione could hear the cheering even from her seat in the Library, and silently wondered who was winning. She had never missed a Quidditch match since she arrived at Hogwarts and felt herself paying more attention to the cheers than to the work she had thought to occupy herself with. She wanted so very much to be there, cheering for both sides, but the stares she had been receiving from the members of the Banner Brigade had made her uneasy.
She had to talk to him about all this nonsense. Why couldn't Julius have been a Gryffindor, it would have made her life so much easier.
A/N: Lousy ending for the chapter, I know. I ran into writers block at the end.
Sorry it took me so long to post, I have bronchitis and it is hard to concentrate when you are hacking up a lung.
Thank you for all the reviews!