Alex sighed and fidgeted in the brown leather armchair. She glanced out the window at the dark, windswept November street, not really seeing the view. Time sure flies. Back home we'd be getting ready for Thanksgiving.
"- about time to switch back to the Felicitas Potion ?"
She blinked, realizing she'd missed the first words of Dr. Salubria's question. Alex smiled tentatively at the middle-aged wizard. He sat in an old-fashioned wooden swivel chair, smiling back at her over half-moon glasses. His beard, brown streaked with grey, reached nearly to the waist of his deep blue robe. His moustache was waxed, formed into curls at the ends. "Um, yeah, I guess so." she said, dragging her thoughts back to the subject at hand. "I could keep taking the Prozac for a while longer, but like you said, if I have to switch, better to get it over with before the holidays." Alex sighed. "I hate to be a whiner, Doc, but my life would be a lot easier if I could find one potion or medication that would just work and keep on working." She shrugged. "Seems like I'm constantly asking myself, 'Am I okay, or am I starting to get depressed again ?'"
"It might make it easier if you'd keep a daily journal," Salubria suggested.
"Ugh." She rejected the idea. It doesn't matter if they're wizards or Muggles. All shrinks sing the same tune. "No thank you. Forget it, Doc." Alex shook her head. "Keeping a journal just seems so...introspective, you know ? I'd rather not dwell on my problems."
"Well, look on the bright side," the healer told her, smiling, "at least our pharmacy here at St. Mungo's can fill this prescription. I had a devilish time getting the Muggle medication for you."
"Yeah, and the potion doesn't have any side effects either," Alex agreed. She brightened. "Hey, I'll be able to have a beer once in a while now, too !"
Dr. Salubria looked up from the parchment he was writing her new prescription on. He chuckled. "Just don't get carried away."
-----
The American arrived back at Hogwarts in time for dessert. She slipped into her place at the head table, greeting her colleagues warmly. I really do like it here, she reflected, helping herself to a hearty portion of crème brulee.
"Such a healthy dinner," Madame Pomfrey chided gently.
Alex grinned and shrugged. "I'll ask one of the house elves to bring me up some carrot sticks later, if it'll make you feel better." She glanced down the table to where Severus Snape sat in his usual surly silence. They were meeting in the potions lab this evening to brew the first batch of John Chavez's Clarity potion. Alex sighed. Snape had given her no further explanation for the abrupt ending of their date the week before, and his attitude was as cold and formal as ever. Not that I care. Really, she told herself, knowing that it was a lie.
As though sensing her gaze, he stood up abruptly and met her eyes. "Miss Rose, if you are through gorging yourself on rich desserts, we do have a potion to prepare." He swept away, robes swirling, before she could reply.
"Sheesh," Alex remarked to no one in particular, "suddenly everyone's concerned about my eating habits." She stuffed a few last bites of crème brulee into her mouth and hurried after the potions master.
By the time she had negotiated the stairs to the dungeons, Snape had already set up a cauldron and laid out the ingredients in his usual meticulous fashion. "So glad you could join me," he remarked sarcastically.
Alex ignored the jibe. She washed her hands thoroughly, then looked over the recipe, set up on an easel where they could both see it easily. "Okay, let's get started. You add the first set of ingredients, and I'll stir," she said cheerfully, pulling out her wand. Soon the cauldron was simmering, a pale purple liquid swirling in it as Severus took over the stirring. Alex unwrapped the whip tail lizards. That's cnemidophorus tigris to you, Professor Snape, she thought, stifling a giggle at his insistence on proper scientific terminology. Protected by a preservation spell, the reptiles were as fresh as the day they had been caught. Poor little guys. Oh well, if not a potions master, a hungry coyote or roadrunner would've probably gotten 'em eventually. Expertly, Alex began to fillet and skin the creatures. She was acutely aware of Snape watching her. "How's that reduction of cactus juice coming along ?" she asked to hide her discomfort at his scrutiny. No social graces at all.
Snape grunted noncommittally, returning his attention to the cauldron. "Just a few...more...minutes," he said, stirring intently.
Several minutes passed in silence. Alex had to admit, she enjoyed working with Severus Snape. He really is good. Warped, yeah, but he brews a mean potion. "Ok," she asked, "ready for the lizard skins ?" He nodded. Alex scraped them off the cutting board into the potion. The two mages watched as the liquid slowly turned sapphire blue. "Perfect !" Alex exclaimed. She grinned at Snape. He flashed one of his quick smiles. She felt her heartbeat speed up. Stop it, she told herself firmly. "Um, I'll just clean this up," she offered, turning away quickly to dispose of the pathetic remains of the lizards. "You go ahead and bottle that, all right ?" She didn't wait for a response.
Soon the laboratory was tidied, the batch of potions carefully stored away. Alex hung up her work robe. "I've set up a meeting with the doctors at St. Mungo's for next Tuesday," Snape told her. "If all goes well, we should be able to start the clinical trials soon."
"Woo-hoo !" she crowed. "Finally. That's great !" Her eyes met Snape's. She felt her heart beat faster again. Oh, no, you don't. That was a bad idea from the start, she reminded herself. Alex looked away. She took several steps toward the door. "Well, goodnight," she said awkwardly.
"One more thing," Snape said quickly. "I've reserved the quidditch field for tomorrow afternoon, four o'clock. It's high time you had another flying lesson."
Alex's jaw dropped. She shook her head in disbelief. "No way. No way ! You have got to be kidding." She pointed a finger at Snape. "I am never – never – getting on a broomstick with you again ! Got it ?"
"Of course not. You're going to learn to ride your own broom," he said smoothly.
"Oh no I'm not. One, I don't even own a broom. And two, even if I did, I'd have no interest in even sweeping with it, much less riding it."
"I have a broom you can use. And yes, you will learn to ride it," he said implacably.
Alex sighed. "No. Severus...Professor Snape. I'm sorry. This is just...well, it's a bad idea."
He strode across the room, closing the space between them. "Miss Rose, you are a talented witch. Exceptionally talented. Yet you cower in fear at a mere flight of stairs-"
"I do not cower," she said defensively, cutting him off. Damn, I hate when he does the looming thing. It's so...sexy. She shook her head. Merlin's beard, that is a sick thought. Just don't go there. She stepped back and glared at him. "Anyway, those are not normal stairs."
He folded his arms and returned her glare. "I have reserved the quidditch field. You are going to learn to fly a broom. Tomorrow afternoon at four."
"Aargh !" Alex threw up her hands in frustration. "You ! You're impossible !" She whirled and fled the dungeon. She was so angry, she almost forgot her fear of the stairs. "I am not learning to fly," she shouted back as she started up the second flight.
Severus Snape grinned as the little witch's voice drifted down the corridor. "Oh, yes," he replied, softly, "you are."